How did Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-Maryland) send a message to her Republican colleagues on the House floor about the government shutdown debacle? With White Stripes, of course!
I really hate to state the obvious...but it seems that if you want the majority of black people in America to understand/agree with something you have to put it in a rhyme.
Remember the farce that was the OJ Simpson trial - "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." Nevermind that wet leather gloves dry and shrink, for that logic may make you think.
Today in black America, Dr. Seuss would be worshiped as a god.
Any dumbwad with a smile and promises of free stuff paid for by others can get elected to high office.
The reason: Many (most?) voters are incapable of critical thinking, because of the substandard education provided by dumbed-down, politically correct schools.
Even a constitutional republic has drawbacks, many of whom "work" in D.C.
It's not racist to state the differences among different people.
Racism is "a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others."
Saying that black people have higher butt muscles, darker skin, larger lips, curly hair, stronger bones or are generally better at physical sports than other races is not racist, it is stating the obvious. It is also a generalization and only idiots take such a statement as pertaining to every single black person on the planet.
Nobody here has said that their race is superior to black people. Nobody here has said that black people are genetically programmed to be stupid.
The majority of black people in America are stupid for 2 reasons. (1) They are indoctrinated with the whole "people will mistreat you because you are black" crap from birth. They expect to be mistreated and (whether they actually are or not) they believe it, so it must be so. And, (2) the handouts form the government create a culture of dependency by making people believe that it is their "right" to get those handouts. They will usually riot to keep the handouts coming, while they will rarely lift a finger to stand on their own (this happens to all people on handout programs regardless of race).
People like Shadir don't even understand the definition of racism and contribute to strife among the races by calling any reference to a person's race as "racism".
@Squishy [slight paraphrasing]: "I'm not a racist, but the majority of black people in America are stupid."
OK then, Squishy...
And how is this woman dumb? She is pointing out what NEEDS pointing out, lest people forget or aren't paying attention: that the Republicans are trying to rewrite (fictionalize) what caused the economic crash (which happened during the Republicans' watch thank you very much) – Wall Street, banks, the real estate bubble. Now the story they're trying to sell to the people is that "big government" is what caused it... WTF? When it was actually the exact opposite... That the Republicans' deregulation of the financial markets was the enabler of the economic crisis.
And I'm kind when I call it fictionalizing... What it is, is plain old LYING. But instead this woman is the one who should be criticized? For presenting her speach in poetry-slam form? Yeah, how DARE she? What a crime that.
WOAH, when did neatorama become so full of such ignorant, racist and politically charged commenters? I used to be a regular reader but this is super disappointing. I only assumed this blog was catering for a slightly classier demographic than this.
Squishy: I have never wanted to get involved in these posts before, but since you contradicted yourself on such an important issue I had to comment. In your first post that highlights the congresswoman’s race, you said that the majority of black people are not capable of understanding or agreeing with something unless it is in rhyme. This statement is implying that black people are not as good at a basic human skill as other races are. I won’t get into the fact that your argument is unfounded (especially when you consider the history of poetry as an effective political device, mostly used by white Europeans), but I do want to point out that you are clearly stating that black people are inferior in communicative and comprehensive skills and therefore less intelligent in this respect.
The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of racism is as follows: “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races . . .” You took an (assumed) characteristic about a few people of a race and then applied it to the millions of other people of that race, and in so doing made a statement that implied that blacks were inferior in their comprehensive abilities. If you think the congresswoman is idiotic and ridiculous for using rhyme to convey her point, why do you have to apply that (assumed) fault to almost every other person of that race?
If you are going to be publicly racist, at least don’t pretend not to be.
I deleted one comment. I disagreed with Squishy's comment, but decided to leave it standing because otherwise the subsequent comments would not make much sense.
gryt: While there is enough blame to go around, to say that the Republicans and Wall Street alone created this is either a deliberate lie or the height of human ignorance.
The largest influence on our monetary system in the last 10-15 years was the misguided belief that home ownership was a "right". This was started by Bill Clinton and his administration. They chose to place the taxpayers on the hook by guaranteeing loans that should have never been made to people that could not afford them with not enough oversight to make sure the program was not abused.
Bush Jr. continued with this fairy tale economic scenario because of the short term economic advantages of the home building bubble.
