August 13, 2014

"Here's America today... frivolous entertainment, texting and Twitter replacing serious news reporting, reading, writing and arithmetic...."

If only we weren't so frivolous, if we could get serious, maybe we could figure it all out.

48 comments:

Birkel said...

The "however" that starts the last sentence of the first paragraph in Jackson, Sr's essay is misplaced. "Further" might work.

Michael K said...

Jesse should know about frivolous. He could have added that "51% of them voted for Obama." That's frivolous.

Brando said...

"Obviously, there are conflicting reports so it's premature to come to conclusions, but a full federal investigation into what happened is essential."

That's pretty much all you need to know right there. An investigation is under way, and until we know for certain it's premature to get outraged.

It's possible that the cop was trigger-happy and shot the guy for no good reason, in which case criminal charges should be filed. It's also possible that the cop was being assaulted and reasonably feared for his life. That's why these things should be looked into.

The rioting is inexcusable, and the protests are way premature--this isn't as though the police are sweeping this under the rug. But there are two things to keep in mind with every confrontation like this:

1) Some cops are incredibly abusive towards suspects and have no business wearing a badge. Unfortunately it can be hard to prove which cops fit this category as there's often no evidence besides the words of the suspects vs. those of the thin blue line.

2) Most cops have to be in constant fear that a routine stop or collar could result in their own death. If you're arresting a hundred people a year, there's a decent chance some of them will be armed and crazy. That would put anyone on edge, and it's all the more essential that if you're the person being stopped, questioned, or arrested, that the first and most important thing you can do for your own safety is make it clear you are no threat--hands where they can be seen, calm behavior, no back talk. Even good cops can be nervous, and just because you're not armed or dangerous doesn't mean the cop knows this.

Right now, a killing like this is a tragedy but we don't know enough yet to determine if it is an outrage.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Why the Jesse Jackson, Jr. tag? This is Dad.

Kelly said...

I see cops out of control all over the place. The LA hostage murder bothers me a lot. When the robbers began throwing hostages out of the car maybe that should have clued the police into the fact that they should back off. Nawww, instead they shoot up the car. Not to mention the kidnapped little girl in Kansas, the police shot up the car she was in. I guess their tag line should be, we've got to kill the hostages to save them.

I could have a lot of sympathy in this case if race wasn't dragged into it. I feel manipulated.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

All that talk about what's wrong with society, and no mention of the breakdown of the family. I wonder why he didn't mention that.

The Crack Emcee said...

Here you go, Michael K, you racist moron:

The National Review: Conservatives Are Wrong On Race

Call your kid and tell him he's right about you,...

The Crack Emcee said...

Kelly,

"I could have a lot of sympathy in this case if race wasn't dragged into it. I feel manipulated."

ROTFLMAO!!!!

Wait - race was "dragged into" an incident that happened in a racist country?

ROTFLMAO!!!!

And now you - a white person - feel manipulated?

ROTFLMAO!!!!

Let me guess - all those blacks milling about make you feel "oppressed"?

ROTFLMAO!!!!

Oh, racist white people:

As cluelessly hilarious as ever,...

The Crack Emcee said...

Ignorance is Bliss,

"All that talk about what's wrong with society, and no mention of the breakdown of the family. I wonder why he didn't mention that."

Because it was whites who broke it.

Damn, are you guys really going to play this dumb, forever?

CWJ said...

Nothing says "justice for Michael" like looting chrome rims from a tire store.

Ann Althouse said...

"Why the Jesse Jackson, Jr. tag? This is Dad."

Careless autocomplete. Sorry. Fixed.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

The Crack Emcee said...

Because it was whites who broke it.

And that's his reason for not mentioning it? By that logic, all the problems that he does mention were not caused by whites.

In your defense, I don't believe that you're playing dumb.

Kelly said...

Crack, I feel sympathy all the time toward victims of police brutality. Seems police get to investigate themselves and are almost always vindicated. I don't need a candle light vigil or Jesse Jackson, or Al Sharpton or riots to influence my opinion.

