Catberry posted:

God screwed up Easter miracle. Raised General Sherman from the dead by accident instead of Jesus

Do we have a news thread somewhere?

Henchman of Santa posted:

It's a local affiliate you dinguses

BigglesSWE posted:

If you seriously regard FOX news as a left-leaning news-outlet, then you were probably hanged in Germany or Poland sometime around 1946.

Ularg posted:

I see the difference between Fox national and local affiliates alongside Federal and Local Republicans. Local are alright, all across the spectrum, actually have some values.

Low Desert Punk posted:

How do the ultra-religious Trump supporters justify Trump being totally non-religious and committing actions about as un-Christian as you can imagine?

That's not snark, I'm really curious how they reconcile that to themselves, especially when they just spent 8 years calling for Obama's blood because they thought he wasn't a Christian

FreudianSlippers posted:

The same way that they managed to see George W. Bush, a Ivy League educated Connecticut Yankee son of president and grandson of a senator, as a Southern "Washington outsider" and good ol' boy you could have a beer with.

HOOLY BOOLY posted:

Fresh from Facebook



Less the Trump punching itself, but more that there are comics of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman punching Trump?

quote:

People dumping on Lovecraft annoy me. You're looking at a desperately dysfunctional individual who lived almost exclusively through letters rather than direct social contact, traveled little, and had as few experiences outside his tiny comfort zone as possible.

His idea of swarthy inferior races includes the Irish and Italians, for crying out loud. Now, I'm no expert on political correctness, but I'm pretty drat sure swarthy Irishmen are a rare breed.

His brand of racism wasn't common for the time, but just one of several byproducts of his psychological disabilities. Dumping on him for it is being no less prejudicial and close-minded than he was.

We know he's wrong, but nobody I've ever heard of plays cosmic horror games for the white supremacy. People like it not because ssome"lesser races" are in need of enlightenment, but because it hammers home the idea humanity as a whole is powerless against these cosmic threats.

Margaret Sanger was far more active in her desire to cull certain ethnicities through eugenics than Lovecraft ever was.

quote:

Historical context, blah blah blah. The Bible is filled with rape, genocide, racism, murder and torture, but no one gives a poo poo. At least Lovecraft made it unequivocally clear that his gods were evil, and in so doing, contributed meaningfully to the literary world. Christians defend the psychopathic monster deity of their mythos to their dying breath so I really see no reason why Lovecraft should be singled out as any worse than the most popular selling book of all time.

quote:

I think some people like being witch hunters. The cause doesn't matter to them - whether they are supposedly anti racists or supporting racists, it's the personal power that actually attracts them.

Also, look up some of the poo poo Gandhi said - it was loving racist as! Still appreciate other parts of his philosophy, though. After all, it's the inability to appreciate peoples good parts that leads to racism - why would you discard someone utterly and call them toxic, when that's the same bigoted thinking that racism comes from?

quote:

Consider the following: See how people react to black folks, Mexicans, and Muslims? An awful lot like how people react to shoggoths, nightgaunts, and C'thulu.

The very basis of his horror is based on race and racism. Which only makes it scary if you're racist, if you're a neo-nazi, if you're xenophobic. Then it's scary and it's playing on those fears.

Which is why Lovecraft is a bitch. Because those a bitch rear end fears to have in the first place. Let's not ignore him to the degree we forget about the past, but we really don't need him moving forward, either. There are legitimately terrifying things out there to work with.

quote:

My view is this: people are hypocrites, and always will be. Even me. Even when I try not to be.

The Volkwagen Beetle was beloved around the world. It was also commissioned by Hitler to be made.

Michael jackson is the King of Pop. His music topped charts and is incredibly popular around the world, even after his death. He's also an alleged child molester.

Walt Disney's legacy is his studio, which makes movies that typically become instant classics. One big thing right now is the return of Szechuan sauce (thanks to Rick and Morty), which originally debut with Disney's Mulan. Disney himself was a big racist.

And yet we all know these things. We all do not hate these things. And we all know about their legacies. These are just things which are products of their time, and they do not necessarily reflect the products themselves or the attitudes of today.

