All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[green_garnish]

Is anyone here boycotting China products lately?

Every single comment section on Amazon starts with "where is it made? " I just want to respond that if you feel the need to ask, you shouldn't buy it.

[Tami]

Is anyone here boycotting China products lately? If you buy Chinese goods, China is using your money to run the Uighur concentration camps.

I haven't bought a clothing or shoes made in China for a few years. I still have lots of clothes I can wear. All my shoes are not yet worn so I don't have to buy a new pair of shoes. The last time I bought shoes was in 2018. The last time I bought a shirt or jeans was in 2019.

If i'm going to buy a new coffee mug or cup, I would make sure it is not made in China. I haven't bought any coffee mug since 2019. Last year, I got a Starbucks mug for free as a gift from a friend.

The problem with boycotts like that is simply that even if you buy a product made someplace other than China, what that product is composed of might still come from China. Anything you buy that is made of parts or components, you don't always have a way to check to see where those parts or components come from.

The raw materials that make the product might come from China as well.

[Mister Mets]

Matthew Yglesias looks at absurd tropes of corporate antiracism training.

https://www.slowboring.com/p/tema-okun

The characteristics of White Supremacy Culture according to Tema Okun include a sense of urgency, and a need to measure results, which provides a convenient cover if anyone asks to measure whether a particular type of antiracism training is effective.

A big Okun theme is that organizations are too focused on getting things done and not focused enough on process.

For example, she labels “sense of urgency” as a characteristic of white supremacy culture that manifests as a “continued sense of urgency that makes it difficult to take time to be inclusive, encourage democratic and/or thoughtful decision-making, to think long-term, to consider consequences.”

She worries that “things that can be measured are more highly valued than things that cannot.”

Another thing white supremacy culture causes us to do is believe in “little or no value attached to process; if it can’t be measured, it has no value.

She complains that “those with strong documentation and writing skills are more highly valued, even in organizations where ability to relate to others is key to the mission.”

Obviously, with all of these things, it is certainly possible to take things too far in terms of attempting to quantify everything or pushing so hard and fast that your work is unsustainable or loses track of the big picture.

But it’s also totally possible that you have a person, or a team, or a whole organization that is simply failing to do a good job. They are not creating measurable results, they are not accomplishing things on a defined timeline, and they are not even properly documenting what it is they are spending their time doing. That’s reality. Not everyone is good at their job. Not every idea pans out. Not every group is performing well. And sometimes institutional leaders need to pressure people to raise their game, pick up the pace, or otherwise deliver the goods.

Telling the staff of an organization that a wide range of negative feedback one might expect to receive from supervisors or funders is in fact a form of white supremacy is just incredibly damaging to the idea of making an organization that operates well.

If somebody called me a white supremacist because I was upset that they weren’t delivering any measurable results, I’d get upset. But “defensiveness” is also one of the characteristics of white supremacy culture. An example of white supremacy culture under that heading is that “criticism of those with power is viewed as threatening and inappropriate (or rude).” And if you say that these proposed new ground rules are bad, well it turns out that this is a form of white supremacist “power hoarding” where “those with power assume they have the best interests of the organization at heart and assume those wanting change are ill-informed (stupid), emotional, inexperienced.”

There have been a few projects that are ostensibly meant to be against racism and white supremacy that have a similar focus, and one question is whether this is about what appeals to white progressives rather than having anything to do with race. White progressives are more likely to be against hierarchy and discipline.

At this point, I think it’s worth pointing out that Tema Okun is white.

She doesn’t put forward any evidence or arguments in favor of her claims (and indeed, “objectivity” is seen as a manifestation of white supremacy culture), but this is also not a lived experience argument. Instead she credits the second-hand wisdom of the late Kenneth Jones who was her co-author on the original version of the workbook that featured the list. And the reason it feels like an op to destroy progressive politics is that she’s pretty clearly not talking about race or racism at all. This whole document instead comes from a place of extreme characterological aversion to hierarchy and structure.

And we know from a range of evidence that if you look at the white U.S. population, being a Democrat correlates with the personality trait of openness to experience and being a Republican with the personality trait of conscientiousness. And indeed Christopher Frederico and Rafael Aguilera document that among the white population, having a high score on racial resentment batteries is associated with high conscientiousness and low openness.

In other words: if you filter the white people to find only the white people who are most fired-up about anti-racism, you will end up with a high-openness, low-conscientiousness group of people who are probably inclined to agree with Okun’s general sentiments.

But these are facts about white people.

White Democrats are eccentric because most white people are Republicans. In non-white communities, most people are Democrats and consequently, non-white Democrats are less ideologically left-wing than white ones and also have personality types that are closer to the broad population average. That’s why the ex-cop, tough on crime mayoral candidate in New York City is Black. That’s why religiously observant Democrats tend to be non-white. Generalized aversion to hierarchy and discipline is not a characteristic of people of color at all — it’s a characteristic of white leftists.

