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A friend of mine just posted something on Facebook I found pretty funny, but now I’m worried about cross-posting here without asking for permission, so I’ll remove and just share it on FB, to be safe.
Sorry ‘bout that.
* a little while later….*
OK, I noticed the original title is still coming up so might as well post it. It’s a meme owned by Bob. He lives a few blocks away from me and posts these and other joke memes on FB under the headings Bobservations and the like. If he tells me he doesn’t want it posted I’ll come back and edit it out.
I thought it was funny because of a recent thread, which on second thoughts probably makes it unfunny, but I still laugh when I see it.
P.S. how to ruin a freaking joke, OMG 😳
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I understand the humor you saw in it, Rob, but what I saw were a couple of jerks who are representative of the ignorance running rampant in America. I call these types "belly-over-the-belt-buckle" slobs. The sleeveless cammo shirt, the cammo cowboy hat, the American flag scarf and design on the guitar. These are not patriots, they are the arch-types who, for example, think that wearing a mask as a public health measure during a pandemic "takes away their freedom."
They and their ilk who think like them have no idea what "freedom" is, much less what "lack of freedom" is. Last spring we had a group of truckers who started out on the West Coast come to Washington. They called themselves the "freedom convoy." Most of them looked just like these two, and their purpose was to protest Covid measures that took away their "freedom." (Never mind that mask restrictions had by and large been lifted by then.)
And let's not forget that the 2020 election was "stolen." Evidence, or lack thereof, means nothing to these idiots. Mark my word, if these jerks were ever incarcerated in Russia or Iran, they would be whining for the United States government to get them out. "Freedom." They haven't the slightest idea what it is, even though they have lived it their entire lives.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
I don’t think of Japanese culture as being particularly or in any way fixated on scatological themes, so I’m always surprised and amused when things like this turn up:
What’s up with the first circle with a cross through it? It’s like saying Do Not Practice Reverse Cowgirl on Toilet
And the two following positions. Even if I could comfortably poop that way two things come to mind. One, you can’t check your Instagram whilst straddling the toilet like that. Two, if you slipped the janitors could find you with a broken skull or hip with your pants around your knees.
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RE: UnRemoved, unsorry, geez… (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
Do Not Practice Reverse Cowgirl on Toilet
Regular cowgirl. Clearly the raised toilet cover is the head.
I see no reason for that kind of acrobatics on a regular toilet. But if it's one of those fancy ones with a high-pressure water jet, all bets are off.
_____________________________
"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
You are being charitable by saying these blokes are “belly over the belt buckle”, there’s much more to it. I’m listen to James Carville’s podcast, he has interesting discussions with experts on geopolitical subjects. Carville being a good denizen of Louisiana often uses the swear words, since I’m a simple Californian raised as a commoner in the Inland Empire I readily take to his cussing attitude. He says flatly, the people who support Trump are just crappy human beings, period.
Do you know the radio show ‘ This American Life’ ? I started listening to it again after a five year hiatus, I went through a period of time when I didn’t want to know about the interior lives of Americans. The show from this week explored the trump supporters take over of the Arizona Republican Party as instigated by Steve Bannon ( arch crud boy). It’s led by all these ‘stop the steal’ nut brands.
These guys insist the elections are rigged and forced a hand recount of millions of ballots cast in the 2020 election because they ‘could feel it in their guts’ than the election was fraudulent. The result was under their scrutiny the recount found that Biden won Arizona by more votes than previously verified. But the fun doesn’t stop there, one of the This American Life correspondents embedded with one of the maga poll watchers during the Arizona primary election.
Maga vote guard had clearly watched too many TV detective shows. He staked out a polling place and he sat in his car with binoculars and a camera trying to capture images of Democrats trundling into the polling place with fat reams of fake ballots that they surely deposit into Arizona ballot boxes whilst lazy poll workers doze off and allow them to steal elections. At least this fanatic was convinced. When he saw suspicious activity, he’d get out of his car and approach the offenders and take selfie photos with them while congratulating them on voting. He said this was to ID them later with matching photos of their car license plates should any shenanigans be uncovered at this polling place.
This American Life’s narrator didn’t even bother to comment on how paranoid and deluded this action was, because it was jaw droppingly hilarious and direct from a parody of a detective movie. Like you’d expect Leslie Nielsen to jump out from behind a bush and take down an old lady with a cane who was allegedly stuffing ballots for evil libtards.
I’m sorry, but these people are just stupid. They have nothing better to do but act out. The problem is, they are so stupid and willfully so, that they won’t acknowledge that in general, US elections are clean and dead people don’t vote. They are dangerous however because they support candidates who seek to undermine elections by invoking false or misinterpreted laws in terms of who can be counted as an official elector in federal elections. You probably know the back story of the false electors who schemed to meet concurrently with official electors in 2020, and the conspiracy was unraveled with some of these jokers being charged.