By all accounts this was a good kid. Maybe he made a mistake and was shoplifting, maybe he did try to get away because he was going to start college and thought this might screw things up. He didn't deserve to die for doing what a lot of young kids do. You can pretend like you have me all figured out, that makes no difference to me, I'm not sure what it gets you? Not happiness surely, only more bitterness.

richard mcenroe said...

If we were really serious as a nation, you guys, we'd all be down at the beach bailing out the ocean to keep it from rising...

Seeing Red said...

Of course there's no serious reporting, a democrat is in charge!

The Crack Emcee said...

CWJ,

"Nothing says 'whites are racist' like snark."

FIFY

The Crack Emcee said...

Ignorance is Bliss,

"In your defense, I don't believe that you're playing dumb."

No - just the victim, right?

White people - who can keep up with their delusions?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

The Crack Emcee said...

No - just the victim, right?

I don't see you as playing the victim. I think you honestly believe the fundamental premises that you advance. ( You do appear quite willing to lie to advance your position, but that does not mean you do not believe that position. )

You are mentally ill. As with many people with mood disorders, you seek to justify the mood you feel by associating it with some external cause.

You have my pity.

The Crack Emcee said...

Kelly,

"Crack, I feel sympathy all the time toward victims of police brutality."

But you don't make a distinction between plain ol' police brutality and 400 years of brutalization by this government, state officials, and the white public.

That's your problem - and it's cynical and disgusting.


"Seems police get to investigate themselves and are almost always vindicated."

Greatest country on Earth, right?

"I don't need a candle light vigil or Jesse Jackson, or Al Sharpton or riots to influence my opinion."

Ha! Another problem - white narcissism - all self-focussed. Here's a news bulletin:

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton don't show up for you.

They don't even show up to influence your opinion. They - both preachers - show up to comfort and show support for the aggrieved.

See how far off you are, in what you think are reasonable assumptions?

What else are you wrong about? Do you ever ask yourself that? Why not? You speak so forcefully, don't you think you should understand "the other side" before you speak on their actions?

"By all accounts this was a good kid."

Trayvon was a good kid, too - guilty of (gasp!) being a kid:

Michael K said Trayvon "deserved to die" because he committed the horrible white crimes of having smoked pot (which no white kid will ever do) and going out for Ice Tea to make "drank".

Michael K is a homicidal sociopath who likes making (what he thinks of as) "fun" of black everything.

"Maybe he made a mistake and was shoplifting, maybe he did try to get away because he was going to start college and thought this might screw things up."

Wow - if he was killed for "maybe" (pure ugly speculation now) "shoplifting" (in front of his apartment building) that would make sense to you?

Please explain - use your own child as an example of how you'd process that, go home, and eat tater tots like nothing happened.

I'll wait.

"He didn't deserve to die for doing what a lot of young kids do."

Michael K said Trayvon did - nobodies said shit to him for it, either, but me.

Nice crowd, huh?

"You can pretend like you have me all figured out, that makes no difference to me, I'm not sure what it gets you?"

Two things:

1) Blacks must be aware of their surroundings - and those in it - otherwise, I might end up like Michael Brown.

2) I have you "figured out" only so far as being aware you don't have a clue that "Blacks must be aware of their surroundings - and those in it - otherwise, we might end up like Michael Brown.

In this oh, so-not-racist "country."

"Not happiness surely, only more bitterness."

Why can I picture you going to black funerals and asking, "Why so serious?"

Jesus Christ, white people are obsessed with being "happy" - grinning fools, really. It's a safe bet - because they've done it for so long - they'll leave us in Hell if it means they get a party out of it (or a ski vacation).

Really - from the expectation that blacks should all be auditioning for "The Cosby Show," or the assumption that we're all criminals - whites are simply crazy.

But blacks have known that since whites first insisted we loved them during slavery.