From any normal standpoint, the idea that “requiring people to think in a linear (logical) fashion” is racist is itself racist. People of all ethnic backgrounds can think logically! I promise. Go read my former professor Kwame Appiah’s intro to philosophy book, “Thinking It Through” (or if you really want to bore yourself, read his “Generalising the Probabilistic Semantics of Conditionals” in The Journal of Philosophical Logic) and see for yourself. Obviously characterizing an emphasis on writing skills as “worship of the written word” makes it sound bad, but thinking that writing is important is not a distinctively white characteristic, as even a cursory read of the past several thousand years of human civilization would tell you.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Matthew Yglesias looks at absurd tropes of corporate antiracism training.

The supporter of the Iraq War tends to pick topics that produces worst takes, who knew,

[Tendrin]

Hamas launched rockets.

Israel started executing Hamas people.

Hamas launched more rockets, this time from Iran.

Israel is (or already has) gearing up for a full-scale airstrike.

The latest flare up actually started with protests over the evictions of Palestinian families to make room for Israeli settlers.

Samira Dajani holds a photo of her family in 1956 after they moved into their home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, Sunday, May 9, 2021. The Dajanis are one of several Palestinian families facing imminent eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem. The families' plight has ignited weeks of demonstrations and clashes in recent days between protesters and Israeli police. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
JERUSALEM (AP) — When Samira Dajani’s family moved into their first real home in 1956 after years as refugees, her father planted trees in the garden, naming them for each of his six children.

Today, two towering pines named for Mousa and Daoud stand watch over the entrance to the garden where they all played as children. Pink bougainvillea climbs an iron archway on a path leading past almond, orange and lemon trees to their modest stone house.

“The Samira tree has no leaves,” she says, pointing to the cypress that bears her name. “But the roots are strong.”

She and her husband, empty nesters with grown children of their own, may have to leave it all behind on Aug. 1. That’s when Israel is set to forcibly evict them following a decades-long legal battle waged by ideological Jewish settlers against them and their neighbors.

The Dajanis are one of several Palestinian families facing imminent eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem. The families’ plight has ignited weeks of demonstrations and clashes in recent days between protesters and Israeli police.

It also highlights an array of discriminatory policies that rights groups say are aimed at pushing Palestinians out of Jerusalem to preserve its Jewish majority. The Israeli rights group B’Tselem and the New York-based Human Rights Watch both pointed to such policies as an example of what they say has become an apartheid regime.

Israel rejects those accusations and says the situation in Sheikh Jarrah is a private real-estate dispute that the Palestinians have seized upon to incite violence. The Foreign Ministry did not respond to questions submitted by The Associated Press. A top municipal official and a settler group marketing “residential plots” in Sheikh Jarrah did not respond to requests for comment.

Settler groups say the land was owned by Jews prior to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. Israeli law allows Jews to reclaim such lands but bars Palestinians from recovering property they lost in the same war, even if they still reside in areas controlled by Israel.

[/QUOTE]

https://******.com/article/middle-ea...b6e2ff02303d41

The latest rocket attacks came after the Israeli government's actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/w...estinians.html

[CSTowle]

The supporter of the Iraq War tends to pick topics that produces worst takes, who knew,

I didn't support the Iraq war and have voted against candidates (including Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in several primaries) because of their support for it. I'd still agree with him that non-white Democrats do tend to be less hostile to government/religion (especially) than white Democrats and that the circular logic of some anti-racist advocates prevents their message from working much from beyond their bubbles (hard to have a discussion when you don't have to measure results, can't be questioned on penalty of being labeled/dismissed as evil and irrelevant, and start from the assumption that because you're arguing for a good cause everything you're saying is correct).

I'd also say there's a disturbing and condescending attitude towards minorities (particularly black and latino) that assumes the reason their test scores in subjects like math and science have historically been lower than whites is that there's something inherently biased in the tests and that those minorities have different strengths and should be tested accordingly or standards for them should be lowered. I'd argue the real reason for those gaps were and are things like systemic racism funneling resources and opportunities to whites and certain minority groups (East Asian/Jewish) and our society not only being less inclined to push for black/latino STEM education but in the past (and to an extent today) actively excluding them.

When that happens it creates an understanding in a culture that you're not wanted and they self-select out of categories they know they aren't (or weren't) welcome in. It's hard enough to excel in those areas, without having to work twice as hard to even get there. Luckily that's starting to turn around, but only recently and then not fully. Telling black and brown kids that math and science are things they just inherently handle differently (whether your intentions are good or not) can undermine their confidence from the get-go and again make them self-select out of that pursuit.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, and by all means let me know where/how you believe that to be the case. Thing I like about these boards is the discussion (provided it's civil).

[Tami]

More than 100 Republican former officials, others to seek reforms, threaten new party

A group of more than 100 influential Republicans plans to release a call for reforms within the GOP alongside a threat to form a new party if change isn't forthcoming, according to a person familiar with the effort.

The statement, set to be released Thursday, involves a “Call for American Renewal,” a credo that declares to "either reimagine a party dedicated to our founding ideals or else hasten the creation of such an alternative." The push also will include a set of 13 yet-to-be-revealed principles that the signatories want to see the GOP embrace.

