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ZenGum 10-03-2011 06:58 AM

Wall Street Protests
 
2 Attachment(s)
Well, many protests start small and grow, and it takes the media a while to catch on, but this is now the most under-reported story of the year.

Here's the A(ussie)BC http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-0...?section=world

Three weeks of continuous "occupation", 700 arrests, hardly any mention.

This is floating around on FB, I cannot verify it. Anyone?

Attachment 34290

Another person posted this:

Attachment 34291

:eyebrow:

If only the cellar had a New York stringer. Who wasn't completely nuts.

ZenGum 10-03-2011 07:01 AM

Oh and another friend posted this link: which seems to be genuine.

http://www.jpmorganchase.com/corpora...=580&width=850

Quote:

New York City Police Foundation — New York

JPMorgan Chase recently donated an unprecedented $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation. The gift was the largest in the history of the foundation and will enable the New York City Police Department to strengthen security in the Big Apple. The money will pay for 1,000 new patrol car laptops, as well as security monitoring software in the NYPD's main data center.

New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly sent CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon a note expressing "profound gratitude" for the company's donation.

"These officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe," Dimon said. "We're incredibly proud to help them build this program and let them know how much we value their hard work."
:eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow:

Trilby 10-03-2011 07:39 AM

the Huffington Post is reporting on it.

I expect a drum circle to break out any minute now.

Perry Winkle 10-03-2011 07:53 AM

The image is fake. It's not even taken in the right place.

I wish the Occupy Wall Street message was more clear. I really want them to accomplish something good.

Off topic, but pissing me off (tangentially related because they are making fun of the Occupy Wall Street folks): I'm watching CNN for the first time in a couple years. Apparently you can't say "Nigger" (in reference to Rick Perry's "Niggerhead") when reporting the damn news. These folks are all such children they act sheepish even calling it the "N word."

Now they've got a former astronaut "launching" kids into space to get kids excited about math and science. I bet those kids are thinking "this old dude is so lame, but at least we're on TV. Are we famous yet? When do we get to meet Lady Gaga?"

glatt 10-03-2011 09:58 AM

The Washington Post has no trouble printing the word, but on NPR they were calling it "the N-word."

Edit: And it got me wondering, when I read somewhere that it was a commonplace name back in the day. There's a cliff on Monhegan Island called Black Head. (Also one called White Head.) I wonder if it used to be called Nigger Head and was sanitized.

Spexxvet 10-03-2011 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle (Post 760409)
These folks are all such children they act sheepish even calling it the "N word."

Why are they children? I think they are showing consideration, you offay mother fucking cracker. Go back to Europe, where you came from. ;)

classicman 10-03-2011 12:18 PM

I've seen and read plenty on it. Apparently there really isn't that much going on. The ones who keep claiming that it isn't being reported are the protesters.


I was reading about a week ago and trying to find out how many were there. After going thru many articles to find that info, it was reported that there were about 200 total. That number has grown quite a bit and there are things happening in other cities as well. The 700 arrests include people simply being ticketed for minor infractions. meh. The problem seems to be that they are not well organized, nor unified in what they want. There are people claiming all sorts of things from Bush/Cheney prosecutions to 4 day work weeks.

Stormieweather 10-03-2011 01:29 PM

It's an infant grassroots "thing", so it isn't actually solidified with goals yet. I've been following the twitter hashtag #occupywallstreet and TheNation's blog by Greg Mitchell on it. There are a few very informative articles on it's origins and what it isn't. Here's one.

BusinessInsider

Here's another:

AmpedStatus

One thing about the protests and having a PR firm working for them pro-bono, is that hopefully, the average citizen will start asking questions and go inform themselves. Information and knowledge are power and way too many people just blindly buy the rhetoric they are fed by the media and those in power.

Pico and ME 10-03-2011 02:09 PM

1 Attachment(s)
Its moved outside of New York.

I have the choice of going to several in Indiana. Lafayette and Indy are closer. I'm gonna call my nephew at Purdue and ask him what he knows about it.

Quote:

We work in solidarity with the determined souls on Wall Street and across the country in standing as the PEOPLE to demand responsible, fair governanace. We advocate for, no, DEMAND,the separation of finance and government in no less uncertain terms than the separation of Church and State. For too long, the interests of business have drowned out the voice of the citizenry. NO MORE. We are not Left. We are not Right. WE are the 99%... and we WILL prevail.

Pico and ME 10-03-2011 03:19 PM

It is strange that there is very little media coverage (well, really not that strange), but this guy is trying to do something about it...