I think the majority of these folks are not interested in politics and are ill educated how government works, but by influence of actors like Bannon, who routinely scam them out of campaign donations when they can, they believe they are getting involved to stop fraud. It’s exactly the opposite, they are promoting fraud. Some because they are stupid, and lash out with grievances they largely brought upon themselves, want to break the system. Others who are calculating and politically savvy are using them to get elected, and once in power will try every trick to flout the rule of law on term limits and power they command.
And mercenary politics will develop into a fine art. Kirsten Sinema will never run as a democrat again, she’s created enough republican backers by working against democrats to pile up a nice war chest to run as a Republican in Arizona. John McCain would vomit. There is no way to put these goons back in the bottle of deplorable they crawled out of. The midterms will either be a rebuke to them, or they will gain power. The hope is that suburban women voters in gerrymandered districts will say they’ve had enough Ted Nugent and Alito, reject them Dobbs decision and clean house. Pundits say business as usual and the midterm will be as always a referendum on the current president. It’s going to be interesting to see how deep the anger goes towards the Dobbs decision. Most people are betting on the wallet issues to be the issue that pushes voters, I think it’s going to be anger at the patriarchy that created the imbalance on the Supreme Court. And the extra weight on the scales is the movement against the regime in Iran, women all over the world are sick of Kid Rock and the Mullahs.
There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five boomer meme posters tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one genX meme poster on the side track.
What do you do?
Correct answer:
I think this joke also qualifies as boomer so I'm going to go finish the job and turn the gun on myself now.
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"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
When I was a kid moral dilemmas hadn’t been invented yet, and neither had memes, so I don’t have to answer that one. I only had my hand up because I have to go to the bathroom.
Where is this thread going to go? Honnestly...how is it going to end?
Do you honnestly think that on this forum there are no supporters of Trump, or people who think Kid Rock rocks? I mean, is it a prerequisite to be an american and a democrat to be able to post here? As it seems not the case, or I missed something, don't you think you're antagonizing/ insulting some people here? And how long before they react? And if they react, are you ready to engage in a serious, open and honnest discussion on the subject? the way it started, I have my doubt. Plus, is it the right place to do that? Is there sufficient moderation ressources to handle such a discussion?
This forum is on life support, and I honnestly don't think it could handle another conflict. This is a sacred space, full of ressources, dealing with Flamenco independent of your race, colour, or politcal affiliation.
So antagonizing people that way definitely has the potential to destroy this place.
You are all old dogs and I'm sure you understand that. So I call on you to stop this thread, to preserve this place.
If this goes on, someone's going to get hurt. And if you're unable to see the risks and you go on, I call on the moderator to close this thread as soon as possible.
My intervention comes from a place where I cherish this place and I don't want it to be hurt and end.
Posts: 15316
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: UnRemoved, unsorry, geez… (in reply to Fluknu)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Fluknu
Where is this thread going to go? Honnestly...how is it going to end?
Do you honnestly think that on this forum there are no supporters of Trump, or people who think Kid Rock rocks? I mean, is it a prerequisite to be an american and a democrat to be able to post here? As it seems not the case, or I missed something, don't you think you're antagonizing/ insulting some people here? And how long before they react? And if they react, are you ready to engage in a serious, open and honnest discussion on the subject? the way it started, I have my doubt. Plus, is it the right place to do that? Is there sufficient moderation ressources to handle such a discussion?
This forum is on life support, and I honnestly don't think it could handle another conflict. This is a sacred space, full of ressources, dealing with Flamenco independent of your race, colour, or politcal affiliation.
So antagonizing people that way definitely has the potential to destroy this place.
You are all old dogs and I'm sure you understand that. So I call on you to stop this thread, to preserve this place.
If this goes on, someone's going to get hurt. And if you're unable to see the risks and you go on, I call on the moderator to close this thread as soon as possible.
My intervention comes from a place where I cherish this place and I don't want it to be hurt and end.
Thanks in advance
Agreed.
I never cared about Ted, except I remembered about this excellent project and have to say he did great work here and deserves some respect even if only for this one.
Sorry but the days of discussing culture, art and music separately from politics and social studies has passed. And who cares if you like Van Halen or the Scorpions or really any group. Like what ever you want, but please feel insulted if I don’t like Eric Clapton for being an anti vaccination advocate. It’s too late, the musicians who take a political stance will get judged by the politics they display in public, and Ted Nugent has been saying stupid political crap for two decades. Tell him to be quiet if you don’t like the push back on him, ask him to stop being political. He’s the one with the flag on his guitar shooting his mouth off about his views on abortion, voters rights and who’s a snowflake.
"Anything you do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen or a page with nothing on it—because there’s nothing there to fix."
