Althouse |
- 5:45 a.m.
- "Alex Lugger, 32, a boat marketer in Springfield, Mo., said that she self identifies as a bit cheugy.... 'We were basic in our 20s and now we’re cheugy in our 30s'...."
- "One reason demographic change has failed to transform electoral politics is that the increased diversity of the electorate has come not mainly from Black voters but from Hispanic, Asian-American and multiracial voters."
- To be fair, it does sound delicious.
- "An adjunct professor teaching her first-ever course at a California college was placed on leave this week after she ripped a student during a class presentation because he said he regards police officers as 'heroes.'"
- "Debate Erupts at N.J. Law School After White Student Quotes Racial Slur/A Rutgers Law student repeated an epithet from a legal case, and now Black students at the New Jersey school are calling for a policy on slurs — and apologies."
- "In 1993, when I was living in New York and still fresh off the boat, 60 Minutes featured a segment on Finland, which opened with this description..."
- "The Bidens are GIGANTIC. I had no idea."
- "The social media bans bit hard into Trump’s visibility. But instead of reconstituting his following with the sort of show business flash and sparkle he brought to his White House years..."
- "Corporate News Outlets Again 'Confirm' the Same False Story, While Many Refuse to Correct it/Journalists with major outlets know they spread a false, retracted story..."
- "So TMZ’s confident declaration that 'there is NO PRENUP' might not be correct. As Bill Clinton famously quipped..."
| Posted: 04 May 2021 09:40 AM PDT   |
| Posted: 04 May 2021 09:24 AM PDT "Cheugy is just the latest in a long line of niche identifiers that have gained traction on the internet, where people relentlessly categorize highly specific archetypes in starter pack memes and videos. It's no coincidence that cheugy gained traction on TikTok, a platform that has functioned as an escape from Instagram's once dominant aesthetic, which is the pinnacle of cheugy.... [W]hat is and isn't cheugy is highly subjective and changing quickly. 'It's really easy to identify cheugy things on TikTok because TikTok is so fast paced and there's so many trends that come and go.... '... 'I think millennials have noticed that some things we used to consider cheugy are coming back in style and aren't cheugy anymore... When I was first introduced to the word in 2015, low rise jeans were cheugy. Now, six years later, low rise jeans are back in style and I don't think they're cheugy anymore.'" Yeah, I'm thinking the word "cheugy" is itself cheugy, because why am I reading about it in the New York Times — in "What Is 'Cheugy'? You Know It When You See It. Out of touch? Basic? A new term to describe a certain aesthetic is gaining popularity on TikTok"? It means out of style — recently in style. It reminds me of the 1950s-era insult "so last year" — as in, "That dress is so last year." You have to have cared about style to have tried that item in the first place, and now you've stuck with it too long. Just don't care in the first place, and you'll never have to worry about cheuginess. (To comment, email me here.) ADDED: I certainly hope the NYT checked its sources, because remember when it got hoaxed about Grunge slang? They need to be careful they're not cob nobblers in the tom tom club. Such a harsh realm!  |
| Posted: 04 May 2021 08:17 AM PDT "Those groups back Democrats, but not always by overwhelmingly large margins.... The new census data's finding that the percentage of non-Hispanic white voters in the country's electorate dropped by about two percentage points from 2016 to 2020 might seem like a lot. But with Hispanic, Asian-American and multiracial voters representing the entirety of the increase, while the Black share of the electorate was flat, the growing nonwhite share of the electorate cost Mr. Trump only about half a percentage point over a four-year period. Another factor is the electoral map. The American electoral system rewards flipping states from red to blue, but many Democratic gains among nonwhite voters have been concentrated in the major cities of big and often noncompetitive states. By contrast, many traditional swing states across the northern tier, like Wisconsin or Pennsylvania, have had relatively little demographic change.... White voters still represent more than 80 percent of the electorate in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to the new census data. The nonwhite population in these states is predominantly Black; their share of the population has been fairly steady over the last few decades. But Mr. Biden won these states so narrowly that the relatively modest demographic shifts of the last few decades were necessary for him to prevail in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. It's just hard to call it a Great Replacement if Mr. Trump could have won in 2020 if only he had done as well among white voters as he did in 2016." From "Why Rising Diversity Might Not Help Democrats as Much as They Hope/Voters of color make up an increasing percentage of the United States electorate, but that trend isn't