Clipmarks | Angie66's clips

PC cliche

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:10:56 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Simply put, the great "PC" cliché, as commonly deployed in mainstream discourse, is cultural propaganda designed to befuddle and misdirect while defending the current power structure. All politics deal with power relations, and in the debate over America's alleged climate of "political correctness", there's a stark asymmetry of power between the defiant megaphone-wielders who complain of being constrained by humorless hypersensitivity from below, and the under-represented people of color, women, LGBT, disabled, poor, and otherwise marginalized or dispossessed people who have no choice but to absorb the linguistic, cultural, and physical barbs of the ruling class. The former feel psycho-emotionally oppressed by their inability to crack puerile ethnic jokes without criticism; the latter simply are oppressed.

PC as a tired cliche

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:06:37 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: www.kaichang.net

Underlying every complaint of "PC" is the absurd notion that members of dominant mainstream society have been victimized by an arbitrarily hypersensitive prohibition against linguistic and cultural constructions that are considered historical manifestations of bigotry. It's no coincidence that "PC"-snivelers are for the most part white men who are essentially saying, "Who the hell do these marginalized groups think they are to tell me how I should or shouldn't portray them? I'm not going to say 'mentally challenged' when it's my right to say 'retard', goshdarnit there's only so much abuse I'll take!"

Free speech is the straw man of choice for intellectual bums of all stripes too fragile and vacuous for critical engagement. Calling someone who says or does bigoted things "a bigot" isn't censorious, it's descriptively accurate, like calling a bad movie "a bad movie", even if the bigot didn't intend to come off as bigoted and the movie didn't intend to come off as bad.

Grim outlook for healthcare reform...

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:23:13 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: www.ginandtacos.com

If it is not yet apparent, perhaps it is time for the last holdouts among us to accept the fact that the American healthcare system is never going to undergo any meaningful reform. Whatever comes out of this Congress and ends up on the desk of the suddenly-not-so-bold President will be watered down, ineffective, costly, and of little use to people who really need it – the working uninsured who are too “rich” for Medicaid and too poor to pay out-of-pocket. I believe there are three main reasons for the impending and perpetual failure of reform.

Sorry state of MSM

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 05:45:24 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: mediamatters.org

VOTE: The Worst Media Moment of Obama's
First 100 Days

The first 100 days of the Obama administration are coming to a close, and there has certainly been no shortage of unhinged and outrageous media moments.

From Rush Limbaugh saying that "we are being told to bend over and grab the ankles ... because his father is black," to Glenn Beck imitating President Obama pouring gasoline on an "average American," conservatives in the media have wasted no time in stoking a culture of paranoia with extreme, vitriolic, and often irresponsible rhetoric.

Tea and Sympathy

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:18:34 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Tea doesn't get much respect in America. This historical snubbing will continue Wednesday, with protests across America meant to evoke the Boston Tea Party, a seminal event in the foundation of our county. How effective these protests will be is going to be open to interpretation, however.

Domestic violence discussion in the media

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:44:55 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: incontemptcomics.com

Progressives in history

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:46:52 GMT

clipped by: Angie66
clipper's remarks: as opposed to conservatives...

Clip Source: crooksandliars.com

those times where progressives have had the upper hand and have changed the country for the

better.

Lux has delineated five "big change" eras in our past, where progressives have brought change that has helped shape America for the better, usually stimulated by some catastrophic event:

The American Revolution, starting with Thomas Paine's Common Sense, Jefferson's Bill of Rights and the birth of the nation
The Reconstruction era and the aftermath of the Civil War, with the Emancipation Proclamation and the Homestead Act
The turn of the 20th Century with Roosevelt's Anti-Trust Act, Food & Drug safety laws, and women's suffrage
The 1930s New Deal, with the establishment of Social Security and the Glass Steagall Banking Act
The 1960s with Civil Rights, the Voting Rights Act as well as environmental protection laws

Could we be on the precipice of another Big Change Moment? Certainly the last eight years under Bush could qualify for a catastrophic event that generates a big progressive push.

Pessimistic view of Obama's government

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:39:58 GMT

clipped by: Angie66
clipper's remarks: Hope this guy's wrong...

Clip Source: www.ginandtacos.com

The President-elect gives every indication of assuming the post-Civil Rights era Democratic Party’s accustomed role as the battered wife of American politics, assiduously sucking up to their abusive partner in the vain hope that someday the kindness will be repaid. Woefully premature FDR comparisons and messianic zeal among Obama’s faithful will quickly turn to disillusionment as the figure they elected starts to look a lot more like Harry Reid than FDR.

