All Purpose News and Politics Thread Part IV: The Center Cannot Hold

[SuperiorIronman]

It's still rape jokes.

I don't know if it's exactly in poor taste given who Trump is, rape isn't funny and shouldn't be made light of either. In this scenario I really don't know what to tell you since I've already explained the guy's joke.

[SquirrelMan]

I don't know if it's exactly in poor taste given who Trump is, rape isn't funny and shouldn't be made light of either. In this scenario I really don't know what to tell you since I've already explained the guy's joke.

Yes, thank you for your explanation. I am sure I really did not get that.


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[PwrdOn]

Why is it some men's minds automatically think rape jokes are ok as soon as prison time for despicable people is mentioned?

Relax, I wasn't suggesting that Trump should be raped in prison, just that when I read he had a pathological fear of imprisonment this scene came to mind, because if you watch the clip it's just a nightmare that one character with the same kind of fear has.

[Jack Dracula]

I dont want to sound like an ******* but I think we need to see the rest of the text for full context. Like it does look pretty shitty but she may then move onto a joke about short people. I mean she probably wont, but you need to make sure.

How did the girls mother get a screenshot of the managers phone?

[Jack Dracula]

I'm all for laughing at the moron, because everything he says is a farce, but one of those is actually really dangerous. That might be the scariest part of this presidency, one minute he doesn't know what the moon is and the next he's trying to restart The Troubles.

Then immediately after he's advocating for Boris Johnson to be PM of Britain.

[InformationGeek]

Ted Cruz came to the defense of Steven Crowler on YouTube, saying the video platform was unfairly targeting him and conservatives.

Just a reminder, this is the person Cruz came to the defense of.

[SquirrelMan]

How did the girls mother get a screenshot of the managers phone?

It's quite clearly a conversation with the girl's friend who works there. Apparently she didn't tell the manager she knows her.

[jetengine]

It's quite clearly a conversation with the girl's friend who works there. Apparently she didn't tell the manager she knows her.

Its not a text, its a Facebook messanger I think which means they get both sides of the conversation.

[Malvolio]

It's still rape jokes.

I don't believe in the idea of sacred cows in comedy. I believe you can make jokes about rape, you can make jokes about the Holocaust. It's really a matter of context, as far as I'm concerned. For instance, that Steven Crowder joke is clearly in poor taste. However, a joke about Mike Pence being raped just might be funny, if it's particularly clever.

[PaulBullion]

Sad news, as Hillary Clinton announces the loss of her brother Tony Rodham via Twitter.

Seems that the right is being classy about this... just kidding, the twitter replies already look like this:

[Mister Mets]

I don't believe in the idea of sacred cows in comedy. I believe you can make jokes about rape, you can make jokes about the Holocaust. It's really a matter of context, as far as I'm concerned. For instance, that Steven Crowder joke is clearly in poor taste. However, a joke about Mike Pence being raped just might be funny, if it's particularly clever.

Agreed.

The issue would be if the humor suggests a willingness to allow something to continue.

[KOSLOX]

I don't believe in the idea of sacred cows in comedy. I believe you can make jokes about rape, you can make jokes about the Holocaust. It's really a matter of context, as far as I'm concerned. For instance, that Steven Crowder joke is clearly in poor taste. However, a joke about Mike Pence being raped just might be funny, if it's particularly clever.

It's not just in poor taste. It's horribly constructed and flatly unfunny.

Here's the joke construction.

"Feminists are women" -> "Women Can Be Subject To Rape" ->"Feminists Are Ugly Women" -> "So Who Cares"

[Jack Dracula]

It's quite clearly a conversation with the girl's friend who works there. Apparently she didn't tell the manager she knows her.

Do you have some more information like the rest of the conversation which might provide more context?
I'm with jetengine on reserving judgement until the entire exchange is revealed.

[aja_christopher]

Do you have some more information like the rest of the conversation which might provide more context?
I'm with jetengine on reserving judgement until the entire exchange is revealed.

Really didn't think it was anything to get too worked up about -- it's something that happens all the time but usually doesn't get caught on text.

Might be more to it -- not saying it's legit, just saw it posted elsewhere.

Losing out on a job at Subway isn't that serious, regardless, but there's plenty of data that shows the same thing happens with loans, housing and higher-level employment as well. I understand wanting to see all of the facts first, but it's not like this text is telling us anything we don't already know.

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"Hiring Discrimination Against Black Americans Hasn't Declined In 25 Years"

"When I recently wrote of a study that showed Black and Latino median wealth could hit zero by the middle of this century, some people contacted me through social media and insisted it was the fault of those whose wealth was on the decline. All you need do is work hard enough — improve yourself through education, insist on finding opportunities — and things will get better, these people said.

It is true that you have to work for what you want. Ultimately, you can't depend on the kindness of strangers, to deploy a twist on the Tennessee Williams line. If discrimination becomes the rationale for not trying, you have to blame yourself as well.

However, people badly misuse this concept and assume that no one gets the short end of the stick and that you can't work hard and still not get ahead. It's a way of absolving themselves and social systems from blame. They want to convince themselves that all they have came only from their own efforts in a perfectly competitive system and nothing else.

The truth, based on lots of data over years, is that if you're Black or Latino in the U.S., you get far from an equal shake. Your efforts have to be longer, stronger, and chances are you still will be treated worse. The deck gets stacked against you even as you try mightily and then people throw the results in your face.

The most recent evidence of this is a recent meta-study, which means a review of multiple studies, by researchers at Northwestern, in Chicago; Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the Institute of Social Research in Oslo, Norway. Hiring discrimination against Blacks hasn't changed in the last 25 years. Latinos have seen only a moderate drop in discrimination against them."

https://hbr.org/2017/10/hiring-discr...ed-in-25-years

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikshe...e-in-25-years/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-bla...ars-1507039200

----
"Subway manager fired after denying black teen a job"

"In just a day, remarks made about high school student Katelyn Simmons in a text written by a Subway manager had taken social media by storm.

It was shared 18,000 times and got over 8000 likes and 900 comments.

"Most of the people who took it and ran with it first are members of this community who know our family and what this community stands for," said Katelyn's mother Timika Simmons.

Here's what it said:

When the manager asked that employee in a text," How she look?"

He replied," Black girl long dark hair shortish."

Then the manager texts," Oh no thanks I don't want those people in our store lol."

"I was like, appalled and disturbed," Katelyn Simmons said. "It's the 21st century and there's still people so bold and open about it like that."

In a response, Subway said, "the manager of this location was immediately terminated for her actions. The franchise owner has reached out to the young woman who applied for the position to apologize and encourage her to consider re-applying."

But Tamika Simmons says that didn't happen and the franchise owner voiced her concerns of violence due to the fired managers text.

"She just assumed again because we were African American that there was going to be some type of violent response to that," she said.

"There was no apology there was no we support you guys we want yo to consider being on our team there was none of that," the teenager said.

In the statement Subway also said," the former managers actions do not reflect the openness and values shown by Subway franchise owners. The Subway brand is inclusive and welcomes all individuals to be part of the Subway restaurant teams."

http://www.fox26houston.com/home/sub...ack-teen-a-job

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Relax, I wasn't suggesting that Trump should be raped in prison, just that when I read he had a pathological fear of imprisonment this scene came to mind, because if you watch the clip it's just a nightmare that one character with the same kind of fear has.

I heard about that too. I suspect Trump would willingly spend himself into the poor house to avoid spending so much as a day in prison. Even if he were sentenced to do time for his crimes, chances are excellent he’d be sent to some country club lockup where all the white collar nogoodniks end up.