Now the bubble has burst, home values are in the trash and people lost as much as 50% of their home values in some cases with no reduction of their loans. Then you had the 2 readjustments when interest rates on those loans (you remember, the ones made to people that could not afford them simply because the taxpayers were on the hook for the loans via Fannie and Freddie and our government officials pandering to feel good politics) and the people with the loans stopped making payments because they could not afford them.
Then, you had banks and corporations and Wall Street buying and selling debts that were getting worse by the moment. Each company that bought the debts thought they were getting a bargain. All the while, home prices continued to fall as more and more people defaulted on their home loans.
The home market became bloated with more houses than anyone was looking to buy and prices continued to fall. And, they continue falling even as I write this..
And, yes...it should be a crime for an elected official to be so stupid.
Liz: Had you taken the time to think and actually research the topic instead of reacting emotionally to any discussion of race, you would have found that studies indicate that black people have a belief system that dooms them to poorer performance in intellectual testing JUST BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THEMSELVES TO BE INFERIOR. Check out http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.pitts/stereotype_threat_ for 5 tests done that prove this. (And try and put your hatred for me and logical thought aside long enough to realize these studies were done on black people by black people to understand why they regularly tested lower than other races on standardized tests. Here's a hint...it isn't genetic.)
Now, let's take a moment to address your allegations about me, shall we?
You said "...you are clearly stating that black people are inferior in communicative and comprehensive skills and therefore less intelligent in this respect."
You are partially right. I am stating that black people in general are inferior in communicative and comprehensive skills. But (and this is where all liberals go), then you attach a lie to my statement so as to lead people down a path that I did not go and do not believe. You infer that I think that black people are less intelligent. I never said that and I do not believe that.
In fact, I said exactly the opposite. I said "Nobody here has said that black people are genetically programmed to be stupid." and I went on to note why black people in America (in general) exhibit inferior skills in communications and comprehension (like those studies that you should have boned up on before bearing your ignorance here).
You did what many left and right wing bigots commonly do. You start with the truth, but then you distort it by adding your own thoughts or prejudices or outright lies to twist the original statement to lead those not inclined to think for themselves to see something that never was.
You correctly stated "You took an (assumed) characteristic about a few people of a race and then applied it to the millions of other people of that race, and in so doing made a statement that implied that blacks were inferior in their comprehensive abilities." I do claim that black people in general are lacking in comprehensive abilities. But, I do not claim that it is because they are black or that it is some genetic flaw.
Black people in general are behind other races in comprehensive abilities because of the choices that they make. Now, I know that you will see that as a racist statement too. But, I will not sidestep the truth because some people are too ignorant to distinguish between observable facts and emotional rhetoric and reuse to look at studies done about a subject before speaking about those subjects.
You see, you can't fix what is broken if you can't even point it out. We have free speech in the US just for that reason. Silencing people keeps people in bondage.
It is people like you that not only hold black people back, but hold entire societies and the world back in doing so. You are so blinded by your ignorance of logic that you cannot fathom that any discussion that entails race that is not an unabated, gushing fountain of praise is racism.
Looking at your statements here, I would assume that you would also think that this statement made about black people is racist..."$500 sneakers for what? And they won't spend $200 for "Hooked on Phonics." with no regard for the truth it contains.
That quote is from Bill Cosby. But, in your tiny mind, that is OK because Bill is black.
That begs another question...how do you know I am not black? I am of mixed heritage. Does that make my statements OK? How black do I have to be to point out the shortcomings of black people in America without being called a racist? Would you call Bill Cosby a racist because of his comments? Some black people have.
You are the worst of all liberals. You would rather sit by and watch an entire race of people wallow in ignorance and the pain it brings them than to risk ruffling a few feathers to save them. Shame on you!
I will not sit idly by, while an entire generation throws its life away, and say nothing when I see a problem with an entire segment of our population just because ignorant people will call me a racist.
Alex: Thank you for allowing this conversation to continue. Not all conversations are fluffy and sweet - especially the conversations that promote change and growth.