Only a sadistic idiot thinks we'd love our tormentors,...

The Crack Emcee said...

Ignorance is Bliss,

"You have my pity."

And you have mine:

I mean, you are the guy with "Ignorance" right in his name,...

Birkel said...

Each case is fact dependent. The facts of this case have not been established. It would be best if people reserved judgment until the facts are brought to light.

That said, while I find The Crack Emcee's derangement unfortunate, a defense lawyer would have to overcome the issues he mentions with any potential jury pool. Jurors bring their prejudices to the courtroom.

Drawing parallels to Trayvon Martin are unhelpful. The facts of that case cannot affect the facts of the present case. Don't follow down that particular rabbit hole.

The Crack Emcee said...

Ann,

"If only we weren't so frivolous, if we could get serious, maybe we could figure it all out."

Why not?

Why keep this charade of two histories - one black and one white - going? Why not "get serious" and tie the strands together so we're all on the same page? I know why:

Because whites would finally be shamed for decades.

That's what they're running from - desperately.

So they prefer to wallow in frivolity. Michael Brown? Who's that? Let's talk about Lauren Bacall. Let's talk about video games. Let's talk about the "problem" of being online.

Let's talk about ANYTHING - for as long as possible - as long as it doesn't reference that dead black boy in the street and the long ugly white history that put him there.

Don't stay on topic - when it comes to centuries of theft - change it as soon as possible. There will be no day-in/day-out discussion of the last 400 years because - and this is all the proof you need of our "progress as a nation" - WHITES DON'T WANT TO DO IT.

That's all that's stopping this - whitey. Nothing more, nothing less.

Let's try to be "happy" instead:

Roll out Michael Brown's corpse so whites can dance around it.

That oughtta make their day,...

Insufficiently Sensitive said...


replacing serious news reporting, reading, writing and arithmetic...."


Anything that replaces the 'serious news reporting' whose main goal is to bend public opinion to the left of the American public - that is, damn near all of it - is good news to me.

No problem with writing and arithmetic.

Tank said...

Trayvon was not a "good kid."

Whether he deserved to die, I'll leave to God to decide, but he created the risk by pummeling Zimmerman's head into the sidewalk.

The Crack Emcee said...

Here, try this on for size - the history of American law enforcement - as a beginning:

White supremacy and law enforcement have a long, intertwined history.

As early as 1671, South Carolina established a watch consisting of regular constables and rotating citizens to guard Charles Town against potential problems including slave gatherings.

In the 1700s, South Carolina established slave patrols, i.e., slave police, to control and police slaves.15 By 1785, South Carolina incorporated the slave patrols into the Charleston Guard and Watch, the first modern police department because this force was authorized by Charleston to use force, had enforcement responsibilities, was the primary law enforcement agency for Charleston, and had a chain of command consisting of a captain and subordinates.

Throughout the pre-Civil War period, the slave
patrols and police’s primary task was to control
slaves.17 States passed laws allowing local officials to create slave patrols to control the slave
population and suppress slave insurrections.18 As
one slave patroller recounted, they were directed to search “the negro cabins, & take every thing which we found in them, which bore a hostile aspect,” especially firearm material.

They were also instructed to “apprehend every negro who we found from his home” and capture or shoot any who resisted.


Now, as blacks always ask, "To Protect And To Serve," who?

And, if they're "serving" whites - and blacks are not just ending up dead in the streets but allowed to lay there for hours - who's innocent of that death?

I know - BENGHAZI!!!!

MadisonMan said...

texting and Twitter replacing serious news reporting

There was a huge multi-million dollar fire on the East Side Sunday night. I saw a question from a friend about it on facebook. All of the 'regular' news outlets -- Channel 3, 15, 27, WSJ -- had *nothing* on their websites about it. Twitter was all about it. And then, very belatedly, the TV stations got in the game, sending someone out there and asking people to send them their images, and sharing the tweeted images on their websites.