Touched by the let’s-all-get-along attitude from the incoming President, Congressional Republicans are reminding the backbenchers that “the duty of the opposition party is to oppose.” Translation: sharpen the talons. Get ready to block appointments and scuttle the ship. Run the government even further into the ground so that the GOP may arise in 2010 and 2012 to say “See? Look how much worse things are…”

Tags: obama, democrats

Alternative Thanksgiving explanation

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:39:27 GMT

clipped by: Angie66
clipper's remarks: Happy Thanksgiving, Americans.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

this is a peculiarly American version of a fall harvest festival. We are supposedly celebrating an event in our history from the 17th century: the fellowship and cooperation between the Pilgrim immigrants and the native Americans that culminated in a shared feast. The truth is a little uglier and perhaps a bit more representative of our political reality. A gang of Puritan religious kooks who were too wacky and weird for their homeland emigrated optimistically to the new wilderness to the west, hoping to found a utopia for repressive fanaticism. They proved to be incompetent as well as crazy, and nearly died off completely in their first few years, but survived thanks to an affiliation with local tribes who were quite competent at successfully thriving in that environment, but were unfortunately strategically unwise in allowing these parvenu lunatics to persist in their midst.

McCain's tactics - learned from the masters.

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:51:00 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: www.smirkingchimp.com

watching John McCain speak to a crowd of students just days before that state's primary election.

George Bush the lesser's slimy forces were slithering all over the state, smearing McCain with robocalls; hinting that he had fathered a black child (he has an adopted girl from Bangladesh). Incredibly, they were telling voters that the tortured war hero wasn't as tough as the pampered draft dodger, and enough of the idiots believed it.

John McCain learned something from that experience, or thought he did. Unfortunately, the lesson he seems to have taken away from it was this: If you want to be president, you need to forget about integrity and sell your soul.

This year, he has appealed to the ignorant, the repellent, the incompetent and the racist. He picked a vice presidential candidate who virtually every thinking conservative from George Will to David Brooks now says has no business being on any national ticket.

Tags: mccain, campaign, election

McCain vs. Obama tax plans

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:57:45 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: www.gofrostfire.com

Tags: mccain, obama, tax, taxes

Feminist stereotypes

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:34:19 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: feministing.com

At one of our Feministing retreats, we had a running joke about creating a "Feminist Stereotypes Pin-Up Calendar.

We all take pleasure in mocking the stereotypes that hit our email inbox every day. Especially given the blatant contradictions that crop up over and over again. So for my first Tuesday Ten list, I'm gonna count down my favorite feminist stereotypes:

1. We're frigid and hate sex.
2. We're sluts.

3. We're lonely "cat ladies" who can't get a man. Therefore, we are bitter.

4. We get knocked up for fun just to have abortions on-demand.

5. We're hairy, angry man-haters.

6. We're just desperate for male attention.

7. We want to dismantle the patriarchy so we can establish a matriarchy! Muhahaha.

8. We are intellectually unserious.

9. We are the sanctimonious women's studies set, with our heads up our academic asses.

10. We are loud-mouthed bitches who won't STFU and make you a sammich.

Ok, so the last one's true.

Tags: feminism

Who is the funniest Palin???

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:31:52 GMT

clipped by: Angie66
clipper's remarks: John Cleese is brilliant.

Clip Source: feministing.com

[Video]

Tags: cleese, palin

McCain transition chief lobbied for Saddam

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:30:13 GMT

clipped by: Angie66
clipper's remarks: Talk about "pallin' around"...

Clip Source: crooksandliars.com

William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime.

The two lobbyists who Timmons worked closely with over a five year period on the lobbying campaign later either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of federal criminal charges that they had acted as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein's government.

During the same period beginning in 1992, Timmons worked closely with the two lobbyists, Samir Vincent and Tongsun Park, on a previously unreported prospective deal with the Iraqis in which they hoped to be awarded a contract to purchase and resell Iraqi oil. Timmons, Vincent, and Park stood to share at least $45 million if the business deal went through.

Tags: mccain, terrorists, timmons

Calling Obama an Arab

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:41:38 GMT

clipped by: Angie66

Clip Source: thecurvature.com

Woman at rally: I don’t trust Obama. I have read about him and he’s an Arab.

Sen. John McCain: No ma’am, no ma’am. He’s a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That’s what this campaign is all about. He’s not, thank you.

Now, I commend Sen. McCain for correcting that woman, for setting the record straight. But I do have one question — so what if he was?

So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?

When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country? When did Arab and Muslim become dirty words? The equivalent of dishonorable or radical?

Whenever this gets raised, the implication is that there is something wrong with being an Arab-American or a Muslim. And the media is complicit here, too.

We’ve all been too quick to accept the idea that calling someone Muslim is a slur.

Tags: barak, obama

Clipmarks | Angie66's clips

PC cliche

PC as a tired cliche

Grim outlook for healthcare reform...

Sorry state of MSM

VOTE: The Worst Media Moment of Obama's First 100 Days

Tea and Sympathy

Domestic violence discussion in the media

Progressives in history

Pessimistic view of Obama's government

Alternative Thanksgiving explanation

McCain's tactics - learned from the masters.

McCain vs. Obama tax plans

Feminist stereotypes

Who is the funniest Palin???

McCain transition chief lobbied for Saddam

Calling Obama an Arab

VOTE: The Worst Media Moment of Obama's
First 100 Days