Squishy: I would like to continue this conversation with you, about the many racial studies that have been done over the years, the defining relationship between intelligence and comprehension, why your race doesn't matter to me in this conversation, how i definitely was not arguing for a "silencing," and so so much more. I agree with you that "not all conversations are fluffy and sweet," and arguments that "promote change and growth" are what makes people develop and improve themselves. I actually agree with you on some other things, but because you have berated me, saying I am just reacting "emotionally," "blinded by my ignorance of logic," and am "the worst of all liberals" I think the conversation has moved from being one of "change and growth" to ungrounded, malignant slurring. If I offended you by arguing against your statement that you are not racist (you seemed angry, or "emotional," in that last statement so I thought I may have offended you), I apologize. I wanted to discuss racism without all of that. I will leave with one note: If you want to have these conversations and really make a difference with people, you should try to refrain from the demeaning comments and off-the-wall assumptions about other people's characters and just stick with the rules of logic and what is being addressed by and stated about your conversation partner.
Yet another example of why this country is careening down the toilet. I'm waiting for a republican to start reading Dr. Seuss to us. I can't help but wonder how many of these elected idiots got their education on the legal system from School House Rock's "I'm Just a Bill." And yet we CONTINUE to send this morons to DC to represent us. It begs the question - Who is the real buffoon?
@ squishy- STFU! Just because you have an opinion doesn't mean it's valid.
I think the congress woman was being 1.Ironic & 2.Poingnant. 1 because she was using a song from pop culture to show how idiotic the current politics of placing the blame on the other party is, and 2. because she was showing that when everything is ruined you have no one to blame but yourself and the actions you chose. She doesn't mention race in her speech, so neither should you.
Right, like the Left is going to take the blame for anything. Give me a break. They only know how to accuse the Right. The current president even goes so far as to blame former Pres Bush.
Melanie: First, screaming about the Southern Tenant Farmers Union does not bolster your argument. It has little, if anything to do with the topic at hand. Please try and stay with us as we explore this topic fully.
We can agree that her statement was ironic. I assume that her point in making the statement was to make some grand political point. That being the case, the statement was probably the most ironic thing I have seen by a member of Congress.
Poignant? Yes. It was pungent to the smell. So, we can agree there too.
As far as your assumption that "..she was showing that when everything is ruined you have no one to blame but yourself and the actions you chose", I must disagree here.
Taking the fact that she dedicated this waste of taxpayer money to "our young people and our seniors and our service members and federal workers who stand to be affected by a government shutdown" and that she said it was "a lesson for my Republican colleagues, courtesy of the White Stripes" the following lyrics would seem to indicate that she believes that the words apply to her Republican colleagues.
"I ain't the reason that you gave me no reason to return your call You built a house of cards and got shocked when you saw them fall Well are you sayin' I'm innocent? In fact the reverse But if you're headin' to the grave You don't blame the hearse You're like a little girl yellin' at her brother 'Cause you lost his ball
Well you keep blamin' me for what you did And that ain't all The way you clean up a wreck Is enough to get one pause You seem to forget Just how this song started I'm reactin' to you because you left me broken-hearted See, you just can't take the effect And make it the cause "
Clearly she thinks that her Republican colleagues are blaming "our young people and our seniors and our service members and federal workers who stand to be affected by a government shutdown" because they are closing parks and museums and more because the Democrats have spent MORE money than the taxpayers gave them, and there is no money to continue these services.
She is confused, if not deranged. And, to my original point, she uses prose instead of logic because that is what she understands and what she thinks that her constituents will understand best.
Who am I to say that she is wrong about her constituents?
And, as stupid as this woman is, even more idiotic is thinking that talking with someone of this ilk will accomplish anything productive.
The left are poets, artists, people that make decisions with their hearts. This doesn't make them bad people, just bad spenders of taxpayers' money.
= 99 dafter than cardboard.
Remember the farce that was the OJ Simpson trial - "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." Nevermind that wet leather gloves dry and shrink, for that logic may make you think.
Today in black America, Dr. Seuss would be worshiped as a god.
The reason: Many (most?) voters are incapable of critical thinking, because of the substandard education provided by dumbed-down, politically correct schools.
Even a constitutional republic has drawbacks, many of whom "work" in D.C.
I thought I just entered a KKK site for a moment...
You don't have to like it, but I am shocked at how incredibly racist many of these comments are. Holy crow.
Racism is "a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others."
