US Politics

Yep, I read that expecting Goodell to have issued some halfarsed statement.
Expect a MAGA boycott of the NFL.

Ok boomer

I was, to put it mildly, astounded. I think the only way I would have been more shocked would be if NASCAR or the NRA came out in support of the protesters.

Edit. I'd be interested to see if Colin Kaepernick is brought back into the NFL. Personally I think that unless this happens the words are somewhat hollow.

I was also amazed by the actions of Michael Jordan who has, as I understand it, given $60 million of his own money and convinced Nike who he is obviously involved with to put a further $4o million into a fund to support organisations that campaign for racial equality that will be distributed over the next 1o years.

https://theintercept.com/2020/06/03/obama-george-floyd/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter

From the Intercept on the 3rd June. Apologies if posted already

A phenomenon you've largely invented.

It does happen though. Different progressive movements are supportive of each other, but activism is only as perfect as the people behind it i.e., not very. There are absolutely individuals who descend into a Monty-Python-esque "You think that's oppression?! That's nothing!" pissing contest. They also completely deny the possibility of a middle ground so the approach becomes "either you uncritically accept my model of how the whole of society functions and how we should fix it or you're a shitlord" occasionally invoking the "check your privilege" catchphrase that you mention.

Happily BLM seems to be an exception to this rule, because the issue of police racism, violence and accountability is so clear and immediate.

Yeah. If Goodell develops a spine that is pretty interesting. The cynic in me thinks that's more commercial but that could just be me. He has not exactly be a great leader on this.

But I love the video the players put together and I am very proud that my son has one jersey and it's Deshaun Watson's.

@Bobbo - Kaepernick is not coming back. Yes the league treated him like shit and that stain will never go away - but frankly, he's not that good and there is plenty of competition for back up places. Sad to say it, but it needs to be said - I really doubt he'll play another down in the league again. However - Michael Vick - so who really knows?

Goodell could go further by de-militarising the NFL and refuse the DoD funding.
Good on you & mini-Aroogah.
Kap could be appointed the NFL Commisioner for Equality.

Good on you & mini-Aroogah.

Well, in fairness. I am 8th gen Texan with 120 years of my family in Houston. I have some inherent bias on that. :)

Nah. I offered a reasoned argument in detail, but I also think his basic argument is real shit from a really shitty and privileged standpoint. Came from nowhere, based nowhere, helps nothing, expresses an "I'm above it all and here's how it's all wrong" shit heap that helps noone. So I also mentioned that.

Social media (which this is) is full of edgelords expressing the same thing. Fuck that.

Kaepernick is not coming back. Yes the league treated him like shit and that stain will never go away - but frankly, he's not that good and there is plenty of competition for back up places. Sad to say it, but it needs to be said - I really doubt he'll play another down in the league again. However - Michael Vick - so who really knows?

Honestly I don't think how good he was matters. The league has admitted they were wrong and as you say they treated him like shit but he was denied the chance to develop. We've spoken in the past about my experiences playing rugby and how close I got to being able to play professionally, the guy worked like a fucking dog most of his life with one goal in mind, yet when he got there he had the courage to put all of that on the line to stand up for his convictions that needs to be recognised by the league. The only thing I can really compare it to would be Muhammed Ali throwing away his gold medal, yet arguably Kaepernick sacrificed more - Ali was always going to be a superstar (hindisght being 20/20).

If Kaepernick is no longer able to play at that level he should at the very least get a public apology and some form of financial compensation.

It does happen though.

There are assholes everywhere, but that doesn't define whole movements. sifta stepped into a discussion of the current racist, privileged shit show that is the Trump/MAGA response to a situation created by an alarmingly over-militarised police force empowered by a government that supports white supremacist attitudes, but seems to think narcissist victims are the problem. Fuck it. Fuck it till it's a dead attitude.

Why the sweary? You might disagree with sefta but your rapid polarising of any discussion is exactly what Trump has used to his advantage in the US. This is LFGSS which i feel is a community where different view points are welcome. All we have in common is bikes and a bit of respect for our fellow velocipedes.

Nowt wrong with a bit of fucking swearing, and pointing it out as bad is just deferring from the point

your rapid polarising of any discussion

Any discussion? I'm objecting to one argument. Please do line up all the other discussions I've polarised. Or, alternatively, any of the other arguments in this one discussion that I've targetted.

Why the sweary?

"Fuck that" is an answer to an argument, not a person. It means "fuck that argument", it doesn't mean "Fuck you and shut up." I'm pretty sure @Sifta realises that, but isn't very honest in debate. so s/he made it an issue rather than argue any of the points (if you read back, sifta didn't answer a single argument I - or anybody else - made in response).

My follow up "I called you a cunt" was actually a joke, because I didn't. As anybody who bothered to read the conversation should know.

For the record, some arguments absolutely deserve being sworn at, in much the same way as some Nazis absolutely deserve being punched.

Jeezooooooo!

1. Sweary- more sweary in the above point
   
2. Goodwins law invoked
   
3. The cunt joke is still owned by B Manning (deceased) of greater Manchester. He was a cunt but wasn't disingenuous about his faults. His comic timing was better than yours in that he telegraphed his punchlines.
   
4. Sefta has clearly left the building but I fail to see what was so unpleasant about his views. IMHO a broadly marxist analysis.
   
5. To expand upon my point re polarisation, the creation of false narratives and conflict between people of broadly similar beliefs is exactly where Trump and his fellow political populists sow dischord and reap the votes of fear and hate.
   

To expand upon my point re polarisation, the creation of false narratives and conflict between people of broadly similar beliefs is exactly where Trump and his fellow political populists sow dischord and reap the votes of fear and hate.

If this is about the black lives matter phrase sowing divisions then it's exactly where the point has been missed, it's the all lives matter response that does so, and the expectation that the people fighting hardest for their rights and actual lives should be the ones to change it over the people that are annoyed about a false feeling of exclusivity.

I'm not convinced this is as dramatic as that Guardian article makes out.

It sounds like a message around about the tone required by sponsors. Maybe I'm being cynical.

Characterisations of the BLM movement as exclusionary = baseless deflection.
Playing oppression top trumps = crass and tone deaf.
Correcting @itsbruce 's aggro style = a waste of pixels, he might come across as a cunt but he's dead right on this one.

I'd say that this is pretty significant, the man who will possibly be the next (and first black) airforce chief of staff has broken ranks.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/general-cq-brown-racism-video?jwsource=cl

No overt criticism of anything, just a statement of facts as he sees it, but I think what he doesn't say is perhaps more powerful.

Yeah, that's actually kind-of devastating. Props to him for taking all the risks involved in getting involved.

he might come across as a cunt but he's dead right on this one.

I shall have this etched on my gravestone.

Won't credit you, obv.

I found that very powerful and very moving... These protests feel different, hoping a change will finally come... ✊

Accountability and prosecution for all...

Goodwins law invoked

At no fucking point. I never mentioned fascism, national socialism, Marxism, socialism or any kind of ism. At no point did I ever invoke any political movement, extreme or moderate, either as a criticism of his argument or a justification of mine. All I did was offer my own quite detailed arguments as a rebuttal of his. It's possible my arguments were were wrong, but to cite Godwin's law? Do you even understand what that means?

You mentioned punching Nazis, as a comparison.

Not Godwin's in my interpretation of it.