In effect, that was then and this is now. Pushing back on H.P. Lovecraft 80 years after his death is hypocritical. It's bullshit. It's like calling the VW Beetle a Jew-killer or Thriller "molester-music". It's a huge load of crap.

Because people are more than one thing. People might become famous or infamous for one thing, but people are more than that one thing. And we all forget that. It's like if a cure for cancer was created and offered for free by Donald Trump himself, and refusing to use it because he once said he'd 'grab a woman by the pussy'.

HOOLY BOOLY posted:

Fresh from Facebook



Less the Trump punching itself, but more that there are comics of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman punching Trump?

Serf posted:

This is mostly fine or at least inoffensive until that last one. Holy moley.

gradenko_2000 posted:

Crazycryodude posted:

Is it bad that I agree with pretty much all of this? Maybe it's just because I'm a massive Lovecraft nerd but nothing this guy's saying is wrong, really.

Serf posted:

This is mostly fine or at least inoffensive until that last one. Holy moley.

Crazycryodude posted:

Is it bad that I agree with pretty much all of this? Maybe it's just because I'm a massive Lovecraft nerd but nothing this guy's saying is wrong, really.

Catberry posted:

Globalism is among other things the idea of prioritizing a world scheme as opposed to focusing on a single nation. Often at the expense of individual nations. Depending on how far down you want to pull the tinfoil hat is also branches out into the idea of watering down the white race with other "inferior" races to create a new slave race that is physically capable but weaker psychically and so easier to control by the Jews/Soros/Monsanto/Rothschilds. Which does a lot to explain why good white guys get friend zoned while the white girls hang out with thugs.

It's really the Baskin Robbins of conspiracy theories. It has a flavor for everyone.

Picnic Princess posted:

There's been a massive influx of porn-bots on Instagram lately, and it's all gigantic-lady-rear end-in-black-thong profile pics liking my photos. I asked my friends about it and they're getting the same thing. Only over the last week or so. A few of us did some investigating, and oddly they're all locally based, saying their hometowns are small towns surrounding the city we live in. Some accounts were made specifically to be bots, while others were hacked accounts. One was some old lady who posted pics of her grandkids before being taken over.

It's annoying to get a notification and be like "aww someone like my pic" just to see it's some literal and figurative rear end.

Henchman of Santa posted:

It's a local affiliate you dinguses

Zzulu posted:

Show me ur pic and I'll cast judgement upon it

Picnic Princess posted:

It's annoying to get a notification and be like "aww someone like my pic" just to see it's some literal and figurative rear end.

Picnic Princess posted:

All the butts are liking this pic and there's a new one every couple of days.

quote:

Donna Johnson writes...

“I assume you’ve seen the United video. Were you as disturbed as I was? How can a company treat their customers like that and remain in business? I know you fly all the time – what would do if you were the CEO?”

Hi Donna

Like most people, I don’t enjoy seeing passengers dragged down the aisle of a commercial airplane, limp and lifeless. Nor do I enjoy seeing them hogtied at 37,000 feet, (which I’ve also had the occasion to witness – in person – and more than once.)

These kinds of episodes are always disturbing, but what bothered me initially about this video was not just the violence, it was the obvious ease with which it could have been avoided. A little common-sense and the freedom to apply it could have resolved this situation in a dozen different ways. Last night however, I watched a tape of United’s CEO, Oscar Munoz, as he attempted to walk back some earlier comments. He told ABC news that the passenger in question – David Dao - “did nothing wrong.”

Now, I’m no longer disturbed, Donna. I’m merely terrified.

Is Oscar serious? God, I hope not. I hope he’s just doing the typical “over-apology” thing CEO’s do when their “crisis experts” tell them they’ve got to say whatever it takes to win back the public trust. I hope he’s just reacting to some lawyer who told him before the interview, “for the love of God, Oscar, don’t blame the victim!” Well, Oscar certainly didn’t blame the victim. But in the process of finding him blameless, he suggested that millions of passengers are under no obligation to follow a direct command from United employees. And that’s a hell of a lot more disturbing than a beat-down in the main cabin.