Twitter replaces News reporting because it's nimble. It takes work to separate wheat from chaff, but that's true of the MSM as well.

The Crack Emcee said...

Tank,

Trayvon was not a "good kid."

He was so. You think every kid who passes through his teen years should be part of the Huxtables, do you?

Fuck you, Tank - go hum "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window," while imagining the lynchings that were taking place as it played, and tell me how wonderful the people of your culture are.

"Whether he deserved to die, I'll leave to God to decide, but he created the risk by pummeling Zimmerman's head into the sidewalk."

George Zimmerman's lucky to be alive.

But, of course, you'll never give blacks credit for our insight into the human condition.

Because you don't have one yourself,..

Ignorance is Bliss said...

The Crack Emcee said...

George Zimmerman's lucky to be alive.

George Zimmerman chose not to leave it up to luck.

exhelodrvr1 said...

This shouldn't be surprising, considering the frivolousness at the top

Birkel said...

"Now, as blacks always ask, "To Protect And To Serve," who? "

The Crack Emcee is being oppressed by possessive pronouns.

The good news is that The Crack Emcee will, if lawyers and judges do their jobs, never serve on a jury. Prejudice based on race is debilitating to logical thinking.

damikesc said...

He was so

Based on what? Your fervent belief?

Hint: You know shit about Trayvon.

You think every kid who passes through his teen years should be part of the Huxtables, do you?

So, gangsta wannabes are good kids? Well, he was good for making an idiotic decision that got him killed, so there's that.

Fuck you, Tank - go hum "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window," while imagining the lynchings that were taking place as it played, and tell me how wonderful the people of your culture are.

Sure. And you can picture the Rwandan genocide (which, mind you, happened far more frequently) and give us lectures on the peacefulness of black folks.

George Zimmerman's lucky to be alive.

Luck wasn't involved. The street thug attacked an armed man and got shot.

That is karma. Trayvon is Darwinism in its purest form. Sort out the inept and leave the competent.

But, of course, you'll never give blacks credit for our insight into the human condition.

Sure. How many hundreds of thousands of black folks did the other black folks in Rwanda kill in about 3 months?

Tank said...

The Crack Emcee said...

Tank,

Trayvon was not a "good kid."

He was so. You think every kid who passes through his teen years should be part of the Huxtables, do you?

Fuck you, Tank - go hum "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window," while imagining the lynchings that were taking place as it played, and tell me how wonderful the people of your culture are.

"Whether he deserved to die, I'll leave to God to decide, but he created the risk by pummeling Zimmerman's head into the sidewalk."

George Zimmerman's lucky to be alive.

But, of course, you'll never give blacks credit for our insight into the human condition.

Because you don't have one yourself,..

Thank you for telling me to fuck myself. Meanwhile, Trayvon was not a "good kid." Facts are facts. If you look into it, you'll see the facts soon enough.

You're right that Zimmerman is "lucky" that he did not lose consciousness from having his head pounded into the sidewalk before getting a shot off.

My culture is pretty good. While not perfect, it has created virtually all of the technology that allows us to live the life that we live. I'm proud of my culture (in general), although it has been degraded, and continues in that direction.

You are correct that I am not impressed by your insight.

Shanna said...

Each case is fact dependent.

Indeed. I dont' think there are many criminals who won't have family saying they were 'a good kid' or neighbors saying that they were nice, quite, whatever... I don't put much stock in those reports. I have become much more suspicious of the police in recent years as well. I haven't seen an explanation of this story yet that shows the guy as an innocent. That doesn't mean he 'deserved' anything - sometimes we do things that are dangerous, like attacking a cop or apparently taking pictures on a cliff, and they result in our deaths. I would like to hear the full report on this story before I make up my mind.

That said, I dont think there is any justification for these riots that mainly involve destroying and stealing the property of completely uninvolved, unrelated strangers.

Birkel said...

