idiocy

Advertising / Entertainment / Internet / Newspapers / Race / Shopping / idiocy — Comments
21
Dec 09

New York Times suggest gifts for the people of color in your life

On FriendFeed, I was alerted to the fact that the New York Time’s Gift Guide for 2009, included a whole section for the people of color in your life.

Yep.

I freely admit to being slightly amused by it. At first I thought it was a joke, but seeing articles and tweets about it, made me realize that it was an actual part of their guide. In 2009.

Naturally, I had to look it up myself. And…uh…well, read:

>>Of Color | Stylish Gifts

By SIMONE S. OLIVER

Somali fashion, do-it-yourself henna kits, children’s books that draw inspiration from the lives of Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor: it’s not hard to find gifts created for and by people of color this holiday season. Here are some possibilities.

There are some defensive people out there who think this is positively acceptable. They point out that the author of the section is black, so that makes it okay. Get it?

Now, I read some of the different suggestions on NYTPicker and kept thinking, “This has to be a joke.”, but uh…well…

For your Latino friends…

sotomayor Continue reading →

Kids / Manners / Parenthood / idiocy — Comments
13
Dec 09

Top 5 questions people say when they hear you don’t want to have more kids

I stumbled across this article titled: 9 Silly Things People Say When They Hear You Don’t Want Kids (And Ways to Counter Them). Just from that you know that the author is one of those so-in-love-with-their-own-cleverness sorts. Not that’s bad, but you know…you can come off like a jackass. I should know. I’m that sort.

That being said, the author has been kind enough to give unreasonably stupid responses to the unreasonably stupid questions nosy people ask or unreasonably stupid statements they make when they find you don’t want children.

The only one that was rather amusing was:

5. “But they’re so cute!”

This is a topping good reason to buy a Hello Kitty “vibrator,” but to bring a whole new person into existence?

We hadn’t planned on having kids. Even though I was asked these questions (which I do think is extremely rude), I was never a jackass like the author and most childless-by-choice people I see online. People did tell us that we’d change our minds and clearly we did. Otherwise, my stock answer to strangers asking “Do you plan on having children?” was “Not at the moment.” Pushers got ruder responses. To my friends, I typically responded, “The day after never!”

Having kids does NOT stop these rude questions. I have a girl and a boy and people still push us to procreate. When I get the questions below, I just, smile and say, “Yeah…we’re done.” (Hey! Who says I lack tact?)

1. “Well, I was raised in a large family. I loved the chaos. “

That’s great. For you. But I have to raise that chaos. My two already create enough chaos for me.

2. “But don’t you think your daughter should have a sister/son should have a brother?”

I have one of each and my husband has no siblings. We turned out just fine.

3. “But you make such cute babies.”

Your point?

4. “But what if something happens to one of them?”

My. Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine?

5. “You’ll change your mind.”

Just because celebrities have babies in their 50s doesn’t mean I want to join them. As it is, having these two in my 30s have wiped out all of my energy reserves.

Also note, the ones who push you to procreate are NEVER around when you need a sitter.

Humor / People / idiocy — Comments
2
Sep 09

*headdesk*

I just had the most painful conversation of the week:

Me: I’m calling to confirm that the appoitment for my son is today is at 1:30.

Receptionist: What’s your name?

Me: It’s a Anika, but the appointment is for my son

Receptionist: Oh. Okay. What’s your name?

I start spelling my name.

Receptionist: I can’t find it.

Me: You asked me for my name. This appointment is for my son. I just want to make sure it’s for today and not tomorrow.

Receptionist: Didn’t you write it down?

Me: I put it in my phone, but the girl I spoke to said something like, “It’s set up for the 2nd, I mean the 3rd” or vice versa.

Receptionist: Your son’s name is Vice Versa?

Me: What? [laughs] No, his name is Alton.

Receptionist: Oh. What is his first name?

Me: That is his first name.

Receptionist: Oh, that’s a weird first name.

Me [thinking]: This coming from a lady who thought Vice Versa was a name???

Me: Anyway…is his appointment today or tomorrow?

Receptionist: Spell his name.

Me: [spells name]

Receptionist: Has he been here before?

Me: No.

Receptionist: Oh, okay. Then we won’t have him in the system.

Me: [sigh] Look. I set up an appointment for him last week. It’s either today at 1:30 or tomorrow at 1:30. You will not make me believe that since he’s never been there before, he’s not listed for an appointment. That makes no sense.

