So basically this is the final nail in the coffin for one of humanities greatest eras. We just lived through an amazing revolution of empowerment, freedom and communication for individuals around the world. Now that we're all watched by the NSA and corporations have all but taken over the net, I may as well go back to being programmed by my television.
(Or I'll just shoot myself in the fucking head).

I see much similarity between US and Australian culture. What, in your mind, would prevent America from having similar success in regards to gun reform? You believe Australian gun reform and the sudden subsequent drop in gun massacres are unrelated. Are you able to support this?

So you are saying the 'Stand your Ground' laws were created as a conspiracy to bait dumb gun owners into killing people, thus creating a public backlack against guns? That's a new one.

Is it possible for a person to have an opinion different from your own without being a de-evolved shit-thinker? *crosses fingers*

If your main argument in favor of guns is free will and personal empowerment, then why do you concern yourself with whether or not guns make society a better place? Do negative externalities matter?

Yeah man. The article on Aussie gun laws from the CSmonitor? Not apples and oranges man, AU has a completely different cultural and societal evolution that the U.S. and their knee-jerk legislation over a spree in 96' and coincidental lack of shooting sprees since is a bullshit point, but in the single-sentence 2nd paragraph it's used as a transitory sort of justification leading straight into the Connecticut story, remedial and insulting journalistic hackage.

Stand Your Ground laws were made to catch dumb-fucks in the act for more fodder for those who would legislate guns out of people's hands completely. Florida fucked-up, the laws they had were fine.
Stand Your Ground laws surrounding last-year's case in Florida are used as ammo by those who simply utilize destructive and de-evolutionary shit-think to propose agendas which limit individual free-will and personal empowerment. Stand Your Ground Laws aren't bad because they offer an alternative to being killed by some douche with or without a gun-They are bad because a justifiable use of force in self-defense is my goddamn right as a meatsack breathing air and I'll be fucked if I'll do a second of jail-time in the U.S. before leaving the country, should I be so accused of breaking some confabulatory law that goes against any personal action I know to be human-righteous. When society tries to fuck me, fuck society, I'm outta here.

Oh yeah, the Jelllo pudding vacuum....I'll get back to you on that one!

There's little that terrifies the wealthy like empowerment of the lower- and middle-classes. As true today as it was in 1934.

One of my favourite feel-good/self-empowerment movies.

Girls that actually skateboard are hotter than "cheerleaders". This totally screams "female empowerment".

Nope. Sorry. Being pussywhipped is not the same as violent sexual assault. And men making fun of men for being pussywhipped is REALLY not the same thing.

By the way, @Shepppard, you do know that we aren't talking about the same thing, don't you?

I completely understand your impatience with "humor police." I actually have a terrific dead baby joke. I'd love to share it with you.

The problem is that violence against women is so endemic to patriarchal society, it is so essentially accepted, that unless you have a pretty good level of empathy, unfortunately you can't understand what it is like to hear these "jokes."

I am trying to lead the discussion into a different area -- that of empathy.

You can laugh at some things as long as you are distanced from them.

I was trying to close the distance.

Besides, it really is true. If men were as afraid of women physically as women are afraid of men, AND WOMEN KNEW IT, the playing field would be more level.

The real truth is -- women have to empower themselves. Policing humor isn't empowerment. Playing tit for tat isn't empowerment either -- you make a rape joke? Ha ha, we can make a cut off your penis in your sleep joke. Not really funny, any way you slice it.

Ha.

I have thought for years that women need to emulate some aspects of male culture. Develop a thicker skin. Tease more. I have also thought that men need to emulate some aspects of female culture - develop some empathy and not be so fearful of their feelings.

Of course, I am talking bell curve here. Plenty of tough women, plenty of empathetic men.

Besides, all this sensitivity towards rape jokes will go away when women stop feeling physically threatened, and the majority of men no longer put up with the implied violence that women live with and call it out.

That's all this is going on here. Attempting to shift the paradigm and heal things. It's possible, says my inner optimist.

The irony of calling other people removed from reality, while at the same time promoting "people's trials" and "street justice".

Just because you feel bad about shit, doesn't mean the rest of the world has to suffer. It's like you're raping our sense of humor. And not even paying for dinner.
>> ^tsquire1:

Saying joking about rape is okay because it is like saying 'gay' for something that is 'lame' doesn't work. Gay (gay people) and lame (disabled people) shouldn't be pejoratives in the first place. Lets get creative with our vocabulary.
Saying joking about rape is okay because the people would really rape IRL doesn't work. The term gets used to validate oneself after 'dominating' an opponent. The validating is compared to sexual violence. Again, lets get creative.
I'm not saying you can't make a joke about rape. The clip above of Regi shows him trying. For me, I wouldn't think it is my place to try. Humor can be cathartic. I'll leave it to rape victims to try and make humor out of the situation for their own empowerment. It is similar to the use of the N word for hip-hop or black comedians: own your own experience to gain power.
Rape is one of the most under-reported forms of violence in the world. Go study what your actually talking about before accusing me of "being not-fun" (Really, that is all you got?). I don't care about being 'authoritarian' over humor. I'm not a liberal, I'm a communist, so while you would prefer pluralism with a rapist, I'd prefer peoples trial and street justice.
Here are some good blogs/posts to get a sense of what sexual violence means.
stfurapeculture, yesmeansyes, sexistads
Revolution

Saying joking about rape is okay because it is like saying 'gay' for something that is 'lame' doesn't work. Gay (gay people) and lame (disabled people) shouldn't be pejoratives in the first place. Lets get creative with our vocabulary.

Saying joking about rape is okay because the people would really rape IRL doesn't work. The term gets used to validate oneself after 'dominating' an opponent. The validating is compared to sexual violence. Again, lets get creative.

I'm not saying you can't make a joke about rape. The clip above of Regi shows him trying. For me, I wouldn't think it is my place to try. Humor can be cathartic. I'll leave it to rape victims to try and make humor out of the situation for their own empowerment. It is similar to the use of the N word for hip-hop or black comedians: own your own experience to gain power.

Rape is one of the most under-reported forms of violence in the world. Go study what your actually talking about before accusing me of "being not-fun" (Really, that is all you got?). I don't care about being 'authoritarian' over humor. I'm not a liberal, I'm a communist, so while you would prefer pluralism with a rapist, I'd prefer peoples trial and street justice.

Here are some good blogs/posts to get a sense of what sexual violence means.
stfurapeculture, yesmeansyes, sexistads

Revolution

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

Why does female empowerment bother people? Do they feel women should be subservient? Do they feel women are inferior and should not be glorified in cinema? Are they threatened by challenges to traditional gender roles? I don't get the conservative lizard brain.


It comes down to privilege. A dude who has experienced pop culture produced by men, catered to men, and starring men for as long as he can remember will see female leads, female-produced movies, etc. as a threat. It means they might be losing their privileged position (even though it's really still just a drop in the bucket).

And losing privilege is SUPER scary because it means that at some point these dudes might have to actually compete on their merits. I don't mean compete for anything specifically, just that all the power, privilege, opportunity, etc., in our society have been given to dudes (especially white dudes), for so long just because they're (white) dudes. If things changed and these guys actually had to get ahead by working hard and being decent human beings, a lot of them would be screwed.

At least that's how I see it. The movie looks rad.

...and then you find out this is a Taming of the Shrew sort of movie.

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

I don't get why a female lead should be so controversial. I don't see any evidence that women are in any way a threat to male dominance in cinema.
Why does female empowerment bother people? Do they feel women should be subservient? Do they feel women are inferior and should not be glorified in cinema? Are they threatened by challenges to traditional gender roles? I don't get the conservative lizard brain.
Most films are focused on male characters: ex cia operatives, cia operatives, superheroes, starship pilots, lawyers, roughnecks, wealthy aires, adventurous lads, movie stars, pilots, news reporters, detectives, grieving sons, criminals, singing woodland crittters, spys, soldiers, cops, businessmen, farmers, swordsmen, insurance salesmen, vietnam vets, tap dancing penguins, even men playing female roles.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movie/box_office.php

I don't get why a female lead should be so controversial. I don't see any evidence that women are in any way a threat to male dominance in cinema.

Why does female empowerment bother people? Do they feel women should be subservient? Do they feel women are inferior and should not be glorified in cinema? Are they threatened by challenges to traditional gender roles? I don't get the conservative lizard brain.

Most films are focused on male characters: ex cia operatives, cia operatives, superheroes, starship pilots, lawyers, roughnecks, wealthy aires, adventurous lads, movie stars, pilots, news reporters, detectives, grieving sons, criminals, singing woodland crittters, spys, soldiers, cops, businessmen, farmers, swordsmen, insurance salesmen, vietnam vets, tap dancing penguins, even men playing female roles.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movie/box_office.php

>> ^longde:

Soul Train's Legacy
I’m seeing a lot of people talk and write about Don Cornelius passing but do not seem to comprehend the legacy Don Cornelius established while he was here with us. Don Cornelius was a pioneer who built a Black empowerment framework that was also an economic engine and knew exactly what he was doing and succeeded. As a fellow Chicago native who knows my people, know and respect those who came before me and appreciate the path they shaped for me and you to move forward, we are going to discuss Don Cornelius legacy and contribution.
Don Cornelius is from Chicago and was definitely someone who grew up with love for his people. You can check his history where he was straight hustling to get his in the Chi before joining WVON radio in the 60s. WVON means Voice of the Negro in case you didn’t know broadcasted to the Black community back then. Martin Luther King Jr. would appear regularly on WVON and most likely Don Cornelius was inspired by his presence as well as the fact he broadcasted for his people. He also carried this on television at WCIU where Soul Train got it start:

However, the late sixties was a beautiful time for brothas and sistas as we became united. More people were moving from the South up North to Chicago and cats were establishing themselves and their identity as Black. Don Cornelius was throwing parties all around Chicago as a party promoter and this is where he wanted to promote a television show and used his media industry connects to host Soul Train in Chicago.
Now Soul Train blew up and Don Cornelius moved the show out to Los Angeles for a bigger audience. Now here is where we have to take a break because this is the moment of truth. When some of us brothas or sistas make it big, what do we do? Most of us start acting like we don’t know our Black people anymore and start trying to go “mainstream” hoping to reach a bigger audience. But Don Cornelius not only kept his show Black-orientated, he pioneered Black media as we know it today and built a Black economic framework upon his success.
Soul Train was not some dance show, it was a framework that Don Cornelius used to promote his people and promote peace, love and soul in the core essence. Let’s look at each element of the Soul Train show:.................


Lest we forget another pioneer's passing this month, Johnny Otis passed, with him a lifetime-legacy of promoting the struggle of black entertainers. Producer, musician, talent scout, DJ, pastor...Son of Greek immigrants, he identified with the black culture during the civil rights era, and got black-listed on many fronts for his outspoken support of the struggle. little Esther, Big Mama Thornton, Jay McNeely, he discovered and promoted some of the best talent during the heyday of rhythm and blues.

Soul Train's Legacy

I’m seeing a lot of people talk and write about Don Cornelius passing but do not seem to comprehend the legacy Don Cornelius established while he was here with us. Don Cornelius was a pioneer who built a Black empowerment framework that was also an economic engine and knew exactly what he was doing and succeeded. As a fellow Chicago native who knows my people, know and respect those who came before me and appreciate the path they shaped for me and you to move forward, we are going to discuss Don Cornelius legacy and contribution.

Don Cornelius is from Chicago and was definitely someone who grew up with love for his people. You can check his history where he was straight hustling to get his in the Chi before joining WVON radio in the 60s. WVON means Voice of the Negro in case you didn’t know broadcasted to the Black community back then. Martin Luther King Jr. would appear regularly on WVON and most likely Don Cornelius was inspired by his presence as well as the fact he broadcasted for his people. He also carried this on television at WCIU where Soul Train got it start:



However, the late sixties was a beautiful time for brothas and sistas as we became united. More people were moving from the South up North to Chicago and cats were establishing themselves and their identity as Black. Don Cornelius was throwing parties all around Chicago as a party promoter and this is where he wanted to promote a television show and used his media industry connects to host Soul Train in Chicago.

Now Soul Train blew up and Don Cornelius moved the show out to Los Angeles for a bigger audience. Now here is where we have to take a break because this is the moment of truth. When some of us brothas or sistas make it big, what do we do? Most of us start acting like we don’t know our Black people anymore and start trying to go “mainstream” hoping to reach a bigger audience. But Don Cornelius not only kept his show Black-orientated, he pioneered Black media as we know it today and built a Black economic framework upon his success.

Soul Train was not some dance show, it was a framework that Don Cornelius used to promote his people and promote peace, love and soul in the core essence. Let’s look at each element of the Soul Train show:.................

after watching this, the main thing that strikes my mind is what if buehler had just been some ordinary joe shmoe and not a west pt grad/army vet/stanford mba...

would he be in more serious trouble? would this have still made the news? if so, to the same degree? and what does that say about our media?

he'll have all charges dropped, i'm sure, if the police dashcam doesn't show him intentionally spitting on the officer... but i doubt he'll have any tortious legal claim

aside from all of that... this whole snafu just highlights for me again how aggressive us police officers can be -- i've spent close to two decades as an american living in asia, thirteen of those years in taiwan... the difference between the police at home and those here is night and day...

patrol cars here actually drive around, very slowly, with their police lights lit at all times - this struck me as odd initially, but i came to realize that it acts as a deterrent to lawlessness - there're also no speed traps, and if you're stopped by the police, they're always very courteous... almost apologetic

there are a few downsides to this though... they're slow to respond to calls for help, and practically do backflips in order avoid any sort of paperwork on their part

i often wonder about what the cause of such differences (i.e. aggressiveness / discourtesy) between the two might be -- part of it is certainly the fact that everyday americans have ready access to firearms, whereas the only armed taiwanese are gangsters -- another aspect i suspect is the level of officer empowerment by the local government (e.g. us officers are given an enormous amount of power to be used and/or abused, while taiwanese police for the most part act as society's shepherds in uniform)

how to reconcile these differences, and perhaps reach a happy medium?