# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1513
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30242 "2016-07-21T01:22:57Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > A crow can run out into traffic, put an uncracked nut in the path of a car, and grab the good stuff when its smashed. Even at ten, my kid was having a hard time with that! How long did it take to learn to _let go of the nut?_ ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30243 "2016-07-21T01:52:35Z")
Well, lot of folks think he’s wearing a catcher’s mitt… ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30244 "2016-07-21T03:59:24Z")
[Baldasaro is being investigated by the Secret Service.](http://www.wmur.com/politics/baldasaro-doubles-down-says-clinton-should-be-put-in-firing-line-shot-for-treason/40799266) ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30245 "2016-07-21T15:49:20Z")
Despite the title of[the article](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/no-laura-ingraham-didn%e2%80%99t-give-a-nazi-salute-at-the-rnc/ar-BBuAzaI?li=BBnb7Kz), I think Laura Ingraham did the Nazi salute last night. Who the hell sticks their arm straight out, fingers straight, palms down, as the beginning of a wave? Nobody, except this guy we used to know who lived in Germany a few years ago. And it wasn’t even like an immediate transition to a wave, she held that pose for half a second before bending her arms then actually waving normally as one does to the crowd in front of the camera. That was a Nazi salute, they’re not even hiding it anymore And the racist apologists who tried to show pictures of Clinton doing the same thing further below in that article knows that any time you capture a still photo of a arm in motion, it can look like a Nazi salute. Plus, she isn’t the one saying we should build a wall, deport Mexicans, and stop Muslims from coming to America. She doesn’t retweet white supremacists or allude to Jews and money. Ingraham belongs to a party of racists. She did a racist thing and it wasn’t an accident ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30246 "2016-07-21T16:27:59Z")
The zoomed out [photo](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/07/20/laura_ingraham_closes_rnc_speech_with_some_sort_of_a_salute.html) looks even worse ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30247 "2016-07-21T16:30:41Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > Despite the title of[the article](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/no-laura-ingraham-didn%e2%80%99t-give-a-nazi-salute-at-the-rnc/ar-BBuAzaI?li=BBnb7Kz), I think Laura Ingraham did the Nazi salute last night. If you scroll down in your linked article, you’ll see that Hillary does the exact same thing. Now stop making me defend Republicans **YogSothoth**! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30248 "2016-07-21T16:38:02Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > If you scroll down in your linked article, you’ll see that Hillary does the exact same thing. I’ve already addressed that. A still photo of a wave can look like a Nazi salute. Its not convincing. Plus, Ingraham is part of a party of racists, Clinton’s not, so she gets zero leeway. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30249 "2016-07-21T16:58:59Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [http://www.elevatorworld.com/blogs/whites-only-segregated-elevators-during-jim-crow/](http://www.elevatorworld.com/blogs/whites-only-segregated-elevators-during-jim-crow/) > [The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos](http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B01E7D8113EE733A25753C3A9629C946797D6CF) > > EDIT: Some if not most elevators required operators to run. No signs needed. Thanks. Like I said, I don’t recall seeing these in history books. I’m sure they existed, but they don’t immediately stand out to me as symbols of segregation like water fountains or bathrooms. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30250 "2016-07-21T17:04:21Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Wow, so you imagine it was only drinking fountains and bathrooms that were segregated?! No, I don’t. > [@](#): > > Did you actually **read** any of the history book you mention, besides just looking at the pictures? > > There were signs specifying “White Only” entrances, “White Only” waiting rooms, “White Only” swimming pools, “White Only” theater seats, “White Only” taxicabs, “White Only” restaurants, you name it. (ETA: and as **iiandyiiii** just pointed out, elevators too.) Duh. Thanks for missing my point. My point was that elevators don’t immediately jump out at me as symbols of segregation the way things like water fountains and bathrooms do. Thanks for bringing up taxicabs. When you see a “Red Cab,” for instance, do you think it’s racist because it’s only for Native Americans? And “Yellow Cab” is for Asians? Of course not, because sometimes a color is just a color and you need to stop being so ridiculously sensitive about every little thing. THAT is my point. > [@](#): > > And no, ignorance about racism does not demonstrate how non-racist you are. Of course it does. > [@](#): > > It just demonstrates how complacent you are about being able to get away with living in a privilege-bubble where racial discrimination is something you don’t even notice. So? Someone who lives in a bubble who doesn’t know anything about racism can be not racist too. It’s not racist to not know about racism. But that’s a hypothetical person. If you are saying I live in such a bubble, you don’t know me and you’re full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30251 "2016-07-21T17:06:06Z")