Receptionist: Oh. Um.  Okay. It’s today at 1:30.

Me: *headdesk*

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Internet / Race / idiocy — Comments
4
Oct 08

GoAnimate Stereotypes

On FriendFeed, I learned of a new site called GoAnimate where you can create your own cartoons.  I enjoyed just watching what others made, but decided to get creative myself.

It’s a nice service and easy to use, especially if you’ve used any kind of video or audio software. The site is pretty new, so there are not that many backgrounds, people or props available. Sound effects are nil and some of the effects render some scenes useless. It takes a lot of forethought to put together the puzzle pieces in creating fluid scenes.

But I want to backtrack to the people options. When you click on the face icon, you get 4 choices to for your people. When you choose the “Cartoon Classics” option, you’re faced with a lot of white characters and 3 black(ish) men. The men are: a mail carrier, thug and basketball player. There’s a Latino construction worker and an Asian geek. There’s one non-pasty white female, but she’s skanky-looking and has blond hair. I’ll assume she’s super tan.

Is this what the artists behind GoAnimate were gearing towards? There’s no option, like say on Second Life, GoLively or IMVU, where you can darken a character’s skin or change their body type. I understand that you can create your own person, but that sorta defeats the purpose of the service; to allow non-animators the ability to be creative.

Hopefully, this is just a small oversight and people of color will be represented in non-stereotypical ways.

African-American / Assholes / Barack Obama / GOP / Race / elections 2008 / idiocy — Comments
5
Sep 08

Uppity Obamas

The Black Snob shares with us that it’s official, the Obamas are ‘uppity’.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., was chewing the fat with reporters in the U.S. Capitol and was asked to compare Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama.

“Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Senator Obama, they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks they’re uppity.”

“Asked to clarify that he used the word ‘uppity,’ Westmoreland said, ‘Uppity, yeah,’ ” the newspaper The Hill reported.

-Seattle Post-Intelligencer

They even trying to hide it any more. Shocker? Nope.  Par for the course in the GOP.

Assholes / Barack Obama / Internet / elections 2008 / hypocrisy / idiocy — Comments
2
Sep 08

Republican hypocrisy

And the GOP assault on my intelligence continues.  The newest being this whole Palin baby drama. In a statement from Gov. Palin, she said that she outed her minor daughter’s current pregnancy to rebut rumors online that the baby born in April was really said daughter’s.  I’m at a loss as to how this is a rebuttal. In my world, an adult response would have been something like, “I refuse to discuss unfounded and offensive rumors regarding my minor child.” But that’s just me.

The hypocrisy in all this is that GOPs tsk-tsking over online rumors being given credence. Nevermind that by acknowledging those rumors the McCain-Palin campaign gave them life, therefore forcing the national media to delve into them. Surely, the GOP is above spreading unfounded rumors online, right?

  • This is the political party who has an operative spending almost $3M on Ayers ads.
  • This is the political party who to this day still accuse Obama of being a Muslim as if there’s anything wrong with that.
  • This is the political party who gave us “McCain has a black baby” (NOTE: We never see the ‘black baby’ with the McCain’s as they campaign, be we do see his biological daughter.)
  • This is the political party who spent almost 6 months repeating over and over that Michelle Obama said “whitey”, without a shred of evidence and they’re still trying to force this rumor.
  • This is the political party who accuses Sen. Clinton of being a murderer.

All of a sudden, these people are trying to convince me and the US that they are just shocked and amazed that online rumors are fueling our political discourse. I’d like to say the general American public isn’t that dumb, but history has proven otherwise.

Assholes / Internet / Video / idiocy — Comments
8
Jul 08

Some people are too sensitive

You may or may not have heard of Loren Feldman. If you have, I’m sorry. If you haven’t, you’re lucky. I’m not going to get into too much detail, but let’s just say Feldman is something of a verbal masturbater who thinks his video works are great satire. Personally, I think they’re giant yawners and shows that Feldman has no fucking clue about any of the stuff he says he’s satirizing.

Recently, there’s been some Schadenfreude among social media geeks and bloggers because Feldman lost a contract with Verizon over his TechNigga’ “satire”.  Oh well, it sucks to be him.  No one will ever accuse Feldman of being a fair guy or being able to roll with the punches.

I’m sure I’m breaching some kind of netiquette, but frankly don’t give a fuck…this shit killed me:

“Finally going through my followers list here, never looked to see who people were before. Blocking people by the hundreds.”