Pico and ME 10-03-2011 03:35 PM

Hot Damn - This guy nailed it. Im sure Fox doesn't air this one...:D

ZenGum 10-03-2011 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle (Post 760409)
The image is fake. It's not even taken in the right place.

I wish the Occupy Wall Street message was more clear. I really want them to accomplish something good.


Thanks, I was doubtful. Could be anywhere, or anywhen, or just shopped, for all I know.


Hey, you think maybe the Arab spring is going to spread to the USA? You guys might have your very own democraccy movement, and take back your government from the corrupt, self-serving plutocratic theocrats that have siezed control of your country. Wouldn't than be nice? :)

TheMercenary 10-04-2011 07:58 AM

Protesters were warned of pending arrest...

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/m...tyy8nOgYSN4fJJ

Stormieweather 10-04-2011 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 760676)
Protesters were warned of pending arrest...

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/m...tyy8nOgYSN4fJJ

That is debatable. Conflicting stories AND videos of the incident.

glatt 10-04-2011 11:18 AM

I've been around cops doing crowd control before. One thing I can tell you is that they don't communicate consistently with the crowd. You very well could have had some cops saying that the protestors could go on the bridge, and other cops saying they couldn't and that they would be arrested if they didn't leave. A bullhorn is very loud when you are standing right next to it, but if you are 100 feet away and surrounded by a chanting crowd, that same bullhorn will be completely unintelligible.

TheMercenary 10-04-2011 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt (Post 760733)
I've been around cops doing crowd control before. One thing I can tell you is that they don't communicate consistently with the crowd. You very well could have had some cops saying that the protestors could go on the bridge, and other cops saying they couldn't and that they would be arrested if they didn't leave. A bullhorn is very loud when you are standing right next to it, but if you are 100 feet away and surrounded by a chanting crowd, that same bullhorn will be completely unintelligible.

Good points, but the people at the front, near the bridge who begin the masses moving, as a heard of cows move, had no doubt that what they were about to do would lead to arrest. The video is pretty obvious. The people at the front lead the way.

tw 10-04-2011 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 760741)
Good points, but the people at the front, near the bridge who begin the masses moving, as a heard of cows move, had no doubt that what they were about to do would lead to arrest.

Does the video record cops telling the crowd how to move over the bridge before the crowd entered the bridge? The crowd was doing what cops originally told them to do using vague instructions. Then cops suddenly told these masses to go back. Too little too late.

Somehow TheMercenary knows that crowd was not doing what they were originally told. Why do so many (including some in the press) say they were told to cross where they did? Dogmatism says it must not be true. Where are cops giving vague instructions before the crowd enters the bridge? Without that earlier video, an honest conclusion is impossible.

A conclusion based in something from a bull horn that even an adjacent video can barely understand. But TheMercenary knows the crowd should have known. Only possible is that conclusion justified in a political agenda. An agenda that blames the people – not corrupt leaders – for a diminishing American standard of living.

These demonstrations are justified by facts. For example, the ultra rich are getting richer. Average Americans see living standards degrading. How curious. That also happened when fiscal mismanagement – the same people - also created a Great Depression in late 1920s and early 1930s.

These demonstrators are quite correct. Purpose of every business deal is for all parties to prosper. But the financial elite insist there must be a winner and a loser in every deal. Also called corruption. That is Mafioso thinking. Not how honest businesses operate. And not how businesses, that made America great, worked.

These demonstrators are quite correct. The most corrupt - ie stockbrokers - are only salesmen driven by their own self serving profits. No different than ‘made men’. People who know nothing about companies or business. Productive and patriotic businesses profit when providing a better product or service. But the most corrupt, found in mass numbers on Wall Street, deny this. Stock brokers, et al find the product a necessary evil that is irrelevant to their income. That is corruption.

These demonstrators are quite correct. Only the most corrupt or manipulated believe purpose of a business is its profits. Why is Ford profitable and GM not? Because Ford decided to ignore profits – to make better products. Product oriented thinking that once made America great. GM only cared about profits and management bonuses. The product be damned. So many of these business school educated and therefore corrupt auto executives did not even have driver’s licenses.

These demonstrators are quite correct. The most evil among us include Republicans who refused to investigate or prosecute the scumbags who created a mythical California energy crisis. Had Oklahoma not filed charges to only embarrass the Feds, then all in Enron would have gone unprosecuted. Subverted the SEC so that even Madoff existed. The largest corruption in American history - K Street - remains unprosecuted by the same people who promote that political agenda.

