Barack the Magic Negro

[Liberal]

@EddyTeddyFreddy

To whom should he feed the koi? My cats have kindly volunteered to be the reluctant yet grateful recipients of such charity.

:eek:

One wonderful thing about our Pretty Lady (and before her, Pretty Black Girl) is the way in which she protects our fish. She knows very well they exist for us, and she is quick to chase off neighborhood critters who approach the waterfalls too closely. She sits with us on the benches while we feed them, and never ventures too close to the water’s edge for fear of freaking us out. A good cat is an absolute necessity for quality country living.

[Acsenray]

@ElvisL1ves

True but not quite on point. Yarrow’s objection was to insulting the *office *of the Presidency.

I think I said both “president” and “presidency.” The president is merely the chief executive of one of three co-equal branches of government. And it’s a nice trick of propaganda to bar criticism of an individual because of his temporary posting.

[kaylasdad99]

@ElvisL1ves

True but not quite on point. Yarrow’s objection was to insulting the *office *of the Presidency. Regardless of the nature of the individual occupying it at whatever the moment, the *office *is indeed in part “the symbol and embodiment of the nation or his people”.

For my part, the office of the presidency has been irreversibly tarnished by the one-time occupancy (and activities) in it of Richard Milhaus Nixon. The elections of 1984, 1988, and especially 2004 do not support an argument that the American people on the whole object to insulting it.

[sqweels]

@Liberal

Doing good is a fine thing if the object of your doing agrees that it’s good. Otherwise, it’s a pain in the ass. “If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life.” Henry David Thoreau

But for the most part the objects of the do-gooding are not the ones doing the sneering, rather, those who are made to look bad by comparison.

[Liberal]

I think the gist of Thoreau’s point is that what you consider good, I might consider a pile of shit … and vice versa.

[Gangster_Octopus]

There seriously needs to be a third party of made up of former Republicans who aren’t complete morons, homophobes and racists.

[Typo_Negative]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

He’s into exorcism, so I think that makes him an anti-magic Indian.

Exorcism insn’t magic?

[sqweels]

@acsenray

The president is not the king. He is merely a temporary employee, and is the head of one of three co-equal branches of government. He is not the symbol and embodiment of the nation or his people. Neither the president nor the presidency is due any degree of respect or reverence different than that due to any other person in the country or the world. Obama’s status as a candidate or a president-elect is irrelevant. If anything, the president deserves less deference than any other person, because he exercises extraordinary powers of office.

But Barack Obama isn’t the president. And he isn’t a candidate for president. During a campaign, it’s understandable that one’s opponents will play up whatever negatives they can point to in order to build up a groundswell of opposition on behalf of their preferred candidate. And during a presidency, the office-holder get criticized for making mistakes in hope that he’ll learn the error of his way and change his attitiude so he won’t make more.

But there’s no reason to try to get people to dislike Obama and he hasn’t done anything wrong as president. The Republicans are just trying to humiliate him and his supporters out of sheer hostility.

[Acsenray]

@sqweels

But Barack Obama isn’t the president. And he isn’t a candidate for president. During a campaign, it’s understandable that one’s opponents will play up whatever negatives they can point to in order to build up a groundswell of opposition on behalf of their preferred candidate. And during a presidency, the office-holder get criticized for making mistakes in hope that he’ll learn the error of his way and change his attitiude so he won’t make more.

But there’s no reason to try to get people to dislike Obama and he hasn’t done anything wrong as president. The Republicans are just trying to humiliate him and his supporters out of sheer hostility.

That wasn’t the argument in Yarrow’s statement that I was disputing.

[silenus]

@Gangster_Octopus

There seriously needs to be a third party of made up of former Republicans who aren’t complete morons, homophobes and racists.

Yeah, but I don’t think the three of us are going to have much political clout.

[Anduril]

So “negro” is an offensive word? I’m genuinely ignorant of that. All the while, I thought only n****r was offensive. I keep hearing “negro” used in many ways like “negro spiritual” or “negroid characteristics”. If I have offended, I apologize - it’s ignorance not malice.

[Acsenray]

@Anduril

So “negro” is an offensive word?

I don’t think that’s the point. “Barack the Magic Black Guy” would be offensive too. But, yeah, “Negro” has been disfavoured as a label for a person since the mid-1960s.

I keep hearing “negro” used in many ways like “negro spiritual” or “negroid characteristics”.

The phrase “negro spiritual” does sound old-fashioned, but it’s qualitatively different from “He’s a negro.” It’s difficult to explain, but that’s the way it is.

“Negroid characteristics” borders on offensive because use of the term seems to imply acceptance of certain racist assumptions, such as there are such things as negroid characteristics.

[Cervaise]

@FoieGrasIsEvil

What uncalled for, blithering stupidity. I honestly can’t believe that anyone in the Republican party would find this humorous. I don’t, and I voted Republican by and large for many years until fairly recently. They just don’t represent me anymore.

And yet they represent a blithering fucknut like Starving Artist just fine, which is really all we need to know.

[E-Sabbath]

I was disagreeing with what you said rather than what you did, Lib.

[ElvisL1ves]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

I am offended by the lack of Magic Indian characters in film. Other than that bartender dude from Keeping the Faith, maybe.

There’s the old janitor in “The Terminal”, too.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@Liberal

I’m glad to be interacting with you again. I’m tired of hauling around back-breaking grudges. I know that an apology would be hollow, so I hope you accept the change in me as a suitable substitute. I can’t promise never to get on your nerves again, but I can promise not to do it intentionally.

FWIW, I’ve noticed two changes lately: I seem to be returning to my acrimonious self, which I don’t much like and am trying to move away from, and I’ve noticed that you’ve been being relatively acrimonious-free, which I appreciate. Hopefully there are no meaningful grudges on either side. Likewise, I’ll try not to get on your nerves either :).

Daniel

[Scissorjack]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

I am offended by the lack of Magic Indian characters in film. Other than that bartender dude from Keeping the Faith, maybe.

You’ve obviously never watched Gandhi.

[ElvisL1ves]

Doesn’t Gunga Din count too, come to think of it?

[Gangster_Octopus]

Well, there was the movie The Indian in the Cupboard.

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

@Liberal

:eek:

One wonderful thing about our Pretty Lady (and before her, Pretty Black Girl) is the way in which she protects our fish. She knows very well they exist for us, and she is quick to chase off neighborhood critters who approach the waterfalls too closely. She sits with us on the benches while we feed them, and never ventures too close to the water’s edge for fear of freaking us out. A good cat is an absolute necessity for quality country living.

:dubious:

Are you sure you’re not being whooshed by a succession of dogs in cats’ pajamas?