All because of a little public humiliation…something he does to others all the time.

Zemanta Pixie
Entertainment / Internet / blog / idiocy — Comments
23
Jun 08

Is the Carlin corpse-fucking done?

*Disclaimer*: I’m one of many people who never thought George Carlin was funny and who believed that he ruined Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

Now, honestly people…why is it that just about every political blog has been spammed with the 30 year old “comedy” bits that weren’t funny 30 years ago?  I don’t get it.  Carlin didn’t contribute anything to society, at least to the world I lived in, beyond obnoxious holier-than-thou types quoting him like he was a genius or something.  And don’t act shocked he died.  He was 71 years old.  That’s a long time to annoy the hell out of me.  Is Carlin another sad icon of “speaking truth to power” by desperate, sheltered and too-afraid-to-defend-themselves liberals who are going to put him on a pedestal like Hunter S. Thompson?

Please tell me because I’m ’bout ready to go upside some heads.  What kills me the most are the atheists/anti-religionists are talking about how Carlin is part of some “comedy trinity” (among these types that includes Lenny Bruce and Andy Kaufmann (Y-A-W-N).

Yes.

Can the corpse-fucking end?

Now?

Please?

Assholes / Blogs / Democrats / Hillary Clinton / Internet / Race / elections 2008 / idiocy — Comments
9
May 08

Clinton: White people love me!

Aryan Guard in Kensington 2

This is where Clinton’s dog foghorn to racist whites in Ky and W. Va. is headed. It’s a shame that the Clinton’s campaign is more than willing to revisit their race baiting-tactics of December and January with this. Especially since they are flat out lying about her white support. It’s sad to think that a Democrat feels it’s okay to implement a Southern strategy to win votes in a race she’s already lost.

What makes this all even more laughable are the blogging Clinton supporters who contort their logic to justify anything. Remember that for the past few months, we’ve been told by these people that Obama’s big wins in Idaho, Utah, Mississippi and Kansas don’t mean anything. Despite the hundreds of thousands of people who came out to vote for the Democrats vs. the few thousand that voted for the GOP candidates, we were told that “there was no way those states are voting for a Democrat in November.” Why? Oh, the reasons change and facts are fudged, but they say, “Those states haven’t voted for a Democratic president in ### years.” Needless to say, I was shocked to see that Jerome Armstrong, among other Clinton-supporting bloggers pushing that W. Va is in play because they gave Kennedy the nod in 1960.

THUD.

1960.

You read that right. W. Va. hasn’t voted for a Democratic president in 48 years and that means it’s great for Clinton’s chances in Nov., but the states that Obama has won, but haven’t voted for a Democratic president in 20, 30, or 40 years are not in play.

The stupid is strong in this one.

African-American / Assholes / People / elections 2008 / hypocrisy / idiocy — Comments
28
Apr 08

Dick of the Day

That title goes to Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. (h/t to Booman)

Short story: Indiana city has always bused their seniors eligble to vote to go vote. It was a civics lesson and one that any teacher, parent or American should be proud of. This is getting students involved in democracy. Mayor McDermott, a Clinton supporter, has decided that this is a bad idea. Oh. The students are black.

“To me it seems like an orchestrated effort on behalf of the Obama campaign to take kids who should be in school learning to read and write, instead giving them a day off and telling them to vote for Obama.

“When you corral kids together and ship them to polling places, it’s completely unethical. I think Sen. Obama should distance himself from this type of behavior,” McDermott said.

I don’t know what kind of leap of logic you take to get from point A to point crazy-assed moron, but he did it superbly.

Washington said Lew Wallace students have been bused to Crown Point to vote for three years now. “The entire board thought this was a great idea. We told (Dr. Mary Steele-Agee) to make sure all the high school seniors are able to go out and vote.

“Whatever the cost of gas, for helping a young person exercising their right to vote, that is a cost I don’t think anybody on this board or the state would have a problem with.”

Mayor McDermott is so not on board with kids exercising their right to vote:

LaSota said they wouldn’t turn away potential voters of any age. Fajman said, “Students don’t have time before school opens on election day to vote and they have extracurricular activities at the school. I think it’s a good idea.”

McDermott, whose city hosted Hillary Clinton’s March 28 visit to the region, disagrees. “These kids come from the worst performing schools in the state of Indiana and we are giving them a day off to go vote for Obama. They can vote on election day like everybody else.”

What this brilliant politician fails to mention is that election day is on Tuesday. That would be a school day.

← Older Entries