Shanna:

As The Crack Emcee will surely be along to tell us any minute now, stealing stuff is just an advance on reparations Because Stuff White People did a Long Time Ago.

Hater! Ooh, and Racist. I almost forgot racist but The Crack Emcee has convinced me with his delusional, repetitive rants.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

The Crack Emcee has a point, though I think it might be made better if it weren't driven home quite so relentlessly. But:

Are there no people in the US neither black nor white?

Kelly said...

Hey Crack, I bow to you. Police shootings never happen to unarmed white guy. Except when it does.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58287556-78/taylor-police-lake-salt.html.csp

and

http://www.texasconservativerepublicannews.com/2011/07/police-officers-say-orange-tx-cop.html

and

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2014/08/off-duty_police_officer_shoots_unarmed_suspect.php

and

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Man-Killed-After-Police-Pursuit-in-Corvette-Had-Schizophrenia-Friend-236145831.html

and, apparently sleeping white men are threatening, even if he isn't the one cops are looking for.

http://www.realfarmacy.com/cops-shoot-innocent-man-in-bed/

I got bored and stopped looking. As far as I could tell, no one was punished in any of those cases.

The Crack Emcee said...

Kelly,

"Hey Crack, I bow to you. Police shootings never happen to unarmed white guy. Except when it does."

This is the most ignorant statement I've seen today. How does a crime become less of a crime, in white eyes, if it happens often?

Jesus, Kelly, get a lawyer because defense ain't your stock in trade,...

Birkel said...

The Crack Emcee was not able to fathom Kelly's point. Instead, he deems it ignorant. Sarcastic would have been an accurate claim but ignorant it was not. Instead, beyond the sarcasm Kelly merely pointed to facts. Facts have an annoying habit of not being ignorant, by definition.

One wonders at the blinkered racist who is forced to deny facts and call them ignorant because to do otherwise would be to admit a worldview is turtles all the way down.

I believe The Crack Emcee would be better called The Turtle Emcee.

Anonymous said...

Crack I'm being as Christian as I can be by even addressing you: The problem isn't you and it isn't us. It's always just a distraction so you won't see what is the real tragedy, the theft from all of us of our time (earned money) through taxes and inflation.

William Jamieson said...

This is to Ann:

I'm a daily reader. Several times a day, really. I read the comments mostly, to try to see what people are thinking. I don't believe I've ever posted, but no matter.

I write a friendly warning here. Your correspondent, Crack Emcee, is ruining your comments section.

The routine is that he posts his nonsense, and everyone struggles mightily to respond and condemn, then he responds, then they respond....know what I mean?

It's usually crank racist stuff from him, and really boring; the responses are too, though they're usually sincere. I find myself skimming down the comments, avoiding the call-and-response, looking for serious comments that are not an answer or rebuttal to Crack Emcee.

With this particular post, I had to skim a lot. Oh well. But I find skimming through the threads in which he appears to be increasingly a waste of time.

I don't know how others think, but that's my take. And I have to walk away for awhile.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Bill

CWJ said...

William Jamieson,

Thank you for your comment. When I make a comment not directed to Crack and he responds, I sometimes feel goaded to respond. Your comment reassured me that replying in kind is not only unnecessary but unproductive.

jaed said...

If you keep responding to trolls, they'll come back for more. Ignore them, and they will get more and more outrageous, and finally explode like Rumpelstiltskin and then disappear.

Yes, it would be nice if Althouse didn't have such a pattern of keeping pet trolls, because they tend to degrade her comments. But it is her blog and if she wants to let her pets shit in her comment sections, she can do so. You don't have a choice about whether the pet du jour is allowed to comment, but you do have a choice about whether to give him the attention he craves.

stlcdr said...

In other news, millions of interactions between black and white people took place with no hint of racial undertones.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

William Jamieson-

While I disagree with the vast majority of what Crack has to say, I don't think the professor should be doing anything to discourage him. As she says, the answer to bad speech is more speech.

