Lies, Slander and Racism: an addendum

From previous posts on this blog, it is obvious how I feel about The Washington Football Team and Dan Snyder's position on their name. Recently it came to light that the team had been running a Twitter account in support of the current name, and in opposition of any call to change it.

Links to somewhere

This alone, wouldn't be so bad, the Washington team has made no secret how they feel about their brand. The problem is they tried to disguise the Twitter account as a fan created and supported account, not an official team account run by staff members.

Now, for the people out there who understand why the name is racist, and unacceptable for a major sports franchise, this scandal isn't very remarkable, or surprising. However, for people on the fence about it, or indifferent, this highlights how desperate the team is to have support. To create the illusion that other parties aside from the team believe the name to be not racist is disingenuous and also not even necessary. There are plenty of actual fans who argue against the name change all on their own.

Bottom line: the whole thing is set up as sly propaganda. And if your football team has to resort to sneaky tricks to gain support, then maybe the name really is racist and unacceptable.

Speak no Evil, Hear no Evil

There has been much talk lately of college campuses becoming overly sensitive politically correct nightmares. From a humanist utilitarian perspective, this is difficult to believe. There is such a thing as being too open and accepting? But with comedians like Seinfeld admitting why they don't play schools anymore, and stories of the hijacking of the Trigger Warning note, and stories of students speaking out against insensitivity for seemingly innocuous statements, this has become a serious question, and has put Freedom of Speech back into the national conversation.

Before I continue further, let me make it very clear, there is a huge difference between this particular issue of free speech and overly sensitive PC police, and the need to combat actual racism and misogyny.

I had a conversation with a good friend of mine the other day about this same issue. She stated that even though sexism is very pervasive in our society and has become toxic, pointing out every single instance in her life would be exhausting, and attacking people (men mostly) for "mansplaining" can be counter productive and no longer effective. She has since picked her battles, understanding the differences between intentional marginalizing comments and actions, and ones that are perfectly reasonable and steeped in cultural normative has made being an active feminist far less stressful.

This doesn't mean women ought to stop shaming men for things like catcalling. In fact, getting creative with it like Elana Adler's project You are my Duchess not only brings the issue to the public, but the humor helps lessen the damage done by these vulgar assaults. As she points out on the website, at first, these cross stitches are cute and funny, but after awhile you realize these are actual things actually shouted out in public from one stranger to another. The whole collection becomes a disgusting monument to what many women deal with on a daily basis. These are the battles worth having, this is not the problem.

less exhausting, and no mansplaining necessary

Our problem of overly protective, political correct schools is not the same issue as gender inequality, or institutional racism. It perhaps is born of both of these larger societal issues, but has since outpaced these movements into something resembling a satire. For example, at Brown, the Sexual Assault Task Force was created to make Brown a safe place for victims of rape and abuse. This is necessary to help these people cope with their trauma and normalize in an accepting community. However, the task force promotes the use of safe spaces, where students can retreat when speakers and debates become too overwhelming. The problem happens when students use the safe spaces not to withdraw and recover from PTSD-like symptoms, but to escape having to engage in competing viewpoints. The New York Times Sunday Review has a full article about that here.

links to the article too

The Right, of course, has linked these issues together to try and undercut Liberals, and try and show that the status quo is fine. We don't have to have serious conversations about Race or Gender, because it's just the Left over reacting. An interview between Rachel Martin of Listen to the Story on NPR and Jamelle Bouie of Slate basically sums this up. Bouie states that this desire to protect Freedom of Speech has minimized the Americans who are trying to stand up and fight to be welcome and accepted in systems that are predominately white and male.

click me

At some point in the last decade, the necessary considerations for equality, and acceptance in educational places took a weird turn. Instead of protecting freedoms of expression and speech in a move to be more open and welcoming to minority groups, colleges have pandered to students' entitlement.

I find this whole thing interesting. Professional comedians like Seinfeld aren't refusing to perform on college campuses because they don't believe in civil rights, or feminism. It has more to do with the way in which the college population responds to perceived slights, either real or imaginary. Part of what makes comedy far more important than just funny cartoon antics, is the ability to have thought provoking conversations wrapped up in jokes. A comedian is able to have those embarrassing, uncomfortable conversations about the difficulties of life, because they're cloaked in comedy. Just like Ms Adler's confrontation with abusive catcalling is wrapped up in needlework. But if a campus has banned topics of feminism, racism, violence, and addiction because they may offend the student body, how can the comedian bring a voice, and a cathartic relief to his audience?