hurting Republicans as much as conservatives fear" by Nate Cohn (NYT). The "Great Replacement" theory is referred to elsewhere in the article, here: "Contrary to what Tucker Carlson says repeatedly on Fox News about the rise of 'white replacement theory' as a Democratic electoral strategy, the country's growing racial diversity has not drastically upended the party's chances." That's carefully worded. It doesn't say that the Democrats do not have that strategy, only that it hasn't worked as well as you might think. If it's an odious strategy, then it's bad whether it works or not. If it's not odious, then you'd go right to open discussion of how well it works. So I'm inclined to think that the NYT doesn't think it's odious or doesn't want us readers to think it's odious. If the latter, it would seem that the NYT is trying to quell concern about about "replacement": it's not really happening, not that much, and even if it were that would be okay too, and if you feel at all worried about it, then you're in the Tucker Carlson camp, and you'd better get out of there. (To comment, you can email me here.)  |
| To be fair, it does sound delicious. Posted: 04 May 2021 07:56 AM PDT
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| Posted: 04 May 2021 08:58 AM PDT "The unidentified Cypress College educator was apparently triggered Wednesday during 19-year-old business major Braden Ellis' Zoom presentation on cancel culture in the US, in which he noted how even animated kids TV shows such as 'Paw Patrol' have come under fire from unhinged cop-haters.... 'You're saying police officers should be revered, viewed as heroes? They belong on TV shows with children?'" Here's the video: ADDED: The teacher says that if she were experiencing a home invasion, she would not call the police. Asked what she would do, she's at a loss, and seems to be realizing that she'd have no way to defend herself. By contrast, in mere conversation, she's extremely defensive. She can't seem to relax and allow the student to make his presentation and to use questioning to teach, to help him develop his mind. I think that's a fascinating combination — to be so defensive in your professional role toward someone who isn't even attacking you, but coming to you for education, and then to be so without any defense at all when you are the victim of violence. It's utterly ass-backwards. |
| Posted: 04 May 2021 07:41 AM PDT The controversy began on Oct. 28, after a criminal law class all first-year students are required to take. In discussing the circumstances under which a criminal defendant could be held liable for crimes committed by his co-conspirators, the student repeated a quote from a defendant that appeared in an opinion written by a former State Supreme Court judge, Alan B. Handler. "He said, um — and I'll use a racial word, but it's a quote," the student said, according to a summary of the incident written by professors. "He says, 'I'm going to go to Trenton and come back with my [expletive]s." That led to a petition from a group of black students calling for a policy that would ban saying a word that is printed in the text of the case under discussion and extracting apologies from the student who said the word and from the professor who either didn't notice or failed to express disapproval. The NYT article isn't at all supportive of the petitioners' demands. The comments at the NYT — at least the ones I've read, the top-rated ones — are quite strongly opposed to the petitioners: 1. "As a criminal defense attorney for over thirty years, I can't even count the times racial or obscene words have been quoted in legal proceedings. They might relate to an element in the case or a motive for a particular witness, victim or police officer. It's not so much about free speech as it is about presenting the complete picture for a jury to make a decision. I might also note that if the appellate court cited the word in the published opinion, it must have been critical to the case." 2. "The students taking issue with the quoting of the word appear unable to consider context of its use or intent of the person quoting it. They can't practice criminal law if they can't consider context and intent. Universities need to push back against this garbage. If enough people will actually show some courage, then it will stop. These students will have difficulty getting jobs after they graduate." 3. "How can any student or professor discuss legal cases if they aren't allowed to directly quote the cases themselves? Considering the word is still used frequently in our culture, it must appear in documents from time to time. Surely students can consider context and apply some understanding to its infrequent use in a classroom setting? How does one approach First Amendment cases focusing on hate speech if you have to censor the speech being discussed?" (To comment, you can email me here.)  |
