2 replies to this topic

[ZachVsYojimbo]

1. Let's make the argument that you are listening to someone speak, say at your church or at a rally, and that someone says something offensive or otherwise mean-spirited, even downright untrue, and you say nothing to denounce, refute or distance yourself from either the person and the comments, let's argue that because you did not do any of those things you are, effectively tolerating, legitimizing and even condoning those aforementioned statements.

Your pastor implies that the Reagan Administration pushed crack into America's ghettos, you say nothing, therefore you agree. You sit on a charity board with a former member of the Weathermen, though you do not condemn the man's prior actions in his presence, therefore you are a sympathizer. Yes, let's live there. Let's say that this is the way things are in our world.

So then you are at a political rally. And you are not just attending this political rally, you are actually hosting this rally as a way to shore up support for your campaign to become arguably the most powerful person on the planet. And at that rally someone in the crowd, some brain dead sycophantic sociopath shouts out "kill the terrorist" in reference to your opponent in the race to become the most powerful person on the planet. You do nothing, say nothing, just stand there with your dumb doe eyes and "look ma how good I did" grin on your face. You tolerate, legitimize and condone jingo/nationalistic race baiting. Fucking hypocrite.


2. A woman made an innocent comment to me regarding the relative accessibility of pornographic magazines in bookstores, referring to the fact that these can now be found on the magazine rack and not behind the cash register, where she would expect them to be. Then she says, "No wonder so many kids are gay."

She is greeted by stunned silence from myself and my coworker.

"I mean, 'cause it's just there. Maybe I'm just a prude." Then the woman walked away.

This is, apparently, the way things are in our world. To paraphrase the [hopeful] prophet Sam Cooke, change can't come fast enough.

~I realized, after the fact, that Truth For Dummies is not an appropriate title for this post, but instead Dummy For Truth. Or better yet, We're Deep In Fucking Bat Country, Run For Your Lives!

[Mary]

1. Let's say you're willing to sell your soul and publicly condone this chillingly inappropriate comment because more people in Fucking Bat Country will respect you for that than vice versa, and you really, really want to win that election.

2. Let's say you had a moment in your private life to be courageous in a way that probably wouldn't change shit, but your courage failed you for just a moment.

Most powerful person on the planet? The one who gets to be true to himself.

[ZachVsYojimbo]

I would like to take away the distinction between people who are flat-out racist and people who are not [at least in public] racist but take great advantage from the fact that racism exists in this country. Since the trend these past 8 years has been to make clear cut black and white distinctions in all moral, ethical and national judgments, let's do the same for this thing here, then.

If you manipulate and benefit from the racism of others, you're a racist.

And being true to yourself isn't really valuable if you're always wrong. Cough, George W. Bush.