Jan 21
Centrists Rule the World today commented on Slavery Might Not Have Happened If Black Americans Had Been Given Right to Bear Arms.
It doesn't show that they think they're an oppressed minority. It shows the same fallacy they've been promoting all along: that a gun is power, that an individual if armed can defeat evil. Whether that evil is a criminal, a tyrannical government or, apparently, a slave-owning society.
There's a strain of victimhood running through conservatism in general (it's implicit in a lot of Fox News rhetoric), but I don't see this argument as equating gun owners to slaves.
There's a strain of victimhood running through conservatism in general (it's implicit in a lot of Fox News rhetoric), but I don't see this argument as equating gun owners to slaves.
Jan 21
Centrists Rule the World today commented on The Return of the Sonics Looks Like a Done Deal.
Oh, what great news. Where can I buy overpriced season tickets?
(Fuck the NBA, just fuck it. Love basketball, could not care less that one rich asshole is managing to bring the paid form of it back here by beating another city out of it. It's a cold hard-nosed business, not worth our energy or hard earned funds.)
(Fuck the NBA, just fuck it. Love basketball, could not care less that one rich asshole is managing to bring the paid form of it back here by beating another city out of it. It's a cold hard-nosed business, not worth our energy or hard earned funds.)
Jan 11
Centrists Rule the World today commented on Duff McKagan's Tips for "How to Be a Man".
Post should've been titled: Macho Archetype Redefines Masculinity for the 21st Century. I found it a kind of touching effort on ol' Duff's part. God, shouldn't Mudede weigh in on this and maybe draw some wildass parallel to the role of the lionan lioness on the savanna?
Dec 16, 2012
Centrists Rule the World today commented on One of These Things Is Not Like the Others.
One by one, the lies of the right are losing popular support. As much as they try to paint themselves as the voice of reason, conservatives have been propped up by the emotional attachments of rural whites to a pack of misconceptions that get proven wrong time and time again:
same-sex marriage = end of traditional marriage
low taxes = prosperity
war = peace
car + oil = freedom
manmade global warming = hoax
war on drugs = saving our kids
black president = welfare socialist economic doom
and...
guns = safety
Sooner or later, the resistance will break down. It won't come soon enough (especially on global warming), but the number of people who view their guns the way a 5-year old views his security blanket and teddy bear is dropping.
same-sex marriage = end of traditional marriage
low taxes = prosperity
war = peace
car + oil = freedom
manmade global warming = hoax
war on drugs = saving our kids
black president = welfare socialist economic doom
and...
guns = safety
Sooner or later, the resistance will break down. It won't come soon enough (especially on global warming), but the number of people who view their guns the way a 5-year old views his security blanket and teddy bear is dropping.
Dec 16, 2012
Centrists Rule the World today commented on And What Does the Owner of Fox News Have to Say About the Tragedy?.
Perhaps the bold action he's hoping for is arming teachers and students? Does he have any ideological investment in Fox's positions?
Tough to tell what he really means, but that's Twitter for you... In any case, cognitive dissonance from an Aussie with financial interests in Fox wouldn't surprise me.
Tough to tell what he really means, but that's Twitter for you... In any case, cognitive dissonance from an Aussie with financial interests in Fox wouldn't surprise me.
Nov 28, 2012
Centrists Rule the World today commented on Attorney Releases Dash-Cam Video Showing His Client Being Violently Arrested By SPD Officers.
Were the officers too aggressive? Yes, especially the one who forcibly subdued Etherly.
As the situation escalated, were the officers' tactics effective in de-escalating the situation? Nope, they made it worse - far worse.
Was Etherly an innocent victim? At first, yes - they rolled up on him like he was a perp, not someone they wanted to get information from. But man, he was willfully and progressively more uncooperative. Egan loses a lot of credibility by not admitting the obvious - he spat on the officer. I don't blame him for doing it, and it doesn't justify the officer's response; but it rightly changes the legal context, as well as public perception.
Will it result in criminal charges against the officer(s)? Not a chance.
Will it result in discipline against the officer? Yes, probably a mild rebuke.
Does it uphold the DOJ findings? 1000%.
Does it mean it's business as usual at SPD? Not necessarily. It takes time to undo years of training and culture. The fact that it was already referred internally to OPA suggests maybe at least leadership recognizes the problems with the way this encounter was handled, even if it's not yet proactively preventing them.
Do Diaz and the SPDG need to go? Probably. I don't see how you can change the culture of the department without major structural change.
Is McGinn to blame? He's come off weak-willed in relation to the SPD and SPDG, but I'm not sure any mayor would have much choice. Both organizations are a little too entrenched. It'll take years of DOJ involvement to break the faustian bargain we have with law enforcement today.
Did Egan and the Stranger oversell this video? Egregiously. It's bad, but not nearly as cut and dry as they made it out to be. Not even close.
More...
As the situation escalated, were the officers' tactics effective in de-escalating the situation? Nope, they made it worse - far worse.
Was Etherly an innocent victim? At first, yes - they rolled up on him like he was a perp, not someone they wanted to get information from. But man, he was willfully and progressively more uncooperative. Egan loses a lot of credibility by not admitting the obvious - he spat on the officer. I don't blame him for doing it, and it doesn't justify the officer's response; but it rightly changes the legal context, as well as public perception.
Will it result in criminal charges against the officer(s)? Not a chance.
Will it result in discipline against the officer? Yes, probably a mild rebuke.
Does it uphold the DOJ findings? 1000%.
Does it mean it's business as usual at SPD? Not necessarily. It takes time to undo years of training and culture. The fact that it was already referred internally to OPA suggests maybe at least leadership recognizes the problems with the way this encounter was handled, even if it's not yet proactively preventing them.
Do Diaz and the SPDG need to go? Probably. I don't see how you can change the culture of the department without major structural change.
Is McGinn to blame? He's come off weak-willed in relation to the SPD and SPDG, but I'm not sure any mayor would have much choice. Both organizations are a little too entrenched. It'll take years of DOJ involvement to break the faustian bargain we have with law enforcement today.
Did Egan and the Stranger oversell this video? Egregiously. It's bad, but not nearly as cut and dry as they made it out to be. Not even close.
Nov 23, 2012
Centrists Rule the World today commented on Red Dawn: Total Garbage!.
Are you paying attention, North Korea? 'cuz this movie is like a documentary of exactly what will happen if you ever try to invade Spokane. Our patriot partisans will fucks you up for reals!!! Wolverines!!!!
Nov 13, 2012
Centrists Rule the World today commented on Morning News: Nerds, Elmo, YOLO.
How creepy must you have to be to work as a "producer" at Ark Music Factory?
Oct 3, 2012
Centrists Rule the World today commented on The Other Other White Meat.
@6, 28, 29 FTW. Goldy, STFU. A man died, asshole. Let's start (and end) there.
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It may be regrettable and unfair that as of today, women are subject to different risks than men and that SPD's advice might seem to imply that women are responsible for keeping themselves safe; but all crime is unfair. Should the SPD respond to car prowling by saying that everyone should be able to leave their cars unlocked and that hey, car prowlers, what you're doing is wrong so knock it off? We would laugh the SPD out of the city for that (although it might be a welcome change from their regular pastime of beating minority suspects).
If we want a change in societal norms, we have to direct our energy and anger somewhere it can actually make a difference at that level. Legislation would be a good place to start - getting our society to make clear in its legal codex that women are truly equal might end our complicity in making them live in fear.
But seriously - asking SPD to address rape culture? You're discrediting your own argument by even suggesting it.