Facebook Follies of Friends and Families

[The Minsky Moment]

Huh? We wear our flag on our clothes all the time.

I couldn't care less but I never understood the argument that it's disrespect not to pledge to the flag but perfectly ok to display the flag on one's ass.

[Tonitrus]

Arguably it's disrespectful to put the flag on shoes or any piece of clothing for that matter but apparently the Trumpy types like that sort of stuff now so it's "OK"

Huh? We wear our flag on our clothes all the time.

We pretty much ignore the almost-entirely-unknown US Flag Code (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Flag_Code).

And that is probably ok, as its history of law is pretty dubious.  It is only really adhered to by know-it-all patriots or dedicated public servants like myself. 

[Savonarola]

The drama took place three years ago.

Kaepernik has bubbled up again due to the Betsy Ross Flag Sneaker Controversy.

Huh. Well...um...I remain confused by what exactly he is hoping to accomplish.

I've read a couple different things; either he objects to the slavery that existed in the colonies during the Revolutionary period or that the Betsy Ross Flag has been used by some hate groups.  (No law enforcement agencies seem to be aware of the Betsy Ross Flag being used by hate groups; and even the ADL, who has kept us abreast of the danger of Pepe the Frog, doesn't list the Betsy Ross Flag as a hate symbol.)

I find the Nike consumer puzzling in all of this.  Nike doesn't sell sneakers so much as it sells an image; what marketers call a "Brand."  In the past Nike was the brand of champions; their pitchmen were people who were phenomenal in their sport (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Serena Williams.)  Those stars have aged and they haven't been able to find replacements.  By signing Colin Kaepernik has changed their brand to social consciousness.  Their motto now is: "Believe in something even if it costs you everything."  My problem with this is that Nike isn't a socially conscious manufacturer.  They still make their sneakers in third world sweatshop for starvation wages.  Their subcontractors still withhold wages and use forced labor.  Who is so "Woke" that they object to the Betsy Ross Flag, but are untroubled by Nike's labor practices?

[Duque de Bragança]

The drama took place three years ago.

Kaepernik has bubbled up again due to the Betsy Ross Flag Sneaker Controversy.

Huh. Well...um...I remain confused by what exactly he is hoping to accomplish.

I've read a couple different things; either he objects to the slavery that existed in the colonies during the Revolutionary period or that the Betsy Ross Flag has been used by some hate groups.  (No law enforcement agencies seem to be aware of the Betsy Ross Flag being used by hate groups; and even the ADL, who has kept us abreast of the danger of Pepe the Frog, doesn't list the Betsy Ross Flag as a hate symbol.)

I find the Nike consumer puzzling in all of this.  Nike doesn't sell sneakers so much as it sells an image; what marketers call a "Brand."  In the past Nike was the brand of champions; their pitchmen were people who were phenomenal in their sport (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Serena Williams.)  Those stars have aged and they haven't been able to find replacements.  By signing Colin Kaepernik has changed their brand to social consciousness.  Their motto now is: "Believe in something even if it costs you everything."  My problem with this is that Nike isn't a socially conscious manufacturer.  They still make their sneakers in third world sweatshop for starvation wages.  Their subcontractors still withhold wages and use forced labor.  Who is so "Woke" that they object to the Betsy Ross Flag, but are untroubled by Nike's labor practices?

 

[Oexmelin]

Someone on my twitter feed reposted this Clinton speech from 2000.

Now there's no question China has been trying to crack down on the Internet. (Chuckles.) Good luck! (Laughter.) That's sort of like trying to nail jello to the wall. (Laughter.) But I would argue to you that their effort to do that just proves how real these changes are and how much they threaten the status quo. It's not an argument for slowing down the effort to bring China into the world, it's an argument for accelerating that effort. In the knowledge economy, economic innovation and political empowerment, whether anyone likes it or not, will inevitably go hand in hand.

https://www.iatp.org/sites/default/files/Full_Text_of_Clintons_Speech_on_China_Trade_Bi.htm

Chuckles indeed.

[Syt]

Did we have this one before?

[Syt]

[garbon]

But that's not racist either, I guess.

[Zanza]

I wonder what the overlap between comparing humans to wild animals, being pro-life because even unborn human life is precious and not believing in evolution and holding humans to be special compared to animals is. I begin to suspect that's Syt's wider family may not have a coherent view of the world.

[Syt]

I begin to suspect that's Syt's wider family may not have a coherent view of the world.

[viper37]

I begin to suspect that's Syt's wider family may not have a coherent view of the world.

it's a shock to most of us here. 

[Syt]

[Habbaku]

Why quote the words of each side when you can just lie about what they said?

[Valmy]

Hey he was the one who said America was no longer great.

[Syt]