White People, Who Are Not Anti-Racists, Need to Shut Up About Racism.

 Particularly the blogger I call the Owl.

Old White Lady.

Anyway.  Instead of doing her frequent shit stirring kind of post.  Where she throws up links and or quotes, but doesn't comment.  She dove in on the non-traversey about the new Asian music category for the Grammys.   Her remarks:   

Here's how I'd frame the question: Why don't the Grammys have a category called White Pop Music?

There are 2 directions to go with that question. You could say it's white supremacy or you could say it's anti-racism. It's part of white supremacy if there's an assumption that what white people do is the main thing and what other people do is subordinate — a genre or subgenre. But to have a category labeled "white" would feel — would be —  racist. 

My remarks to that.  I object to that bizarre, binary framing.  It clearly could be argued more ways than that.  Nuanced ways.  In fairness to her,  that is not her only remarks.  Let me look at that again before I say more.  Ok.  She says a little more, and quotes form her source article.  This is the more useful quote:

 "Pop music in America is an extension of whiteness and works just like it — it has no defined borders; it expands and contracts to maintain its dominion; it tells us that nothing too ethnic can have universal appeal."

Time for terminology  boys and girls.  

Hegemony refers to the dominance of one group over another, supported by legitimating norms and ideas.

Here in the USA  in the year 2026, white people still dominate the culture.  Despite how much other ethnic groups have influenced the culture.  The market is still greatly white folk.  And the businesses tend to be run by white folk.  It's not as full a hegemony as it was 125 years ago.  But white folk is still is the main market and management.

The dominant strains of the Entertainment world do not exceed the population. Entertainment is an industry.  People are trying to make bank!

I want to segue to that racist piece of shit Rep. Brandon Gill.  Who was lionized by other GOP racists for the shit he pulled at a hearing within the past couple weeks.  Trying to tee up a white supremacy culture war gotcha.  He asked some witness from the other side whether or not Mickey Mouse is racist?

I could go long.  I have that degree in Theatre and my first career was in media/entertainment.  And I know my American history.  So If it were me in the witness seat, I could have answered:  

"Well.  The original Mickey Mouse animated short, "Steamboat Willie,"  was released in the late 1920s. An extremely racist time in America.  And to be blunt.  All of American popular entertainment, back then, was tainted by racism.  And Mr. Congressman.  I could give a one hour lecture, or more,  about all that right now.  But that would go much farther than your time."

Yes.  And as a sidebar.  Current or former litigators are or at least can be demonic on the witness stand.  We know the goal is to knock the cross examiner off their stride.  You don't have to defeat them.  It's more effective to avoid arguing with them than get combative.  Just deprive them of their flow.

Anyway, entertainment follows the culture.  However.  And I did not look at the original article yet.  But I know a little something about the music biz.  There is ample history of artists "charting" in multiple categories for the same song/record/album.  And I think some have even won Grammys like that too.  Missing from the Owl's remarks if not also the article she quotes, is the idea of being a "crossover artist."

So maybe some people who don't know shit about issues of race in society should not fucking talk about that.  Likewise, if you don't know shit how the music biz works.

Lemme do a quick search.

So the internet tells me it has happened.  At least one song won in both Pop and R&B the same year.  Shit I am overthinking it.   Bad Bunny won in two categories for the same album this past round.  The top honor for "Album of the Year," and "Best Musica Urbana."  So yeah.  Despite the history of flat out racism in entertainment.  Things are much different now than 100 or more years ago.  If someone has their mind set to be a dick about it.  And doesn't know dick about the context, and or fails to do the basic research you might think Grammy categories are exclusive.  That is simple minded thinking.

As a whole.  the system is more like a potential of Venn Diagrams.  I won't get into how to get specific nominations for specific categories.  But hey.  It's possible to crossover.  You can win in a meta category and a niche.  Go for it!

Helen of Troy Was a Half Goddess

And there is some weird part in the story of the seduction of her mortal mamma, with Zeus turning into a peacock.  It's some fucked up shit.  But memo to the assholes bitching and moaning about the new Odessey movie with a Black actress being cast as Helen?

Get Over Your White Supremacist Bigotry

Like the smart lady in the vid says.  It's a myth.  It's not history.  Homer's retelling of old tales of the old gods are not really the history of a people. It's their mythology, and old polytheist religion.  That is mostly . . .  reimagined Egyptian mythology and their old polytheist religion. Minus the obsession with death and rebirth.

So when you think of it.  They left out the best parts.  Messrs Ibis and Jacquel.  Otherwise known as Thoth and Anubis.

The scribe for the book of life and deaths, and his sort of counterpart, the lord gatekeeper to the afterlife and the realm of Osiris.

America Blows!

 

Just look at the chart.

Here we are, on the eve of what they are calling the 250th anniversary of America.  I kind of get why they call the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence that.  But that is kinda not really an accurate and honest description.  The United States of America was still years away.  Pending not only a good outcome in the war against Britain.  But the joining of independent colonies into something that resembled a nation.  

And here in 2026.  This nation is failing.  We really don't have much to celebrate, thanks to Republicans.  Current POTUS has greater power than King George III had.  

