On Racism…
…and Zombies, Always Zombies
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Quote of the week by my buddy Dan Hostetler:
"I don't have an ounce of racism in me". When I first heard John Gruden's pathetic nonpology for his astonishingly crude racial remark, I knew instantly. This is just the tip of the iceberg. This is so gallingly familiar to those of us who have even an ounce of non-anglo blood in us, because what he is really saying is not "I'm sorry", but "fuck you. I'm white, rich, and powerful and I can do and say whatever I want, and you're the weak loser if you object."
And of course, like every socially adept bigot ever, esp. the ones with a "Black friend", he mostly said all the right things in public. But among those he felt safe with because they shared his views, it all came out....the virulent racism, the gay and trans phobia, the woman-hating. Dude even railed against the NFL taking steps to reduce traumatic brain injuries. Anything he felt that threatened his status and unearned privilege. And of course he got caught because he felt secure and untouchable enough to share this bullshit on business email systems. But yeah, the real problem in this country is Critical Race Theory.
If you’re like me you’re asking, “Who the fuck is Jon Gruden?” He was the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which is a team of young, hired-hand, beefy adults who don bulky clothes and slam around on a big green field with a ball that’s not round. Not like ‘real’ football. This is ‘murkin football.
Speaking of racist pigs, Rolling Stone reported last spring that the orange, nasty man-who-will-not-go-away, who has described himself repeatedly as “the least racist person there is,” made an incredibly racist joke right before meeting the prime minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuân Phúc, who is now president of the country. When Trump was told the visiting leader’s name rhymed with book, former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius said the then-president asked if it was like “Fook You.”
“I knew a guy named Fook You. Really. I rented him a restaurant,” Trump continued, according to Osius’ account. “When he picked up the phone, he answered ‘Fook You.’ His business went badly. People didn’t like that. He lost the restaurant.” Osius wrote that “All those present laughed dutifully.”
And that’s what happens if you want to either be cool, maintain your powerful position, or just keep your job. Pressure to conform. Pressure to be like “one of the boys.” To people who have been taught this type of prejudice and stereotyping all their lives, it’s normal for them.
The Pew Research Group reported in 2019 that “More than 150 years after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, most U.S. adults say the legacy of slavery continues to have an impact on the position of black people in American society today. More than four-in-ten say the country hasn’t made enough progress toward racial equality, and there is some skepticism, particularly among blacks, that black people will ever have equal rights with whites, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.” They also reported that more than half of people polled say Trump has made race relations worse.
You know how when aliens walk among us they aren’t noticed–they blend in. At least on TeeVee. It’s somewhat the same with racists, nationalists, homophobes, and haters in general, although they’ve become more vocal in the last several years. They walk among us.
That is why I will be sponsoring a bill in Congress to initiate the Francis Farmer Act of 2022. Our feeling is it will be in the best interest of these poor souls, and certainly ours, when they are relieved of certain mental capacities, although flawed and disjointed in the first place. It will be the ice pick for those such as the entire Trump family and those of his administration, the folks who took part in the January 6th insurrection, and anyone who has Trump stickers on their vehicle. Those vehicles will be impounded and given to the homeless, along with a single edged razor blade to remove the offensive propaganda tools. A similar bill is also being considered for those of extreme greed, mainly billionaires and some multi-millionaires.
Then we won’t need zombie ‘movies’ anymore…
Nationalism is a form of racism, and Bisbee, Arizona stand-up dude Doug Stanhope preaches that “Nationalism does nothing but teach you to hate people you never met.”
And now…
Don nailed it, and so did you. Graden, what a smug asshole. Knew it years ago, confirmed now.