Another interesting commentary on Michael Richards' racist routine.
November 2006 Archives
Over my Thanksgiving holiday, I had a particle physicist attempt to explain string theory, the anthropic landscape, and the mathematical probability of God to me. I confess to something less than a complete understanding of a partial explanation, but this is what I gleaned: (1) The rate of expansion of our universe is slow enough so that it is not a universe that is likely to have occurred by chance, (2) it is possible that there is an unknown principle of physics that determines that our universe is the only universe that could exist mathematically, or (3) it is possible that our universe is one of an infinite number of parallel but unobservable universes, and that we only know about our universe because it gave rise to us, or (4) some kind of creator (not necessarily divine and not necessarily still in existence) created the particular quantum "vacuum state" that resulted in our universe when it expanded, and the rest is history. Remarkably, hypothesis (4) is apparently more probable to many scientists than hypothesis (3), although the expansion of the initial "vacuum state" that created our universe would most likely have obliterated any "creator" that existed in any kind of conventional physical form.
blackprof.com: Why Kramer’s (Michael Richards) Letterman Apology Was Important
Law Professor Spencer Overton accepts Michael Richards' apology as sincere, and thinks it has some lessons for the rest of us. Overton points to Harvard's Project Implicit, which attempts to detect racial and other hidden biases based on unconscious reactions to visual stimuli. A number of sample tests are included with the project, which collects some personal data but promises confidentiality.
On a personal note, while I was not overly surprised by the results of the one test I took, I am confirmed in my belief that I must consciously strive every day to treat people fairly, equally, and as individuals.
Branding Strategy Insider: Branding and Cultural Differences
The classic branding mistake that even I had heard of was the Chevy Nova: "No va" is "doesn't go" in Spanish, a bad name for an automobile. Derrick Daye lists a number of other quite funny examples.
Michael Richards' tirade at a stand up routine is bizarre and disgusting. Christopher Bracey at BlackProf.com argues that it was a classic attempt to assert white racial supremacy:
What intrigues me about this video, and Richard's attempt at an apology, is his self-proclaimed racial innocence. How could this man possibly understand his comments to be anything other than raw bigotry? His comments were plainly racially insensitive, and he acknowledged their "shock value" himself. Moreover, he conceded that his racial tirade was an attempt to silence (ie. assert dominance over) over the hecklers. And if that's not all, he sought to enlist crowd support for is racial rant!
Sadly, I believe that behavior like Richards', and like Mel Gibson's drunken anti-Semitic rant, which he also attempted to excuse, is much more common that we would like to acknowledge in the 21st century, and that it reveals deep ongoing fissures in our society. Professor Bracey is right to be skeptical about Richards' assertion that he is not a bigot. However, I think that bigotry to some degree is probably endemic in all of us; like vanity, greed, lust, gluttony, envy, anger, and sloth, it is better that it be acknowledged and combated rather than denied and allowed to fester. If there is anything that the 20th century reminded us, it is that there is no bottom to the potential for human depravity, and no reason to believe that any particular person is not capable of unspeakable acts. One thing that I believe Dr. King tried to do is to show us a better way to deal with our worse nature, and even Dr. King was not immune from human fallibility.
Andrew Sullivan | The Daily Dish: "Those Words, Those Words ..."
Andrew Sullivan is right that while we must be steadfast in condemning racism wherever it rears its ugly head, we should do so with humility and self-examination, in the knowledge that our own conduct is not likely to be above reproach.
Note: Some commentators at BlackProf.com have attempted to cast this as a free speech issue. No one prevented Mr. Richards from spewing his hateful diatribe, but likewise his critics are free to say what they wish in response. Free speech is freedom from state coercion, not public ridicule.
Embittered Insiders Turn Against Bush - washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post reports that now that the War in Iraq has turned into a quagmire that gets deeper by the day, the Republican rats are falling over each other in their rush to jump ship. While they were happy to share the credit following a swift invasion — a cakewalk, as former Bush and Rumsfeld protege Ken Edelman put it — now the neocons are focused sticking it to the feckless George W. Bush. As Adelman commented:
Though Adelman does accept some of the blame for the botched occupation, the Republican response in general has been more along the lines of selectiong Trent "I wish the segregatioist ticket had prevailed" Lott for MInority Whip.
I have misspent a couple of hours today exploring MyBlogLog, a site devoted to providing statistics on blog traffic and allowing members to see when they have visited each others' blogs. For bloggers, it is well worth taking a look. While I was there, I discovered a savvy conservative commentator, a word maven, a specialist in brand development, and some of my favorite Moroccan sites: Refusenik and Murmures, which led me to MyBlogLog in the first place.
Want to Get Listed in ://URLFAN? Just mention Andrew Sullivan.
An interesting blog by a former Foreign Service Officer who spent much of his career posted to the Middle East.
