Civil Unrest & Protests

Rick Hunter

Celestial


I'm going to think out loud here for a minute. What if the noose incident was an inside job done, not for malevolent intent, but to add credibility to the recent Confederate flag ban in NASCAR? Remember, NASCAR has always been surrounded by rumors that the races are fixed, or at least certain drivers are given every advantage when it is decided that they need a win. Drivers call it "getting the call." On top of that, I would imagine the garage area is supposed to be pretty secure. Not just against fans trespassing or burglars, but also rival teams intent on spying.

So, somebody within NASCAR decides that the sport needs to be seen by the public as firmly on the right side of race relations, something it hasn't always done. Especially since it is 2020 and they only have one black driver. What better way to cement that ideal in the public eye than to show the organization embracing racial inclusivity in the face of an apparent threat?
 

nivek

As Above So Below
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Sheltie

Fratty and out of touch.
I disagree. The confederacy was not centralized at all. It was a loose collection of seceding states. Had they succeeded, the US would have become more like South America -- it would have been a big collection of small independent states.
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow
I disagree. The confederacy was not centralized at all. It was a loose collection of seceding states. Had they succeeded, the US would have become more like South America -- it would have been a big collection of small independent states.

I was a bit baffled by that as well. Even in the name, it said Confederacy, not a republic or federation, etc.

Obviously, he's journo so he has his own soapbox.
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow

I am a computer programmer, and I am big on tech and on science and technology.

But I think that all this unprecedented level of quarreling is to blame on the technology of social media. Technology makes it orders of magnitude easier to pelt each other with rotten tomatoes. Older generations were more used to keep their opinion to themselves and than just deliver their wants to the ballot box.

There is even the worst trend coming up now, of deliberately winding up the other side. Like when these K-pop kids bought out the arena in which Trump was to give a speech. What kids are forgetting is that Trump's supporters can pay back by doing the same to Democratic candidates. Or when these armed militias go out to patrol streets with assault rifles slinging over shoulders. What are they trying to say to protesters: "get armed otherwise you won't be able to protest?"

Winding up each other is just one step before the flashpoint. And when sh.t hits the fan and everybody can kiss goodbye to a good life.
 
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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
I disagree. The confederacy was not centralized at all. It was a loose collection of seceding states. Had they succeeded, the US would have become more like South America -- it would have been a big collection of small independent states.

Self determination and State's rights were what they were fighting for so I agree, they would have been a looser knit organization by definition. But they did have a form of central authority. The Confederacy IS part of our past and we can't gloss over it.

Glorification of the Lost Cause however, is an animal of a different stripe and that's more of what we're seeing. Nasty piece of business there. That's glossing over history too - looking back with rose colored glasses.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
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Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow
Just in a way of an idea to calm down this culture of confrontation. And this can easily be implemented in AI, particularly for big companies.

This is kind of simple rule to curb confrontation:

All messages that AI finds to be political, should be delayed XX amount of time, where XX is determined by politicians. So, it's not a censorship, but it just head cooling measure. XX should be in hours, definitely not minutes.

Additionally, all the messages that AI finds to be too far right or too far left, or extreme Jihadi should be delayed even longer, like N x XX. Basically, further from the political center, longer the delay.

And this is still not a censorship, because censorship is crime against democracy.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
The Immediacy of Idiocy.

Its getting more and more intrusive because of the perpetuation of the major social media platforms which promotes such madness...

...
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow

Rick Hunter

Celestial
The more I read about NYC, the less I like it. Sounds like a very authoritarian, Soviet kind of place to me. If you are in bed with the political machine there, you get a golden ticket to just about anything. If not, hope you enjoy your urban serfdom.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
The more I read about NYC, the less I like it. Sounds like a very authoritarian, Soviet kind of place to me.

It's a mixed bag and you sort of have to roll around in it and get it on you to fully appreciate it. Not really Soviet at all, but if the City wants something from you as a building or business owner, they get it. Period.

Lovely place that I wouldn't miss if I never went there again.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Its getting more and more intrusive because of the perpetuation of the major social media platforms which promotes such madness...

...

Remember the phrase 'yellow journalism' and all the crap that went with it, including a WAR followed by a genocide we sort of like to forget about? Yeah, that 'yellow journalism'

Only difference in the way 'the media' behaves then vs now is it's access to instant global communication. In fact, access virtually everybody has to a global communication grid. I'd like to think at some point we'll have a handle on it without destroying our First Amendment in the process.

At one time broadcasters had to put news on as a public service. A pity we couldn't leaven the bullshit with an hour of real, unbiased actual journalism for an hour each evening. A pity we can't have that and Unicorn farms too ......
 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow
Remember the phrase 'yellow journalism' and all the crap that went with it, including a WAR followed by a genocide we sort of like to forget about? Yeah, that 'yellow journalism'

Only difference in the way 'the media' behaves then vs now is it's access to instant global communication. In fact, access virtually everybody has to a global communication grid. I'd like to think at some point we'll have a handle on it without destroying our First Amendment in the process.

At one time broadcasters had to put news on as a public service. A pity we couldn't leaven the bullshit with an hour of real, unbiased actual journalism for an hour each evening. A pity we can't have that and Unicorn farms too ......

Oh, so 'yellow journalism' is actually an American phrase. That's why I never hear it in UK.
 
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