Saying that black people have higher butt muscles, darker skin, larger lips, curly hair, stronger bones or are generally better at physical sports than other races is not racist, it is stating the obvious. It is also a generalization and only idiots take such a statement as pertaining to every single black person on the planet.
Nobody here has said that their race is superior to black people. Nobody here has said that black people are genetically programmed to be stupid.
The majority of black people in America are stupid for 2 reasons. (1) They are indoctrinated with the whole "people will mistreat you because you are black" crap from birth. They expect to be mistreated and (whether they actually are or not) they believe it, so it must be so. And, (2) the handouts form the government create a culture of dependency by making people believe that it is their "right" to get those handouts. They will usually riot to keep the handouts coming, while they will rarely lift a finger to stand on their own (this happens to all people on handout programs regardless of race).
People like Shadir don't even understand the definition of racism and contribute to strife among the races by calling any reference to a person's race as "racism".
Get a clue Shadir...better yet, get a dictionary.
OK then, Squishy...
And how is this woman dumb? She is pointing out what NEEDS pointing out, lest people forget or aren't paying attention: that the Republicans are trying to rewrite (fictionalize) what caused the economic crash (which happened during the Republicans' watch thank you very much) – Wall Street, banks, the real estate bubble. Now the story they're trying to sell to the people is that "big government" is what caused it... WTF? When it was actually the exact opposite... That the Republicans' deregulation of the financial markets was the enabler of the economic crisis.
And I'm kind when I call it fictionalizing... What it is, is plain old LYING. But instead this woman is the one who should be criticized? For presenting her speach in poetry-slam form? Yeah, how DARE she? What a crime that.
I have never wanted to get involved in these posts before, but since you contradicted yourself on such an important issue I had to comment. In your first post that highlights the congresswoman’s race, you said that the majority of black people are not capable of understanding or agreeing with something unless it is in rhyme. This statement is implying that black people are not as good at a basic human skill as other races are. I won’t get into the fact that your argument is unfounded (especially when you consider the history of poetry as an effective political device, mostly used by white Europeans), but I do want to point out that you are clearly stating that black people are inferior in communicative and comprehensive skills and therefore less intelligent in this respect.
The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of racism is as follows: “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races . . .” You took an (assumed) characteristic about a few people of a race and then applied it to the millions of other people of that race, and in so doing made a statement that implied that blacks were inferior in their comprehensive abilities. If you think the congresswoman is idiotic and ridiculous for using rhyme to convey her point, why do you have to apply that (assumed) fault to almost every other person of that race?
If you are going to be publicly racist, at least don’t pretend not to be.
Please keep it civil, guys.
The largest influence on our monetary system in the last 10-15 years was the misguided belief that home ownership was a "right". This was started by Bill Clinton and his administration. They chose to place the taxpayers on the hook by guaranteeing loans that should have never been made to people that could not afford them with not enough oversight to make sure the program was not abused.
Bush Jr. continued with this fairy tale economic scenario because of the short term economic advantages of the home building bubble.
Now the bubble has burst, home values are in the trash and people lost as much as 50% of their home values in some cases with no reduction of their loans. Then you had the 2 readjustments when interest rates on those loans (you remember, the ones made to people that could not afford them simply because the taxpayers were on the hook for the loans via Fannie and Freddie and our government officials pandering to feel good politics) and the people with the loans stopped making payments because they could not afford them.
Then, you had banks and corporations and Wall Street buying and selling debts that were getting worse by the moment. Each company that bought the debts thought they were getting a bargain. All the while, home prices continued to fall as more and more people defaulted on their home loans.
The home market became bloated with more houses than anyone was looking to buy and prices continued to fall. And, they continue falling even as I write this..
And, yes...it should be a crime for an elected official to be so stupid.
Now, let's take a moment to address your allegations about me, shall we?
You said "...you are clearly stating that black people are inferior in communicative and comprehensive skills and therefore less intelligent in this respect."
You are partially right. I am stating that black people in general are inferior in communicative and comprehensive skills. But (and this is where all liberals go), then you attach a lie to my statement so as to lead people down a path that I did not go and do not believe. You infer that I think that black people are less intelligent. I never said that and I do not believe that.