> [@choie](#): > > I can’t believe you guys won’t just let **lance strongarm** have the last word so we can stop seeing him endlessly reply to every one of your posts. He’s a fucking moron, why are you engaging with him? I’m pretty sure I’m smarter than average. I’m really sure I’m smarter than you are. You’re mad at me because you think I’m defending racism, aren’t you? I’m not. See, that’s a sign that you’re completely fucking out of your league. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30252 "2016-07-21T17:23:00Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > My point was that elevators don’t immediately jump out at me as symbols of segregation the way things like water fountains and bathrooms do. So? The real point is that **any** sign identifying a particular public facility as “White” is likely to have connotations of segregation to people who are less clueless than you. [QUOTE=lance strongarm] When you see a “Red Cab,” for instance, do you think it’s racist because it’s only for Native Americans? And “Yellow Cab” is for Asians? [/quote] Your cluelessness is very persistent. Of course people don’t think of commercial signs indicating the colors “Red” and “Yellow” in terms of race, _because our society doesn’t have an entrenched and pervasive history of using those color names on signs indicating racially segregated facilities._ The color name “White”, on the other hand, **is** historically very much a part of signage for racially segregated facilities. [QUOTE=lance strongarm] Of course not, because sometimes a color is just a color and you need to stop being so ridiculously sensitive about every little thing. [/quote] It’s not in any way “ridiculously sensitive” to point out that the RNC made themselves look like clueless doofuses by approving color-coded hotel signage that was strongly reminiscent of the racial segregation era. What people are saying about this _faux pas_ is not _“waah, the Republicans hurt my feelings with their dumb sign”_, but rather _“ha ha, look at what clueless doofuses the Republicans are not to realize the racial-history connotations of their dumb sign”_. > [@lance strongarm](#): > > So? Someone who lives in a bubble who doesn’t know anything about racism can be not racist too. It’s not racist to not know about racism. But not knowing about the history of racism doesn’t **necessarily** mean that the ignorant person isn’t racist. As I pointed out, ignorance about racism doesn’t **demonstrate** how racist you are, because it’s perfectly possible to be ignorant and racist at the same time. > [@lance strongarm](#): > > If you are saying I live in such a bubble, you don’t know me and you’re full of shit. Well, I don’t know anything about your personal experiences with racism and I don’t know whether you live in a “privilege-bubble” (at least any more than all us other white Americans do). It’s pretty clear from your posts here that you’re something of a clueless doofus, but plenty of non-racists are clueless doofuses. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30253 "2016-07-21T17:31:00Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Of course it does. After [agreeing with me](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19492141#post19492141) that American racists probably know less about the history of racism in America than American non-racists, on average, how can you possibly keep saying this? How can lack of knowledge of racism be a sign of non-racism when racists know less about racism than non-racists? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30254 "2016-07-21T17:42:58Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Well, I don’t know anything about your personal experiences with racism and I don’t know whether you live in a **“privilege-bubble”** (at least any more than all us other white Americans do). It’s pretty clear from your posts here that you’re something of a clueless doofus, but plenty of non-racists are clueless doofuses. **lance** lives in a “fucking-stupid” bubble. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30255 "2016-07-21T17:57:43Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > So? The real point is that **any** sign identifying a particular public facility as “White” is likely to have connotations of segregation to people who are less clueless than you. But there’s a point where seeing that connotation moves from racially sensitive to absurd. Since you insist that only “white” (or, of course, “black”) will do, here’s an example: [White Power Cord](http://www.colorpowercables.com/All-White-Power-Cables-s/1938.htm) What? These cables support the White Power movement? Whether a white elevator sign should be considered a reasonable example or an absurd one is debatable, but at some point you have to let go. > [@](#): > > Your cluelessness is very persistent. Of course people don’t think of commercial signs indicating the colors “Red” and “Yellow” in terms of race, _because our society doesn’t have an entrenched and pervasive history of using those color names on signs indicating racially segregated facilities._ The color name “White”, on the other hand, **is** historically very much a part of signage for racially segregated facilities. Or maybe YOU are the clueless one and I’m the one with a higher racial conciousness than you. > [@](#): > > It’s not in any way “ridiculously sensitive” to point out that the RNC made themselves look like clueless doofuses by approving color-coded hotel signage that was strongly reminiscent of the racial segregation era. I agree. Didn’t say that. > [@](#): > > What people are saying about this _faux pas_ is not _“waah, the Republicans hurt my feelings with their dumb sign”_, but rather _“ha ha, look at what clueless