These demonstrators are quite correct. The purpose of a boss is to serve his employees. So that employees can then serve the customer. But so many are so evil or brainwashed by communism as to think employees must work for the boss. We all learned why this is stupid from books such as Animal Farm. Exactly why the USSR could not innovate and had to fail. Communism is what happens when socialism is corrupted by the elite and richest power brokers. When the masses work for the bosses. Or what is advocated by the most corrupt on Wall Street. And endorsed by an extremist political agenda.

These demonstrators are quite correct. Financial institutions are increasing service charges rather than institute innovations that reduce cost and labor. How many decades has the smart card existed all over the world? And still not found in America because financial institutions fear innovation. Their purpose is profits - service charges if necessary. Not better products and services.

So many are so brainwashed by financial elitists as to even believe that the purpose of a business is its profits. After all, that is the purpose of the Mafia, the communist party, and other anti-American organizations. So TheMercenary blames the people rather than the most corrupt who get rich at the expense of common Americans. These elites use Rush Limbaugh to tell our wacko extremists how to think.

Those demonstrators are quite correct. More responsible business leaders (ie Schmidt of Google) do not even make $1 million a year. But the most corrupt (cheered on by people such as TheMercenary) are elite rich with incomes increasing at 40+% annually. American workers suffer dropping incomes. A drop that started when George Jr gave tax cuts to the rich. So we blame union and other workers? Only the wacko elite blame workers.

No wonder the most wacko extremists also wanted Social Security into the stock market. The elite ultra rich would have been even richer. Wacko extremists are told what to think rather than question a corrupt leadership. Leaders who tell them (ie via Rush Limbaugh) what to think. Blame the evil workers who are quite justified in their protests.

Instead we blame demonstrators because they cross a bridge in the wrong place.

classicman 10-04-2011 11:28 PM

What, no WMD's?
You're slippin.

ZenGum 10-05-2011 07:14 AM

Hey, at least it is in paragraphs.

Back to the protests ...
What are they saying? It isn't clear - many different voices - but there are a few recurring themes:

There is too much corporate influence in politics (although I'd say it has got to the stage where calling it "influence" rather than "ownership" is debatable).

Because of this power imbalance, wealth has been and is being redistributed toward the very rich, to the great detriment of the rest of the population and to the economy itself.

The current design of our financial system gives too much reward for short-term risk taking (with other people's money) and not enough for productive innovation, which is the cause of the most recent crisis.

Trilby 10-05-2011 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum (Post 760876)
Because of this power imbalance, wealth has been and is being redistributed toward the very rich, to the great detriment of the rest of the population and to the economy itself.

That's racist!

er, I mean, that's Class Warfare!!

ZenGum 10-05-2011 07:23 AM

Hush, comrade.

The lower 99% got Pearl Harbored at least 30 years ago. Get with the plot. ;)

You know, the commie plot. Ba-dum Tshh!

Stormieweather 10-05-2011 08:38 AM

Mass Arrests

Apparently, this tactic of "kettling" or "trap and detain" has been used previously by law enforcement. This involves leading or allowing or even forcing protesters into a position from which they cannot retreat and then arresting them en masse. As the PD had called for arrest buses from Rikers PRIOR to the arrests, I think this was all planned out. That's just my opinion based on videos and interviews I've seen and read.

Spexxvet 10-05-2011 08:41 AM

They're planning to expand to Philadelphia. I may just have to participate. Maybe I'll participate from a bar or something.

DanaC 10-05-2011 08:51 AM

British police have come under heavy criticism over the years for kettling. I've experienced it on a number of occasions. It's really quite scary.

SamIam 10-05-2011 11:20 AM

http://front.moveon.org/how-ny-times...st-20-minutes/

:eyebrow:

Perry Winkle 10-05-2011 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spexxvet (Post 760438)
Why are they children? I think they are showing consideration, you offay mother fucking cracker. Go back to Europe, where you came from. ;)

The example you directed at me is completely different than the case we're talking about. They are reporters. They are reporting a fact. They aren't calling anyone names.

I've read a few European newspapers. In my experience they tend to actually use offensive words when that's the fact of what was said or posted. I admire cultures that are mature enough to face facts.

Also, saying "N word" is not meaningfully different than saying "nigger" to me. It's still invoking an offensive (in the context) word.

If they wanted to be considerate they wouldn't specify which racial epithet was part of the place name. Saying something like "... a place name containing a racial epithet ..." is sufficiently descriptive while truly being removed from a word that is offensive in the first order.