The way in which campuses are dealing with these issues has missed the point. The student body is no longer interested in what is best for the entire student body. This is no longer about feminists wanting equality, or minorities wanting acceptance. Feminism and cultural acceptance aide in the educational system and benefit everyone. The focus has shifted from what is best for education, to what is best for that individual. If colleges refuse to have conversations about certain "trigger" topics, how can their students with these issues perceived or real find cathartic relief and grow stronger and more confident? And, to go one step further, the group as a whole will be better educated and more welcoming and accepting.

These students that call out their peers and professors for insensitive remarks in exaggerating, over the top ways seem to do it, not because it helps inform the perceived aggressor, or to help reclaim lost dignity or stop oppression, but rather because the spotlight is now on them.

Children behave without an understanding of other people. They are unable, at the moment, to empathize. These students seem to behave that way. When something seems to disrupt their perception of their universe, and make them uncomfortable it is made offensive and demonized. Empathy is something learned, and is very important to cultivating a culture of acceptance.

I think, as a society, we often forget that college-aged kids are not yet adults. We want them to be fully functioning grown ups capable of making good, rational decisions and participating in real life society. They can vote, they can serve in the military, they can be prosecuted for crimes as adults. But really, 18-22 year olds don't behave like people in their late 20s, or 30s, or like their parents. If the goal is to promote a safe learning environment for all students in a caring and accepting culture, then we have to promote certain conversations built to teach empathy, no matter how uncomfortable those conversations may be.

I'm not getting sick (I refuse)

There was a time when I worked with kids. I worked for a before and after school program at an elementary school, I worked for YMCAs and a JCC (the YMCA for Jews). I was sick all the time, but I figured exposure to all those little germ factories helped build my immune system for the better.

I don't work at those places anymore, and as a result, I almost never get sick anymore either. So... either I was right, and my immune system is a wrecking ball, or just not being around children all the time means I don't catch anything.

nice catch. but still, don't touch me

However, I still do get sick sometimes, I think it's probably inevitable. Usually I can feel it coming on, and no matter how much I tell myself "I'm not getting sick" it will happen anyway.

Today, I had the feeling. Too many trips to get a tissue, my nose is running. So... I decided maybe I can head this thing off at the pass, maybe there is something I can eat, or drink to make this go away before it becomes super annoying for a few days. 

I looked up a few "cold rememdy" smoothy recipes, because if you're going to concoct something weird in your kitchen, a smoothie is probably the best way to go. I altered the one I found to be most appealing, because who the hell buys echinacea? It sounds like an STD. 

I mixed: 

• one 11.5 oz bottle of Simply Orange orange juice
• one lime (quartered, pulped, tossed in some of the peel too, my grandmother always ate them, said it was super healthy)
• five or six slices of crystalized ginger
• 1/3 of a pint of coconut milk ice cream, vanilla flavored
• one big tablespoon of Dawes Hill wildflower honey

I tossed it all into a blender and out came an surprisingly decent disaster. I threw in a shot of dark rum too, because sailors used to mix their lime juice with rum, and it sounded like a good healthy idea. My only regret was the lime peel. The bitterness wasn't the problem, it just doesn't blend very well. Speaking of not blending well, the ginger sinks to the bottom in a slimy jellied mess. There must be a better way to incorporate ginger into this mixture. 

This picture was actually taken after I drank half of it. So... the portions are a little deceiving.

Bottoms Up

Killing Machines: the Ultimate Hunter

It is very difficult to photograph dragonflies. They don't sit very long in one spot, and flit around pretty quickly. However, I got this little guy to hang out for a bit. This is a female Autumn Meadowhawk, sympetrum vicinum. It's only a little longer than an inch and a half. From the order Odonata, the dragonfly (suborder anisoptera) is far cooler than its damselfly cousin (suborder zygoptera).

Dragonflies are probably the coolest flying insect ever, and the deadliest predator on earth. The dragonflies, like this one, have a 95% success rate when hunting. For perspective, great white sharks have a 50% success rate, and lions have 25%.

Why isn't Flying the Battle Flag Treason?

Don't mind this, it isn't racist,. It stands for sweet tea, NASCAR, chewing tobacco, and humping your sister

Recently, the State of South Carolina finally agreed to take down the Confederate Battle Flag that had been flying on the grounds of the state house since 2005 after it was removed from atop the state house dome. This came about after the church shooting in Charleston which killed 9. The killer was known to proudly wear the battle flag and other racially charged flags. The state assembly decided they no longer wanted to be associated with the kind of racism that incites violence. 

The rest of the country promptly exploded. 

Across the South there were rallies held to protest removing the Confederate flag. Read that last sentence again. I'll wait... 