Here’s the thing. It’s easy to forget that we have no right to fly. Buying a ticket doesn’t change that. So, when we board the plane, we have no right to remain there. We can be legally removed if we’re too drunk, too loud, too creepy, too suspicious, or too big for the seat. We can be removed if we stink. We can be removed if we’re insubordinate. We can be removed for whatever reason the airline deems necessary.

Obviously, airlines don’t like to remind us of such things, because it makes them sound mean. So they bury the truth in the fine print of a 37,000-word contract, and tell us how much they love us in sappy commercials and mandatory safety briefings that try oh-so-hard to make us smile. But the facts are clear: if you want to travel by air, you must agree to do what you’re told. If you don’t, you subject yourself to fine, arrest, constraint, forcible removal, and/or a permanent ban from the friendly skies. It’s all there in the fine print.

Personally, I support this policy. I support it because I don’t want to fly across the country in a steel tube filled with people who get to decide which rules they will follow and which they will ignore. I’ve been on too many flights with too many angry people to worry about the specific circumstances of their outrage, or the details of why they took it upon themselves to ignore a direct command. A plane is not a democracy, and the main cabin is no place to organize a sit-in. The main cabin is a place to follow orders.

Moving forward, what matters most to me is a heightened respect for the rules, and a heightened respect for the people who enforce them. Obviously, the policies that led to this particular fiasco need to change. But the greatest enemy we face in the friendly skies is not bad service – it’s anarchy. And I have no interest in flying with anyone who doesn’t follow orders. Do you? Does anyone?

Let me say it again. United made a business decision that was unbelievably, incomprehensibly stupid, and now they’re paying for it. (Seriously guys – what did you think was going to happen with two hundred citizen-reporters armed with cameras?) Point is, this is how the market is supposed to work. Their stock is down hundreds of millions of dollars, their customers are flying on other carriers, and according to CNN, they just might be the most hated company in the world today. But that doesn’t mean Dr. Dao “did nothing wrong.” He did. He ignored a direct order from a United representative while sitting on a United plane.

He was told to leave and he refused to do so – multiple times by multiple people – all with the proper authority.

Does that mean he deserved a beating? Of course not. But it doesn’t mean he's innocent. Like the airline, Dr. Dao had options. He had recourse. He could have deplaned and pled his case to the gate agent. But he didn’t. He chose resistance. That was dumb. United chose confrontation. That was dumber. Now, here we are. Dumb and Dumber.

As for your question, Donna – if I were Oscar Munoz, I’d take a page from Charlotte McCourt, the 11-year old Girl Scout who became famous on this page for telling the truth about how Girl Scout cookies actually tasted, and then, wound up selling more Girl Scout cookies than anyone else in the world. First, I’d stop apologizing for the way in which that passenger was removed, and start apologizing for being cheap and short-sighted. Then, I’d apologize for valuing rules more than common sense. Then, if United still insists on overbooking future flights, I’d publicly empower my employees to offer any amount of money to entice people off of an over-sold plane. Whatever it takes – no cap, no limit.

But through it all, I’d make drat sure the world understood that passengers on my airline still need to follow the orders given by my people - even if they think those orders are stupid or unfair. And for that, I would make no apology whatsoever.
Finally, let me say to my many friends on the front line of the airline industry – flight attendants, pilots, gate agents, and those of you behind the counter - I appreciate what you do, sincerely, and I understand how difficult things are right now. Your jobs have become increasingly thankless over the years, even as they have become more critical. Thanks for your hard work.

Mike

PS. Oscar – I’ve prepared a new greeting for your pilots to read prior to take-off. I think it captures the kind of transparency many of your customers currently crave. Maybe one day, as I pull my seatbelt low and tight across my hips, I’ll get to hear it…