I would prefer it if they'd just use the word without varnishing it.

classicman 10-05-2011 08:52 PM

I'm thinking of going to Occupy Philly tomorrow.

TheMercenary 10-05-2011 09:11 PM

I think the best thing that can happen at this point is for all of the people on Wall Street to walk off the job in protest at the protests and shut down trading on the international markets for a week and see who suffers first....

classicman 10-05-2011 09:29 PM

Here is the FB page for Philly ...
http://www.facebook.com/OccupyPhiladelphia
And an update on the situation from 30 mins ago
Quote:

just walked past city hall: inside is blocked and gated with seven or so cops inside. east side is completely barricaded off with metal bar barricades. west side (fountain side) is wide open and empty of cops, though the homeless have remained camped out there. north side has three or so media trucks with satellites ready to broadcast and cameras being set up now. cop cars are circling (saw two police vans) and a couple cop cars are parked inside the barricade on the east side (where more police are walking beat). i spoke with one officer-- he said they had extra barricades to ready block the west side depending on how things went tomorrow; he was very unclear about what that meant, though he said it's of course legal for us to assemble.

TheMercenary 10-05-2011 09:32 PM

I love how this has turned into something akin to the WTO protests. Not one damm unified group but a bunch of wacko extremists (think tw) who have no clue as to why the person next to them are there. Really, Wall Street needs to turn off the lights and see who fails first...

Stormieweather 10-05-2011 10:10 PM

Are you watching faux news again for your "occupy wall street" information, Mercy? ;)

classicman 10-05-2011 10:16 PM

Did they start to cover them yet? I was flipping channels and while CNN and PMSNBC both had coverage, Faux had squat. (I had to tell my parents what it was earlier this week) :/

Pico and ME 10-06-2011 08:25 AM

Because NYC only allows amplified sound with a permit, OWS is employing the 'human microphone' for public service announcements, meetings, and speeches. It has its flaws, but its totally organic nature adds to the esprit de corps among the protesters.

Here is an example.


glatt 10-06-2011 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 761052)
Not one damm unified group but a bunch of wacko extremists (think tw) who have no clue as to why the person next to them are there.

Says the conservative.

Understand that to a liberal, the conservatives are all a bunch of ditto heads who take their marching orders from the mother ship.

It's all about perspective.

Sundae 10-06-2011 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 761052)
Not one damm unified group but a bunch of wacko extremists who have no clue as to why the person next to them are there.

Almost like... a [Mad Hatter's] Tea Party...?

:D

Stormieweather 10-06-2011 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 761069)
Did they start to cover them yet? I was flipping channels and while CNN and PMSNBC both had coverage, Faux had squat. (I had to tell my parents what it was earlier this week) :/

Well at least one faux news crew was on wall street last night...

Breaking News


Article ends with:

Quote:

During the day, unions and students joined the demonstrators. What was once a protest of powerful Wall Street financial firms and banks is growing into a larger movement about the working class, employment, poverty, education, and more.

classicman 10-06-2011 11:18 AM

Yeh, I saw that Stormie. I was kinda 1/2 joking.
Same was true with Steve Jobs death. They probably didn't want to interrupt the O'Reilly rerun for something important.

SamIam 10-06-2011 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 761052)
Really, Wall Street needs to turn off the lights and see who fails first...

Fine by me. Oh, wait! Maybe they'd like to pay back all that bail-out money first? :eyebrow:

I think I'm going to create an "Occupy Cortez" page on FB myself. What the hell.

@Classic - NPR has been giving some pretty good coverage. "Occupy Wall Street" was their lead story last night.

classicman 10-06-2011 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamIam (Post 761216)
@Classic - NPR has been giving some pretty good coverage. "Occupy Wall Street" was their lead story last night.

I agree. There has been some good coverage on CNN last night as well.
Locally there has plenty on right now since its happening here as well. I'm gonna meet a friend and check it out this afternoon.

SamIam 10-06-2011 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormieweather (Post 761191)
Well at least one faux news crew was on wall street last night...

Breaking News

I see that a faux photographer got pepper sprayed by the cops last night. Hah! You think that might influence the faux perspective?

Undertoad 10-06-2011 12:22 PM

I'm so sorry -- but I always find the snark "faux news" to be stupid, because "faux" is pronounced "foh", with a long o.

similarly "Koch" is pronounced "Coke" and not "cock". that is all

piercehawkeye45 10-06-2011 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 761237)
similarly "Koch" is pronounced "Coke" and not "cock". that is all

Actually it's pronounced "Cook" :p:

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary
I think the best thing that can happen at this point is for all of the people on Wall Street to walk off the job in protest at the protests and shut down trading on the international markets for a week and see who suffers first....