doofuses the Republicans are not to realize the racial-history connotations of their dumb sign”_. Welll, no, not all people are saying the latter. Some are saying the former. Regardless, I agree that they are clueless doofuses. I just, you know, thought it was worthy of a larger discussion that went over some peoples’ heads again. > [@](#): > > But not knowing about the history of racism doesn’t **necessarily** mean that the ignorant person isn’t racist. As I pointed out, ignorance about racism doesn’t **demonstrate** how racist you are, because it’s perfectly possible to be ignorant and racist at the same time. Absolutely. I didn’t say that. All I’m saying is that not all examples of ignorance indicate racism. It could indicate the opposite. I see this happen - someone who is young and ignorant about the details of racism inadvertantly makes a joke or uses a word that has a racial past. Ironically, they are usually the least racist person in the room, but they get bashed for it. (The real racists, who know the joke, know when to keep their mouths shut.) > [@](#): > > Well, I don’t know anything about your personal experiences with racism and I don’t know whether you live in a “privilege-bubble” (at least any more than all us other white Americans do). It’s pretty clear from your posts here that you’re something of a clueless doofus, but plenty of non-racists are clueless doofuses. Well, no, it’s not clear that I’m a clueless doofus. I’m not one. I’m intelligent, experienced and well educated. I imagine you are too. So how about we not do that? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30256 "2016-07-21T17:58:48Z")
Show us how. Be our shining example. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30257 "2016-07-21T18:02:26Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > After [agreeing with me](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19492141#post19492141) that American racists probably know less about the history of racism in America than American non-racists, on average, how can you possibly keep saying this? How can lack of knowledge of racism be a sign of non-racism when racists know less about racism than non-racists? Some racists know less about racism than non-racists. Some know more. Some non-racists know less about racism than racists. Some know more. My point was that lack of knowledge about racism doesn’t always mean one is a racist, and it could even be evidence that one is not racist. I gave the example of my kids not knowing racist jokes as an example. They don’t know any because they are growing up in a less racist world than I did. They will learn the history of racism, of course, and to avoid certain racial words or phrases or things like that, but I’m not going to teach them every racist joke there is just so they can avoid telling them. On balance, they will be more ignorant of racism than their predecessors. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30258 "2016-07-21T18:08:20Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Some racists know less about racism than non-racists. Some know more. > > Some non-racists know less about racism than racists. Some know more. Then why did you say “of course it does” in response to “And no, ignorance about racism does not demonstrate how non-racist you are”? Now you seem to be saying that the two are not related. > [@](#): > > My point was that lack of knowledge about racism doesn’t always mean one is a racist, and it could even be evidence that one is not racist. I gave the example of my kids not knowing racist jokes as an example. They don’t know any because they are growing up in a less racist world than I did. They will learn the history of racism, of course, and to avoid certain racial words or phrases or things like that, but I’m not going to teach them every racist joke there is just so they can avoid telling them. On balance, they will be more ignorant of racism than their predecessors. I think this is a very bad example – you keep going back to jokes, but jokes are almost nothing in the history of racism – like a fraction of a fraction. If you teach your children about the history of racism, oppression, slavery, segregation, etc., in a comprehensive manner, they will be far, far more knowledgeable about racism then the vast majority of their predecessors, even if you leave out lessons on racist jokes. This is why I think the correlation runs the other way – that the best way to avoid racism is to understand it (which doesn’t require significant knowledge of jokes), and the most common way to repeat or continue racism from the past is to avoid learning about it, or pretend it’s no longer an important factor in society (which I’m not suggesting that you do, in case you’re wondering). I’ll state rather confidently that almost all of the racists I’ve known personally have had huge, massive gaps in their understanding of racism, while the best advocates against racism I’ve known have had a very good understanding, as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30259 "2016-07-21T18:29:58Z")
Holy crap, take it to another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30260 "2016-07-21T18:53:41Z")
Amen. I’m starting to lose interest in Stupid Republicans; and my scroll finger is getting tired. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/30261 "2016-07-21T19:46:42Z")
[State Senator Kelli Ward, who is running against John McCain from the right, thinks that the US government funds and arms ISIS.](http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/kelli-ward-claims-us-government-funds-isis) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1512) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1514)