Tag Archives: society

The Best Way to Spot an Idiot: Kindness as a Signifier of Intelligence

Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker’s commencement speech at Northwestern on 12 June 2023 (excerpted by John Gruber of Daring Fireball): The best way to spot an idiot? Look for the person who is cruel. When we see someone who doesn’t look like us, or sound like us, or act like us, or love like us, or […]

Also tagged , , Comments Off on The Best Way to Spot an Idiot: Kindness as a Signifier of Intelligence

Photos Show Difference in How Police Responded to Anti-Racism Protests and the Siege at the U.S. Capitol

The linked article is good and CBS’s photos of the attempted coup d’état at the U.S. Capitol yesterday by Trump-supporting domestic terrorists are telling, but I personally prefer this from The Recount: In case you can’t tell — and please, watch the linked video — the photo on the left shows a police officer in […]

Also tagged , Comments Off on Photos Show Difference in How Police Responded to Anti-Racism Protests and the Siege at the U.S. Capitol

Bubba Wallace: You won’t see Confederate flag ban protesters tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets

AL.com (a part of the Alabama Media Group): Bubba Wallace, a vocal advocate in getting the banners banned, was unfazed by the demonstrations outside the racetrack. “It’s their right to peaceful protest my man, so it’s part of it,” Wallace said on FOX Sports. “But you won’t see them inside the racetrack where we’re having […]

Also tagged , , , , , , , , Comments Off on Bubba Wallace: You won’t see Confederate flag ban protesters tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets

Naomi Osaka: It’s Insulting to Tell Athletes to ‘Just Stick to Sports’

The TIME100 Talks: Why Naomi Osaka Says It’s Insulting to Tell Athletes to ‘Just Stick to Sports’ Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka is challenging the “weird stigma” around athletes who speak about political issues, arguing that it is not faced by other professions. “Everyone has a vote and a say, I think it’s really weird […]

Also tagged , , , , , , , Comments Off on Naomi Osaka: It’s Insulting to Tell Athletes to ‘Just Stick to Sports’

Dave Chappelle: Raw and Right on the Mark

Goddamn. Raw, honest, and righteous: very deeply moving commentary from America’s most important truth-teller. Dave Chappelle: 8:46.

Also tagged , , , , , , Comments Off on Dave Chappelle: Raw and Right on the Mark

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Police

If police are trying to convince the public they’re not guilty of displaying excessive force, it’s probably not a good idea to repeated display excessive force on national television. — John Oliver, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, S7E14, 7 June 2020. Perhaps the most important episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver I’ve […]

Also tagged , , , Comments Off on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Police

This is a Moment When Many People May Want Nothing More Than a Return to Normalcy

Tim Cook, in a memo to Apple employees in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Thursday, 25 May 2020, which understandably sparked demonstrations, some of which turned violent, across the nation: Team, Right now, there is a pain deeply etched in the soul of our nation […]

Also tagged , , , , , , , Comments Off on This is a Moment When Many People May Want Nothing More Than a Return to Normalcy

Times: Shootings Spur Debate on Extremism and Guns, With Trump on Defense

Alexander Burns writing in the paper of record: The politics of American gun violence follow a predictable pattern in most cases: outraged calls for action from the left, somber gestures of sympathy from the right, a subdued presidential statement delivered from a prepared text — and then, in a matter of days or even hours, […]

Also tagged , , , Comments Off on Times: Shootings Spur Debate on Extremism and Guns, With Trump on Defense

How the Koch Brothers Are Killing Public Transit Projects Around the Country

Hiroko Tabuchi in the paper of record: In places like Nashville, Koch-financed activists are finding tremendous success. Early polling here had suggested that the $5.4 billion transit plan would easily pass. It was backed by the city’s popular mayor and a coalition of businesses. Its supporters had outspent the opposition, and Nashville was choking on […]

Also tagged , Comments Off on How the Koch Brothers Are Killing Public Transit Projects Around the Country

5 things white people can do before they call the cops on a black person

Reasonable list from Mashable, should be filed under “common fucking sense.”

Also tagged , , Comments Off on 5 things white people can do before they call the cops on a black person