Just like how Congress should just walk off the job in protest and see what happens.....

glatt 10-06-2011 12:42 PM

Maybe the snark should be changed to "pox news."

Edit: Or "Lox News." But that's a little fishy.

Sundae 10-06-2011 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 761237)
I'm so sorry -- but I always find the snark "faux news" to be stupid, because "faux" is pronounced "foh", with a long o.

But I always found it funny and snarky for just that reason! Like us calling the Daily Mail "the Hate Mail"
It isn't a homophone or a homonym, but it reflects the nature of the beast.

I didn't know that anyone read the words Faux News and heard Fox in their head.

Then again, I had meme down as memm, thinking it was based on the French for "the same", so I'm not reliable in internet pronunciation :)

Pete Zicato 10-06-2011 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 761237)
I'm so sorry -- but I always find the snark "faux news" to be stupid, because "faux" is pronounced "foh", with a long o.

But the wisdom of the dwellars is in the meme; and our unhallowed hands should not disturb it, or the Country's done for.

Apologies to Dickens

Pete Zicato 10-06-2011 03:28 PM

'course then you've got to let Merc go on the "Demoncrat" thing even though it's a meme of one.

Griff 10-06-2011 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 761052)
I love how this has turned into something akin to the WTO protests. Not one damm unified group but a bunch of wacko extremists (think tw) who have no clue as to why the person next to them are there.

Wait, this is a Tea Party event?

BigV 10-06-2011 08:11 PM

Several protestors were arrested here at Occupy Seattle. The offense was "camping", they set up tents in the square, and that's not allowed. Otherwise, we're good to go.

I believe I'll stop by tomorrow as I'll be in the neighborhood and I have more time than money.

classicman 10-06-2011 08:58 PM

Love this guy. His interviews went viral instantly.


classicman 10-06-2011 09:09 PM


tw 10-06-2011 10:15 PM

The Man with the Golden Tongue.

BigV 10-06-2011 11:29 PM

you rang?

classicman 10-06-2011 11:32 PM

1 Attachment(s)
...

Lamplighter 10-07-2011 09:18 AM

1 Attachment(s)
CULTUREPHILE: PORTLAND ARTS
Posted by: Anne Adams on Oct 06, 2011 at 05:50PM

On the first day of an indefinite “occupation” of downtown Portland,
here are 45 messages that protesters wrote on their placards.


Here are some:
THIS IS OUR VOICE, THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
STOP FORECLOSURES
TAX THE RICH
WE THE PEOPLE; TOO BIG TO FAIL
AMERICA, STOP PAYING CRIMINALS TO STEAL FROM YOU [BANK LOGOS]
FIGHT GREED
CAPITALISM IS A PYRAMID SCHEME
THE JERK STORE CALLED; THEY’RE OUT OF CEO’S [SEINFELD REFERENCE]
THEY TOOK OUR JERBS [SOUTH PARK REFERENCE]
STOP THE WAR ON WORKING PEOPLE
DEBT IS SLAVERY
END CORPORATE PERSONHOOD
WALL STREET GAMBLERS CRASHED THE ECONOMY, NOT AMERICAN WORKERS
YOU’RE AFTER THE WRONG GOLD
HOLD WALL STREET RESPONSIBLE
WPA NOW! REAL REFORM
IF THE SYSTEM IS ONLY WORKING FOR 1%, THE SYSTEM ISN’T WORKING
END CORPORATE WELFARE
THE 1% CREATED THE PROBLEMS, THE 99% WILL CREATE THE SOLUTIONS
WAGE PEACE
...

Quote:

[Mayor Sam] Adams also met up with the march and walked alongside protesters
for a block or so as they passed City Hall.
Later, city officials forbade the occupation of Schrunk [Plaza] and threatened arrest,
but conceded that the demonstrators could remain in Lownsdale overnight.


SamIam 10-07-2011 10:12 AM

Go, Portland! Your mayor is named "Sam Adams"? How cool is that?

Oh, and we all know "faux" means "fake." But if someone dislikes the French, there is always "foxed" which refers to pages of a book ruined by stains (yellow journalism, anyone?) and is an old slang term for "drunk."

Lamplighter 10-07-2011 11:14 AM

This morning the local media has begun fomenting a confrontation
between the "Occupy Portland" and the "Portland Marathon".