“Morning folks, and welcome aboard. This is your Captain speaking. I realize you paid a lot of money to rent the seat you’re currently occupying, but let’s be clear right from the get go – you have no right to be here. We’re glad that you are, but I don’t care how much you paid to fly with us today, or what you think you might be entitled to as a result. I’m in charge of this plane, and everyone on it. That includes you. So - if a flight attendant asks you to do something, don’t argue – just do it. We’ll try to make your flight as comfortable as possible, but make no mistake – your comfort is not our priority, and neither is your opinion about the decisions we make during the journey. As for safety, you’ll be pleased to know I have much to live for, and so does my co-pilot. So rest assured – we’ll be doing all we can up here to get ourselves back on the ground in one piece. That’s good news for the rest of you, assuming we can keep the main cabin attached to the cockpit. Finally, we value your business here at United, sincerely. And we appreciate the trust you’ve placed in us. But let’s not gild the lily. For the next few hours, we’re all in this together, so keep your hands to yourself, don’t get drunk, and listen to the flight attendants. In other words, try not to be an rear end in a top hat. I’ll see you on the ground...”

Now that’s an airline I could get behind! Who’s with me?

Mike

bean_shadow posted:

Dirty Jobs guy Mike Rowe just wrote an essay on the recent United-beating-up-a-doctor controversy.


TL;DR: While I'm sorry-not-sorry he was beat up, Dao brought this on himself for not following instructions and I'm terrified that people are saying Dao did nothing wrong.

bean_shadow posted:

Dirty Jobs guy Mike Rowe just wrote an essay on the recent United-beating-up-a-doctor controversy.


TL;DR: While I'm sorry-not-sorry he was beat up, Dao brought this on himself for not following instructions and I'm terrified that people are saying Dao did nothing wrong.

there wolf posted:

I think the last one is kind of funny. Not sure if that's the intent though...


Yeah, because its a bunch of lazy apologetics from someone who is doing anything they can to avoid having to think critically about Lovecraft's racism.

Don't hold his racism against him because he was crazy, and really aren't you being the real bigot for judging him for that? Anyways, it's not like people are attracted to the Cthulhu poo poo for the white supremacy parts, so is it really a big deal that it's in there? Aren't there other figures from history or other books that you could complain about instead? When you think about it everyone has liked someone/thing problematic in their lives which makes us all hypocrites for pointing out Lovecraft's issues.

Own up to your problematic favs.

gradenko_2000 posted:

Wow Mike Rowe can suck a gently caress. That is some Grade-A The Authoritarians poo poo.

Glazier posted:

I've been telling people he's a right wing piece of poo poo for years. Maybe this will finally get people to accept it.

Glazier posted:

I've been telling people he's a right wing piece of poo poo for years. Maybe this will finally get people to accept it.

Crazycryodude posted:

Is it bad that I agree with pretty much all of this? Maybe it's just because I'm a massive Lovecraft nerd but nothing this guy's saying is wrong, really.

quote:

I don't care if anyone, famous or not, is racist, seriously.
Being racist is, in my opinion, part of the freedom of thought and freedom of speech.
If your racism is the cause behind you committing a crime, then I care about racism, because you could just keep it for yourself, instead of having it push you into crime.
We would probably have to discard different religious texts, based on the "throw out the racists" motto, and isn't hating racists in a way racist itself?

I'm a southern Italian, which means I've faced racism rooted in northern Italy towards us southerners (something similar to the 'rednecks' in US, but driven forwards towards something like 'you are the reason Italy is not shining').
I'm an emigrant, which means I face racism towards someone who doesn't speak the local language, but "comes to steal work".
I'm strongly overweight since I was 10, which means I've faced bullying because of being fat.
I've got no univesity degree, which means I've faced the prejudice of people who think only through university you can gain knowledge.

I have all the reasons to hate racism and prejudice, but I don't, because of many reasons.
I can only say that if I like a literary work, I like it, regardless of who's behind it.
If we would discard someone's work because they are racist, we would probably lose many interesting pieces of culture, be it movies, books, songs, or whatever.
I hang out with racist people, I don't fight with them, I try to get into polite conversations with them, and sometimes also dig in their thoughts, to understand why they have prejudice.
But I don't discard them, I don't boycott them, I don't try to change them, the same way I don't want people to try to change me.

gradenko_2000 posted:

and isn't hating racists in a way racist itself?

Scratch Monkey posted:

His message dips across the line of "work is a valuable thing' to "you're only valuable if you work" a lot