Besides, mental illness is a serious issue, and having this kind of daily reminder is probably for the good.

The Crack Emcee said...

stlcdr,

"In other news, millions of interactions between black and white people took place with no hint of racial undertones."

And the whites had 20 times the wealth of the blacks, though the blacks have been here longer than most of the whites - and this was achieved by the government and the white citizenry, in cahoots, using violence and terrorism - and, so long as no one mentions it, whites call that "peace" in a "strong nation."

And it's all racist-as-fuck,...

The Crack Emcee said...

William Jamieson,

This is to Meade:

I beat off a lot. Several times a day, really. I beat off to the comments mostly, to try to see what people are sexy. I don't believe I've ever cum, but no matter.

I write a friendly warning here. Your correspondent, Titus, was ruining your comments section.

The routine is that he posts his nonsense, and everyone struggles mightily to respond and condemn, then he responds, then they respond....know what I mean?

It's usually crank homo stuff from him, and really boring; the responses are too, though they're usually sincere. I find myself beating off to the comments, avoiding the call-and-response, looking for serious comments that are not a way to cum to Titus.

With this particular post, I had to beat off a lot. I almost came. Oh well. But I find beating off through the threads in which Titus appears to be increasingly a waste of time.

I don't know how others touch themselves, but that's my take. And I have to walk away for awhile.

Thank you for the opportunity to beat you off, too.

The Crack Emcee said...

jaed,

"If you keep responding to trolls, they'll come back for more."

Talking ABOUT them is catchy, too.

"Ignore them, and they will get more and more outrageous, and finally explode like Rumpelstiltskin and then disappear."

I've been here for what? 6-7 years? I expect you were somewhere else, before, but had to "explode like Rumpelstiltskin and then disappear," and now, here you are.

Thanks for the notice, Mr. Projection.

"Yes, it would be nice if Althouse didn't have such a pattern of keeping pet trolls, because they tend to degrade her comments."

I am a kept man - who hasn't been laid in years! [shakes fist at Ann,....]

"But it is her blog and if she wants to let her pets shit in her comment sections, she can do so."

It's really cute, when they finally circle back around to reality, but are still so delusional (and arrogant) they act like they're giving Ann permission.

It's charming, really, though I wonder what meds they're on.

"You don't have a choice about whether the pet du jour is allowed to comment, but you do have a choice about whether to give him the attention he craves."

See? jaed's talking about me, while denying he's talking about me, because he says not talking about me will discourage me from responding - which I'm doing - so jaed is wrong but he can't handle that and, thus, the apparently neon-lit cognitive dissonance inherent in the entire speech from the word "If".

It never gets old,...

jaed said...

I've been here for what? 6-7 years?

Yes, I remember when you started commenting here. You were preoccupied with New Age and religion generally, but you didn't destroy whole conversations with your obsession. You engaged in discussion, understood others' arguments, and responded to them. If you dragged in the New Age crusade, you showed how it was related. You also weren't sociopathic. You didn't do things like call for children's hands to be cut off.

So what's changed?

See? jaed's talking about me, while denying he's talking about me, because he says not talking about me will discourage me from responding

Back then, you also could follow an argument better than you can now. I am certainly talking about you in the previous post, but not denying doing so. (Though I am not primarily talking about you, but about the pattern of which you are the latest exemplar - a nuance you seem blinded to.)

What I suggested was not responding to you, because responding encourages your destructive behavior. (I am of course now responding to you, but this is because I hope that this particular response might not do that. I might be wrong about that.)

I mention this sentence of your post because it indicates you have a cognitive problem - a problem understanding simple statements. You can't tell the difference between talking about you and responding directly to your posts. You also can't tell the difference between recommending against doing something, and denying that it's being done - between "Don't do this" and "This isn't happening." These are simple concepts, and you are way over the intelligence level necessary to understand them.

So ask yourself: why couldn't you understand that sentence of mine? It's not complicated. Why can't you get a simple sentence any more?