RE: UnRemoved, unsorry, geez… (in reply to Fluknu)
quote:
Where is this thread going to go? Honnestly...how is it going to end?
In my defence, I first posted the thread with only the meme(?) and a heading calling Ricardo’s attention to it as a weak joke attempt which cross-referenced another discussion that had been going on. I immediately regretted it, as I was concerned it might get taken the wrong way, so I went to delete the thread, but that option is no longer available (just edit is available now, I’m almost certain there used to be a delete button, it has been extensively used by Piwin in the past, I’ve used it, too).
I then manually deleted the meme(?), replaced it with an explanation, and changed the title to “Removed, sorry”.
I then noticed the main page still had the original title calling Ricardo but now with zero content. I was really getting nervous that he would not understand my initial intent and may think I was poking some kind of stick at him. Which I really didn’t want because, although I don’t know Ricardo in non-Foro life, I have huge respect for him and quite like him and, as he alluded to in the other discussion, we people here on the Foro have actually come to care for each other. I value the friendships I’ve formed here. I don’t come here for conflict.
I do know the fellow Bob who created the meme, and he does live near me. He really does still fly the punk flag high, as do his room-mates, they aren’t hypocrites, they are original punkers from the days of its inception. Thing is, he has been involved in the entertainment industry all his life and knows more entertainers than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m not sure about Kid Rock, but he’s almost certainly met Ted Nugent and has probably shared beers and food with him. He doesn’t bear ill will and neither do I.
So I decided to re-insert the meme with a new explanation and changed the title to “UnRemoved, unsorry, geez…” which you have to admit is catchy.
My stance is consistent with other stances I’ve taken on here. Humour is humour. And censorship is censorship. I don’t give a hoot about Ted Nugent or Kid Rock. I don’t think either of them lack talent, regardless of their political leanings. Ted Nugent was a hot guitarist with the Amboy Dukes, Kid Rock was born to wealth and privilege, but spent a lifetime building a career and although the only song of his I know is a complete rip-off off the song it references, he obviously has acumen as well. People don’t have long careers in entertainment without having substance. You don’t have to like them, but you can’t take that away from them.
I did not politicize this thread and if any Ted or Kid fans are offended by a joke that made me laugh out loud for excellent word-play then they can take a leap as far as I’m concerned. I will not willingly delete an honest attempt at humour, be it by me or anyone else. Heck, the joke’s not even mean-spirited, I suspect both of the protagonists could handle seeing it without getting twisted out of shape over it. I’m not willing to die on the hill of the defence of an artist’s behaviour or political leanings, but I will die on the hill of defending the right for artists, humour, and alternative musics to exist. I don’t want to live in a world of self-censure or enforced thought control, afraid to leave the house for risk of offending someone. Screw that, I won’t take it down now.
Nothing against you and I do understand your sentiment, but please don’t put this on me.
Best,
P.S. and that tinder/parrot joke is funny. Full stop.
RE: UnRemoved, unsorry, geez… (in reply to Fluknu)
quote:
here is this thread going to go? Honnestly...how is it going to end?
Do you honnestly think that on this forum there are no supporters of Trump, or people who think Kid Rock rocks? I mean, is it a prerequisite to be an american and a democrat to be able to post here? As it seems not the case, or I missed something, don't you think you're antagonizing/ insulting some people here? And how long before they react? And if they react, are you ready to engage in a serious, open and honnest discussion on the subject? the way it started, I have my doubt. Plus, is it the right place to do that? Is there sufficient moderation ressources to handle such a discussion?
This forum is on life support, and I honnestly don't think it could handle another conflict. This is a sacred space, full of ressources, dealing with Flamenco independent of your race, colour, or politcal affiliation.
So antagonizing people that way definitely has the potential to destroy this place.
You are all old dogs and I'm sure you understand that. So I call on you to stop this thread, to preserve this place.
If this goes on, someone's going to get hurt. And if you're unable to see the risks and you go on, I call on the moderator to close this thread as soon as possible.
My intervention comes from a place where I cherish this place and I don't want it to be hurt and end.
Bill and I have been good friends for over a decade and we have decidedly different world views on some issues. On other things we find common ground and often solidarity. Rather than retreat from understanding the point of view of others search for the intersection of your views and other members of the foro. If Bill and I can be friends for twice as long as you’ve been a member then it’s not the Foro that’s fragile. And hilariously if Escribano banned me or closed this thread I’d laugh and remind him he’s always welcome to visit me.
Bill is a conservative and I’m not really a conservative, but we have a good time and value one another’s thoughts and intellectual pursuits. Really what’s lacking is extending yourself despite what you perceive as wrong.
So again I’ll say if rock stars care to express public opinions about their politics, it’s fair game to take them down. So you can either listen to artists that remain mute on politics or accept that people will disagree with the likes of Herr Nugent.