In fact, I said exactly the opposite. I said "Nobody here has said that black people are genetically programmed to be stupid." and I went on to note why black people in America (in general) exhibit inferior skills in communications and comprehension (like those studies that you should have boned up on before bearing your ignorance here).
You did what many left and right wing bigots commonly do. You start with the truth, but then you distort it by adding your own thoughts or prejudices or outright lies to twist the original statement to lead those not inclined to think for themselves to see something that never was.
You correctly stated "You took an (assumed) characteristic about a few people of a race and then applied it to the millions of other people of that race, and in so doing made a statement that implied that blacks were inferior in their comprehensive abilities." I do claim that black people in general are lacking in comprehensive abilities. But, I do not claim that it is because they are black or that it is some genetic flaw.
Black people in general are behind other races in comprehensive abilities because of the choices that they make. Now, I know that you will see that as a racist statement too. But, I will not sidestep the truth because some people are too ignorant to distinguish between observable facts and emotional rhetoric and reuse to look at studies done about a subject before speaking about those subjects.
You see, you can't fix what is broken if you can't even point it out. We have free speech in the US just for that reason. Silencing people keeps people in bondage.
It is people like you that not only hold black people back, but hold entire societies and the world back in doing so. You are so blinded by your ignorance of logic that you cannot fathom that any discussion that entails race that is not an unabated, gushing fountain of praise is racism.
Looking at your statements here, I would assume that you would also think that this statement made about black people is racist..."$500 sneakers for what? And they won't spend $200 for "Hooked on Phonics." with no regard for the truth it contains.
That quote is from Bill Cosby. But, in your tiny mind, that is OK because Bill is black.
That begs another question...how do you know I am not black? I am of mixed heritage. Does that make my statements OK? How black do I have to be to point out the shortcomings of black people in America without being called a racist? Would you call Bill Cosby a racist because of his comments? Some black people have.
You are the worst of all liberals. You would rather sit by and watch an entire race of people wallow in ignorance and the pain it brings them than to risk ruffling a few feathers to save them. Shame on you!
I will not sit idly by, while an entire generation throws its life away, and say nothing when I see a problem with an entire segment of our population just because ignorant people will call me a racist.
And yet we CONTINUE to send this morons to DC to represent us. It begs the question - Who is the real buffoon?
I think the congress woman was being 1.Ironic & 2.Poingnant. 1 because she was using a song from pop culture to show how idiotic the current politics of placing the blame on the other party is, and 2. because she was showing that when everything is ruined you have no one to blame but yourself and the actions you chose. She doesn't mention race in her speech, so neither should you.
The left never admits when they are wrong. never.
We can agree that her statement was ironic. I assume that her point in making the statement was to make some grand political point. That being the case, the statement was probably the most ironic thing I have seen by a member of Congress.
Poignant? Yes. It was pungent to the smell. So, we can agree there too.
As far as your assumption that "..she was showing that when everything is ruined you have no one to blame but yourself and the actions you chose", I must disagree here.
Taking the fact that she dedicated this waste of taxpayer money to "our young people and our seniors and our service members and federal workers who stand to be affected by a government shutdown" and that she said it was "a lesson for my Republican colleagues, courtesy of the White Stripes" the following lyrics would seem to indicate that she believes that the words apply to her Republican colleagues.
"I ain't the reason that you gave me no reason to return your call
You built a house of cards and got shocked when you saw them fall
Well are you sayin' I'm innocent?
In fact the reverse
But if you're headin' to the grave
You don't blame the hearse
You're like a little girl yellin' at her brother
'Cause you lost his ball
Well you keep blamin' me for what you did
And that ain't all
The way you clean up a wreck
Is enough to get one pause
You seem to forget
Just how this song started
I'm reactin' to you because you left me broken-hearted
See, you just can't take the effect
And make it the cause "
Clearly she thinks that her Republican colleagues are blaming "our young people and our seniors and our service members and federal workers who stand to be affected by a government shutdown" because they are closing parks and museums and more because the Democrats have spent MORE money than the taxpayers gave them, and there is no money to continue these services.
She is confused, if not deranged. And, to my original point, she uses prose instead of logic because that is what she understands and what she thinks that her constituents will understand best.
Who am I to say that she is wrong about her constituents?