The annual PM has about 14,000 runners, and took out a permit last year to use Lonsdale Square all day today.
The OP is conciliatory to sharing the Square and supporting the PM runners and it's volunteers.
The PDX police say the OP has been quiet and peaceful all night.

Local TV sees this as an opportunity for a media event by asking provoking questions
about who has the "rights" to the Square, and what is OP going to do IF...

BigV 10-07-2011 11:25 AM

Mayor supports protestors

Quote:

Mayor Mike McGinn on Thursday said protesters could have an "organizing tent" that could remain overnight, but said protesters would have to allow the park to be cleaned and promise to protect park property while allowing others access to businesses.

McGinn also said the city would allow protesters to stay overnight at City Hall Plaza, with "reasonable restrictions" on tents so that people could use the plaza during the day. City Hall has restrooms, he noted, while Westlake doesn't.

Protesters would be allowed to use the plaza for two weeks, the mayor said.
Also notable is the presence of labor union members among the supporters of the protest.

Quote:

The labor leaders threw their support behind the Occupy Seattle movement Thursday, boosting morale a day after 25 protesters were arrested. Top union members visited Westlake to let protesters know they share a similar view: The economy isn't fair and more jobs are needed.

"It's their movement, but it's our message," said Kathy Cummings, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Labor Council, which represents 750 local unions.

The labor group also has asked members to drop off bottled water and ready-to-eat packaged foods at the council's office, Cummings said.
I will be joining them today at midday.

DanaC 10-07-2011 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle (Post 760983)
The example you directed at me is completely different than the case we're talking about. They are reporters. They are reporting a fact. They aren't calling anyone names.

I've read a few European newspapers. In my experience they tend to actually use offensive words when that's the fact of what was said or posted. I admire cultures that are mature enough to face facts.

Also, saying "N word" is not meaningfully different than saying "nigger" to me. It's still invoking an offensive (in the context) word.

If they wanted to be considerate they wouldn't specify which racial epithet was part of the place name. Saying something like "... a place name containing a racial epithet ..." is sufficiently descriptive while truly being removed from a word that is offensive in the first order.

I would prefer it if they'd just use the word without varnishing it.

Funnily enough, Mum and I were discussing the offensive words and euphemisms the other day. She'd heard some programme or other about some research on responses to 'rude' words. Turns out that for people who find the word 'fuck' offensive, there is a revulsion response. Probably borne of hearing their parents responses to those words (displaying revulsion). Euphemisms, such as 'the f-word' or 'effing' do not provoke the same revulsion response for those people.

I fail to see why 'fuck all' is any more offensive than 'sweet fanny adams'. But that's because I don't have a revulsion response to the word 'fuck'. If I did, I would find the euphemism far more palatable. Apparently.

DanaC 10-07-2011 11:32 AM

Love those messages. The first one put a lump in my throat.

Made me think of the old protest song, The Land.

Quote:

Sound the call for freedom boys, and sound it far and wide,
March along to victory, for God is on our side,
While the voice of nature thunders o'er the rising tide:
"God gave the land to the people."

Chorus

The land, the land,
'Twas God who made the land,
The land, the land,
The ground on which we stand,
Why should we be beggars
With a ballot in our hand?
God gave the land to the people.

Hark! The sound is spreading from the east and from the west!
Why should we work hard and let the landlords take the best?
Make them pay their taxes on the land just like the rest!
The land was meant for the people.

Chorus

Clear the way for liberty, the land must all be free,
None of us shall falter from the fight tho' stern shall be.
'Til the flag we love so well shall fly from sea to sea,
O'er the land that is free for the people.

Chorus

The army now is marching on, the battle to begin,
The standard now is raised on high to face the battle din,
We'll never cease from fighting 'til the victory we win,
And the land is free for the people.

footfootfoot 10-07-2011 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle (Post 760983)

Also, saying "N word" is not meaningfully different than saying "nigger" to me. It's still invoking an offensive (in the context) word.

If they wanted to be considerate they wouldn't specify which racial epithet was part of the place name. Saying something like "... a place name containing a racial epithet ..." is sufficiently descriptive while truly being removed from a word that is offensive in the first order.

I would prefer it if they'd just use the word without varnishing it.

Yeah there is a disingenuous tone in their voice when they say "the N word" instead of just saying Nigger. And as you point out, they might just as easily say racial epithet.

Also, I had to re-read it twice but I think Spexx was making an attempt at ironic humor but used the wink smiley instead fo the ironic humor smiley.


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