When I said "across the South" I meant the South, not the State of South Carolina. In fact, there were no rallies at all in the entire state of South Carolina for or against the Confederate battle flag. Gawker published this story a little while ago. 

click me

On top of that, the president recently went to the State of Oklahoma. Now keep in mind, Oklahoma shares no borders with South Carolina, and wasn't even a state until 1907 (the Civil War happened between 1861 and 1865. Oklahoma was actually too busy relocating and murdering Indians at the time). But when President Obama stepped off Air Force One, there was a picket line of Confederate protesters holding battle flags. 

this actually happened

This whole thing makes no sense, none at all. This should be a non-issue for everyone in the country who is not a citizen of the State of South Carolina. The decision made by the South Carolina state assembly affects no one outside of that state (and it could be argued it doesn't affect anyone in the state either). 

Furthermore, the president had nothing to do with this. There has been no call to ban the battle flag the way Germany has banned the swastika. Obama had nothing to do with South Carolina's decision, and certainly has no plans to promote a federally backed boycott, ban, or moratorium on commercially sold, or personally flown Confederate battle flags. 

Basically, this is just more proof that the Bible Belt is stupid, and is holding the rest of the country back with it's idiocy. I wrote about this on my blog before. 

Not only do all these flag rallies make no sense, defending this 154 year old symbol of a failed rebellion is ridiculous. The actual flag for the actual CSA is below. The Battle Flag, the one shown in the picture above, flown by stupid Oklahomans, was originally the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, and later was adopted by the Army of Tennessee. 

the actual CSA flag, actually

There has been plenty written about the Civil War in this country. We've studied it more than any other time in our country's history. It is massively important politically and socially, and impacted how our country behaved domestically for the next hundred years or more. What we do know, beyond any doubt, is the war was ignited because of slavery. Even if this fact embarrasses us, or makes us feel disgusted with ourselves, it is factual. That is basic US Civil War history. And even though we spent decades trying to gloss that fact over, actual history doesn't change.  

There were so many slave owning states, and so many free states. And for a time, there was a balance of economic power in government between slave holding states and free states. This was important to the South, because they wanted federal economic policy to protect this form of labor and therefore the slave-model economy. The Missouri Compromise tried to stop slavery from expanding into the new territories to the west, but The Kansas Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and ended in crazy bloodshed all over the Kansas Territory.

Eventually, with the election of Lincoln in 1860, the seven southern slave states seceded from the Union because of the Republican platform to stop the expansion of slavery into any future states, and therefore would end the balance. Some would like to believe that the war was fought over states' rights, protecting the individual sovereignty of the State over the Federal government. This is true, I suppose, but those slave states were seceding to protect their states' rights to own people (that means slavery, in case you aren't paying attention). 

The Confederacy disappeared after 1865. The government was never officially recognized by the Union, nor by any other world power. The slaves were all emancipated and those slave states were allowed to rejoin the Union as free states with full representation in Congress. Basically, the rebellious state governments were granted amnesty. The Union could have recognized the Confederacy and occupied the southern states after the war as enemy territory, but instead the USA allowed them to rejoin the nation as if nothing happened. 

The Battle Flag continued to linger, however. Mississippi adopted a new flag in 1865 with the Battle Flag appearing in the Canton. They discontinued it in 1906, only to readopt it in 2001. Georgia adopted a flag in 1956 with the Battle Flag taking up two thirds. This was an obvious reply to the Civil Rights movement that was beginning to gain momentum. This is also around the same time the State of South Carolina began flying their Battle Flag atop the state house. (Just as an aside, there are other southern states that have incorporated pieces of the actual Confederate flag in their state designs. Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina have designs that bear a striking resemblance). 

What I don't understand, and what no one seems to be talking about in the mediasphere, is why this symbol of the CSA has been allowed to fly at all ever. It was a symbol used by a rebel army whose only purpose was to defy and break away from the legally elected government. They were terrorists, and deserters. The leaders of the Confederate Army went to West Point, trained and taught by the American Military. They commandeered federal munitions, forts and other properties. State militias set up by the Militia Act of 1792 were also commandeered and repurposed for Confederate controlled duties. 

That all sounds like it could be considered acts of treason. So, flying the Battle Flag, or any symbol of the Confederacy, could be seen as an act of treason, or at the very least, an Anti-American act, and one not seen as patriotic at all. These Confederates were the enemies of the state of the 1860s, and no amount of excuses, or explaining, or thinly veiled metaphors can change that. 

It is not a symbol of heritage. It is not a symbol of pride (southern or otherwise). It is not a symbol of American free spirits. It is and has always been a symbol of separation, division, segregation, and racism. It is the symbol of a group that tried to destroy the Union of the United States of America because they wanted to own people as property. It is not patriotic, or American. And it certainly does not belong flying on government property, local, state, or federal.