This is not the first group to form as the pro-Trump and traditional conservative factions of the Republican party remain at loggerheads. The new effort comes as a vote looms that is expected to oust Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., from the House Republican No. 3 leadership spot for her refusal to stay silent about former President Donald Trump’s repeated election lies and his role in the Jan. 6 riot.

[Powerboy]

More than 100 Republican former officials, others to seek reforms, threaten new party

As long as the Democratic party can stay united, I think the divisions Trump has caused in the Republican party is great. Hopefully, it will utterly split the party as Trumpists keep accusing traditional Republicans of being the ones that are Republicans in name only.

[Malvolio]

The term (doublethink) was invented by George Orwell (in the novel 1984).

Right. And the term applies equally to the latter days of the Soviet Union and what might be the latter days of the Republican Party.

[Malvolio]

So it looks like due to the 2020 Census, New York and California will be losing Congressional representation. What I'm wondering, though, is that since both NY and CA have Democratic governors (for now) and legislatures dominated by Democrats, is there a way we can make sure that the seats we lose are red seats? I mean, I would love for that tool Tom Reed to be kicked out of his seat here in upstate NY, and even better to see Devin Nunes lose his seat in California. Now it's been a long time since my last civics class, so maybe someone who's better versed in these things than I am can explain how it works when a state loses a seat or two after a Census.

[CaptainEurope]

The latest flare up actually started with protests over the evictions of Palestinian families to make room for Israeli settlers.

"Eviction" makes it sound like there is a legal basis, like those people did not pay their rent. These are forced removals.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

On Eve Of Likely Ouster, GOP Rep. Liz Cheney Reiterates Criticism Of Trump’s Lies

House Republicans are expected to vote Wednesday to remove Cheney as House GOP Conference chair because she refuses to back Trump’s election lies. I'm guessing Craven Kevin, Moscow Mitch and the rest of the GQP can't get rid of Cheney fast enough. And the kicker is she voted with Trump something like 90 percent of the time, but if you diss the Godfather of Mar-a-Lago, you're gone!

**********

Energy Secretary: Colonial Pipeline To Be Restored By End Of Week

Jennifer Granholm said gas shortage fears from last week’s cyberattack are being overblown. But, the attack itself isn't and shouldn't be seen as overblown, because it could happen again.

**********

Voting Rights Bill Advances Over Republican Objections

Senate Republicans remain universally opposed to the For the People Act despite agreements on some bipartisan amendments. Opposed to fair elections, because Qpublicans fear the people won't vote for them.

**********

Texas GOP Passes Bill To Stop Teachers From Talking About Racism

“It’s going to have a chilling effect on social studies and civics teachers across the state,” said Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. Of course, let's ignore the elephant that's been in the room since Colonial times. Nothing worse that admitting to an inconvenient truth.

**********

Marjorie Taylor Greene Goes Full Tinfoil Hat With Latest Display Of Willful Ignorance

The QAnon-endorsing Georgia Republican took her conspiratorial musings over Dr. Anthony Fauci to a new low. If I were Fauci, I'd sue Trashy Greene over the **** she said, claiming his money paid for the COVID virus.

**********

Lindsey Graham: People Trying To Erase Donald Trump Will ‘Wind Up Getting Erased’

The South Carolina Republican once warned the GOP “will get destroyed” by Trump. And now, Lindsey is Trump's biggest asskisser, which brings up this question for the umpteenth time: What does Caramel Caligula have on Graham?

[Tendrin]

"Eviction" makes it sound like there is a legal basis, like those people did not pay their rent. These are forced removals.

Fair. I should have said dispossession.

[Zauriel]

So it looks like due to the 2020 Census, New York and California will be losing Congressional representation. What I'm wondering, though, is that since both NY and CA have Democratic governors (for now) and legislatures dominated by Democrats, is there a way we can make sure that the seats we lose are red seats? I mean, I would love for that tool Tom Reed to be kicked out of his seat here in upstate NY, and even better to see Devin Nunes lose his seat in California. Now it's been a long time since my last civics class, so maybe someone who's better versed in these things than I am can explain how it works when a state loses a seat or two after a Census.

Ah you mean gerrymandering? After all the Republicans have gerrymandered their congressional districts, so why shouldn't democrats return the favor?
I do not know much about NY and CA laws but I think both the legislatures have the power to determine the redistricting of the states.

If Ca and NY lost people, that means the ones who left the two states are probably Republicans who are fed up with the states' liberal policy. If the Republicans did leave NY or CA, then the Republican congresspersons will lose their seats.

[worstblogever]

Here's some fun news... the guy who at 23, started "Students for Trump" back in 2016? Stop me if you've heard this before about someone involved in the 2016 Trump campaign, but John Lambert was a complete fraud.

Lambert just got sentenced to 12 years in prison for impersonating a lawyer during the 2016 campaign.

It does make sense though, given when Trump used to pretend to be John Barron, his own publicist.