| Posted: 04 May 2021 07:24 AM PDT "... of Helsinki pedestrians going about their business: 'This is not a state of national mourning in Finland, these are Finns in their natural state; brooding and private; grimly in touch with no one but themselves; the shyest people on earth. Depressed and proud of it'" As far as facial expressions of the Finnish people, not much has changed since then. We are still just as reserved and melancholy as before. If happiness were measured in smiles, Finnish people would be among the most miserable in the world. From The Grim Secret of Nordic Happiness/It's not hygge, the welfare state, or drinking. It's reasonable expectations" a Slate article by Jukka Savolainen (reacting to a study that rated the Finns the happiest people on earth). (To comment, you can email me here.)  |
| "The Bidens are GIGANTIC. I had no idea." Posted: 04 May 2021 09:42 AM PDT
ADDED: That picture is mindbending. Fortunately, The Guardian investigated: "Why do the Carters look so tiny alongside Joe Biden and his wife Jill in this picture?/You don't need special gear to create this optical trickery. If you have an iPhone 11 or 12 you too can loom large over a former US president." What amazes me is that the picture was chosen for sharing. It looks like it was the Carter Center that tweeted it. I think that showed poor judgment, but maybe they knew it was hilarious and wanted to amuse us. PLUS:
FROM THE EMAIL: Nancy links to this famous Diane Arbus photograph and says:
I see "Jimmy Carter Rabbit Incident" has its own Wikipedia page. Upon closer inspection, the animal turned out to be a rabbit. Not one of your cutesy, Easter Bunny-type rabbits, but one of those big splay-footed things that we called swamp rabbits when I was growing up. The animal was clearly in distress, or perhaps berserk. The President confessed to having had limited experience with enraged rabbits. He was unable to reach a definite conclusion about its state of mind. What was obvious, however, was that this large, wet animal, making strange hissing noises and gnashing its teeth, was intent upon climbing into the Presidential boat.  |
| Posted: 04 May 2021 08:31 AM PDT "... and the 2016 campaign—rallies, press conferences, televised appearances—the former president spent most of his exile in the minimum security prison that is Mar-a-Lago, where he keeps a vigil over the banquet table, gives half-hearted speeches to tens of supporters about the 'stolen election,' exposes his kissable ring to the lips of supporters and golfs... Trump's half-hearted attempts at gearing up his movement suggest he doesn't really care as much about returning to Facebook as he lusts, to paraphrase Groucho Marx, to be a member of a club that doesn't want him as a member. This half-heartedness informs almost every Trump move since the Biden victory was certified by Congress and the new administration took over. As Gabby Orr and Meridith McGraw reported for POLITICO in mid-March, Trump has been adrift during his exile, indecisive, meandering and dawdling. Former CNN White House reporter Jim Acosta put it best by describing the Trump post-presidency as a 'sad old Elvis act,' adding, 'It's like he's an animatronic character, spewing out this stuff all over again like he has a string you pull behind him and replace the batteries when they're low inside.' Trump's sad old Elvis act has been performed with a limp and a hobble.... Although Trump's Facebook account was popular... he never extolled it the way he did Twitter. ... Twitter was always Trump's favorite child... his social media venue of choice. He will welcome Facebook reinstatement, of course, but will consider the honor a runner-up trophy. Twitter made him...." From "Facebook Can't Cure Trump's Chronic Low Energy/It was Twitter that always gave him a reason to get up in the morning" by Jack Shafer (at Politico). Facebook's Oversight Board will announce its decision tomorrow morning. Trump could win, but — we're assured — that won't rouse him out of his pathetic malaise. He needs Twitter. He was Twitter. Without Twitter, he's a sad puppet... An animatronic character, spewing out this stuff... like he has a string you pull behind him.... That's what they're saying he is now, and what he will be... unless he could get Twitter back. But the Twitter decision to oust him — unlike Facebook's decision — is permanent and unreviewable. So pathetic little man running out of batteries he is... unless he isn't. FROM THE EMAIL: Alexander writes:
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| Posted: 04 May 2021 05:04 AM PDT "... about the FBI and Giuliani but refuse to remove it, because their real job is spreading disinformation." Writes Glenn Greenwald at Substack.
(To comment, you can email me here.)  |
| Posted: 04 May 2021 04:50 AM PDT "'... It depends upon what the meaning of the word "is" is.' Maybe there 'is' no prenup, but there was a prenup, and it just got superseded — fancy legal-speak for 'supplanted' or 'replaced' — by a separation agreement." Writes David Lat in "Bill And Melinda Gates Are Divorcing; Do They Have A Prenup?/The answer is... it's complicated." (Substack). There's a petition for divorce that has a section on "Written Agreements" and then lists only a separation agreement. Lat explains why you can't conclude that there was never a pre-nup agreement. (To comment, email me here.)  |
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