Persistent Race Disparities Found - washingtonpost.com
. . . that race in America will remain a major issue for a long time to come, the Washington Post reports on the stark differences in standards of living among members of different races:
White households had incomes that were two-thirds higher than those of African Americans and 40 percent higher than those of Hispanics last year, according to data released yesterday by the Census Bureau. White adults were also more likely than black and Hispanic adults to have college degrees and to own their own homes. They were less likely to live in poverty.
Keith Ferrazzi, for whom I have enormous respect and with whom I agree more often than not, has posted an entry in his blog lauding Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg as a champion of "Brand USA," promoting relationships between the United States and the rest of the world. Ferrazzi describes Silverberg as charming and intelligent, not surprising in a Harvard graduate and Supreme Court clerk. All the more pity that Ms. Silverberg's talents have consistently been employed in a bad cause. My comment on Mr. Ferrazzi's post follows:
Ms. Silverberg's bio, to which you link, highlights among other accomplishments her service in the Office of the Chief of Staff of the current administration and as an adviser to L. Paul Bremer in Iraq. As a member of an administration that led a rag-tag coalition of countries (excluding most major powers) in an invasion based on false statements to the United Nations about Weapons of Mass Destruction, excluded other countries from the rebuilding of Iraq, and staffed the Green Zone with unqualified Republican Party hacks, how can Ms. Silverberg have any credibility when it comes to building relationships? See Bob Woodward, State of Denial and Rajiv Chandrasekaran in the Washington Post. Thanks to the administration that Ms. Silverberg serves, Brand USA is badly tarnished worldwide.
Independent Lens . PAUL CONRAD: Drawing Fire . The Film | PBS
On PBS, just saw a great fragment of a documentary about legendary political cartoonist Paul Conrad.
Yes, I did see the RNC's slimy, racist ad against Harold Ford. I do not think their tactics were fair or honorable, and I would have preferred to see him win. He seems to be a decent man, if a bit on the conservative side for a Democrat. That said, I still do not think his consolation prize should be the DNC chairmanship.
Howard Dean as chairman of the DNC presides over an historic reversal of the Republican juggernaut that has owned the Congress for twelve years and the whole government for six. He espouses a very credible strategy that we need to fight for votes in every state, including Red states like Missouri and Virginia, where we won.
Now, James Carville wants to replace Dean with a candidate who, but for the fact that he is African American, would be a classic Southern Democrat who lost his Senate race — Harold Ford. It makes no sense.
Thanks to newsrack for the story.
Mubarak Warns Against Hanging Saddam - washingtonpost.com
Saddam should not hang, but not because Hosni Mubarak says so. For obvious reasons, Saddam's trial must make Egypt's dictator uncomfortable. The last thing he wants to see is a precedent for accountability by a neighboring head of state. It was not worth a war to bring Saddam to justice, but there seems to be no doubt that his many crimes cry out for punishment.
As an opponent of capital punishment, I do not believe that hanging is the appropriate punishment for Saddam Hussein, even if he is more deserving of hanging than most. I have no doubt, however, that he should finish his days in a small concrete cell removed from the rest of humanity.
Markus Wolf, German Spy, Dies at 83 - New York Times
Often mentioned as a possible inspiration for John le Carré, East Germany's most famous spy just died:
FRANKFURT, Nov. 9 — Markus Wolf, the famously elusive spymaster of Communist East Germany whose feats of espionage were the stuff of cold war legend, died Thursday. He was 83.
A Voter Rebuke For Bush, the War And the Right - washingtonpost.com
The political pendulum in American politics swung away from the right yesterday, putting an end to the 12-year Republican Revolution on Capitol Hill and delivering a sharp rebuke of President Bush and the Iraq war.
Now maybe we can begin to mitigate the damage.
As I go to bed, we could still take Virginia . . . .
Polls Closing As Democrats Seek Control - New York Times
Socialist Rep. Bernie Sanders wins a Senate seat in Vermont.
Right now, election night seems like a frat party . . . . A long night, followed by a big headache.
Hussein Is Sentenced to Death by Hanging - New York Times
Saddam Hussein richly deserves everything that is coming to him; in fact, there is probably not a punishment commensurate with what he has done. However, I do not think killing him is worth what we have done to Iraq, and to ourselves, and I take no joy in a hanging.
Democrats, on the Offensive, Could Gain Both Houses - washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post thinks the Democrats can take both houses.
Ted Haggard, evangelical pastor of a 14,000 person megachurch, leader of an association of 30 million evangelicals, right-hand man of Christian political boss James Dobson, confidant of Karl Rove and President George Bush, and staunch enemy of gay marriage, has admitted days before the election that he bought crystal meth and received a massage from a gay prostitute, but denies the prostitute's claim that the pair had regular sex every month for three years. The National Association of Evangelicals has accepted Haggard's resignation with "regret" for his "indiscretions." I would be curious to know what Pastor Ted's annual income was as a preacher of the Word, and what will happen to his ill-gotten gains now that he is exposed not merely as a bigot, but as a hypocritical bigot.
Halley's Comment points to Microsoft's tarted up search engine.
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