Remember flamenco isn’t a straight white male originated music; Antonio Mairena was gay, and the flamenco world that existed decades prior to your birth was a haven for political dissidents in a Falangist Spain.
Posts: 3470
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: UnRemoved, unsorry, geez… (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
Bill,
You are being charitable by saying these blokes are “belly over the belt buckle”, there’s much more to it. I’m listen to James Carville’s podcast, he has interesting discussions with experts on geopolitical subjects. Carville being a good denizen of Louisiana often uses the swear words, since I’m a simple Californian raised as a commoner in the Inland Empire I readily take to his cussing attitude. He says flatly, the people who support Trump are just crappy human beings, period.
Stephen- You do realize that our comments about these two and their types complement each other. I focused on their total lack of understanding of what "freedom" is, although I mentioned their laughable belief that the 2020 election was "stolen." You focused on the Arizona primaries, which I followed with equal interest.
I served my first Foreign Service assignment at the American Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria and saw first hand what a country ruled by a totalitarian communist government was like that allowed no freedom. Thus, I find it ludicrous that these jerks think wearing a mask as a public health measure deprives them of their freedom. They don't know what freedom is, although they have lived it their entire lives.
As for the Arizona primary, the recount was a product of nut-jobs, but they are dangerous nut-jobs because there are a lot of them that could determine future elections if they get into positions like secretary of state (in state governments) that oversee elections.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Posts: 3470
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: UnRemoved, unsorry, geez… (in reply to Fluknu)
quote:
Where is this thread going to go? Honnestly...how is it going to end?
Do you honnestly think that on this forum there are no supporters of Trump, or people who think Kid Rock rocks? I mean, is it a prerequisite to be an american and a democrat to be able to post here? As it seems not the case, or I missed something, don't you think you're antagonizing/ insulting some people here? And how long before they react? And if they react, are you ready to engage in a serious, open and honnest discussion on the subject? the way it started, I have my doubt. Plus, is it the right place to do that? Is there sufficient moderation ressources to handle such a discussion?
This forum is on life support, and I honnestly don't think it could handle another conflict. This is a sacred space, full of ressources, dealing with Flamenco independent of your race, colour, or politcal affiliation.
So antagonizing people that way definitely has the potential to destroy this place.
You are all old dogs and I'm sure you understand that. So I call on you to stop this thread, to preserve this place.
If this goes on, someone's going to get hurt. And if you're unable to see the risks and you go on, I call on the moderator to close this thread as soon as possible.
My intervention comes from a place where I cherish this place and I don't want it to be hurt and end.
Thanks in advance
This is the "Off-Topic" category. The comments on Rob's meme are in line with previous discussions on the Foro regarding Trump, his policies, and his supporters. At times, Simon himself has chimed in on past discussions.
What threads like this demonstrate is there is more to the flamenco community than just an interest in and love of flamenco. We are not just bowling pins standing up to be knocked down by the slightest deviation from someone's perception of the norm.
If you disagree with some of the posts, then chime in yourself and offer your take on it. What you do not have a right to do is exercise censorship over a discussion because you happen to disagree with it. I lived and worked in the American Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria for two years during the height of the Cold War, and I have seen too much censorship to put up with yours.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Posts: 15316
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: UnRemoved, unsorry, geez… (in reply to BarkellWH)
quote:
and I have seen too much censorship to put up with yours.
no no, Fluknu has it right. The Off topic was closed in the past for good reason. This type of open season posting is exactly the type of thing to test the waters here. The egg shell walkers are the ones afraid to point out any hypocracy…afraid because they wrongly get called trump loving maga jerks or whatever. This is no good. It is not about censorship, it is about avoiding the stir up. Everybody knows the dangers of Religion and politics, so anything in that direction is to test the waters knowingly. It is pretty black and white. Funny is funny except when it is not to even ONE person.
Anyway, i personally only wanted to share the singing of Tommy Shaw, who is still incredible. No chance for a reunion thanks to Ted’s hunting schedule.
Censoring anything was really not my intent. If it came as such, then I expresssed myself badly.
During the pandemic, we had a thread talking about masks, vaccines and politics. it ended badly, with one member leaving the forum in anger, the thread beeing closed down, and a really strange ambiance in the forum for weeks after that.
So when I saw the Putin potatoe, the threads about Trump and so on... I said to myself...yeah...here we go again.
Don't get me wrong, I love talking about those things. My inner tension has more to do with the unvisible Matrix of this forum. I feel it is frail at the moment, and triggering such discussions has the potential of hurting this place. Why? because it can lead to highly politicised discussions, and that would need serious moderations ressources. Again, the clash during the pandemic was left unresolved and it took it's toll on the forum, I think.
I love heated discussions, disagreeing and all that stuff. But the setting is of great importance. And if the setting is not strong enough (or the place if you prefere), it can break.