Not good!

Now I am not in the mood to go long.  So let me set up the remark.  Following the SCOTUS decision to actually follow the language of the 14th Amendment.  A friend from law school days segued from his remarks of appreciation of that to his personal declaration.  His faith that one day even if only merely possibly being able to sit on that court himself, lead to my reply:

Better you than me.

But my fantasy ambition is to be on the panel that rewrites Article III. And Articles I and II as well.

Be aware. My desire is to eliminate the office of full time Associate Justice and expand the circuits and have temp AJs rotate on and back off after one year assignments.

I believe the US Constitution has failed, and needs a major rewrite.  Love the Declaration all you damn well like.  You do you, boo.  But I have little time to waste on that, when the actual government if the nation is morphing into something the signers and the framers would find utterly repugnant.

JMO.

But I live in the NYC area,  And there will be tall ships.  They are already slipping into the city up the mighty Hudson River.  I like boats, ships. I will go look at them, if only for a few hot minutes.

But other than that?  I am skipping this party.  Likely will take in a Broadway show, instead.

I need more a proper distraction, as opposed to a delusional mythology about the greatness of America.  America blows!

 

The OWL and the Batya Cat.

 Hey, look at me.  I managed to make a reference to Batya Unger-Sargon, without grabbing for the low hanging fruit of making a play on Batya's name, and subbing, sarcastically Batty.  Anyway.

For those of you not familiar, she is the allegedly former left of center, allegedly a journalist.  But even if she somehow qualifies as an opinion journalist?  On account of having such a gig?  I don't really consider opinion sharers to be journalists, on account of not following the ethnical, and other rules for real journalists.

Anyway, that maga, domestic Hitler fluffer has been making the rounds, wherever she seems she still can, to spew a favorable opinion of a layman's analysis of the insanely corrupt indictment against Former FBI Dir. Comey, and spew related dishonest talking points.  And she is one of the liars making the dishonest argument that the American "left" if not more specifically Democrats, are the worst offenders regarding violent rhetoric.

Now, a fact check.  In the past year, alleged incidents and "plots" from people identified as left of center has gone up and above the right wing loons.  But note, is more for 2025 then it has been in decades.  My response to that is firstly.  Lumping actual completed criminal acts together with "plots" is adding too much to the graph.  If you want an accurate picture, separate that shit. Make the chart just about actual acts of violence, not people thinking about maybe doing violence.

And after that?  Since we have a right wing, authoritarian regime that is out there in a unprecedented way for America, cracking down on the population?  With political bigotry, bias, and prejudice aforethought? Shit.  Why would any right wing Americans need to go out and commit hate crimes against the people they hate on their own?  

Wanna go beyond merely owning the libs and the browns and the Blacks?  Wanna  kick their asses and bust their skulls?  Join ICE!  They are recruiting!  Promising bonuses, and new and recently lowered standards! 

The overall 2025 figure does not include acts of violence committed by the Federal government and any right wing controlled states or cities.  Get my point?  The figure isn't cooked as much as it is technically inaccurate as far as actual, political violent acts committed.  And state sponsored violence is not beyond the category of political violence.  It's not exempt as data, even if arrests and convictions for that are not the rule.

Anyway, the OWL saw fit to do one of her stir the pot posts.   She shared without comment or context, some tweet from Batya, where she asserts with out any evidence at all:

"but the organizations producing that data are cooking the books so they can smear the Right with the Left's crimes.?

Reference to what I said about not following the ethnical, and other rules for real journalists.  

Further reference to what is the actual source of the data Batya blows off as cooked books, and smears.  And that would be DOJ stats, State and local stats.  Data culled from Federal and state and local criminal court filings.  And the kind of researchers who have jobs to track that shit, and if it's a proper honest academic job?  What ever they publish is instantly subject to informal if not quickly, formal peer review.

Parting shot (metaphorically speaking.)  Lately on my facebook wall, I have been posting pics and memes often with either of the following:

"Fucking republicans!"

Or "Fucking maga republicans."

And I am remind of the time I told a republican nut job lady I made the mistake of getting emotionally involved with, to fuck off.

She immediately accused me of making a violent reference.  So yes.  There is nothing new about fucking republicans escalating any criticism, push back, resistance, or negative comment as if it were some violent threat against them.  Because they are liars.  And delusional.  And very thin skinned.

Spring is Here!

I am not even getting started about the illegal war but to say:

War crime.

One of my favorite classes in law school was International Law. My grade suffered because it was entirely based on a paper.  And I was a day late getting it in.  Was docked a whole letter grade.  I had this bad habit in law school of picking very ambitious topics, and mine was environmental refugees.  So yeah. My interest in it is both old and deep. Considering that I previously took international based political science classes.  Old and deep.  Anyway.

On to domestic tragedies.  

ICE at airports is not the issue as much as how ICE needs to be shuttered.  The successor unit needs a very limited jurisdiction.  And if it takes 90 days to reevaluate under stricter qualifications, the former ICE agents who want to work in the new unit, and screen newbies?  Then so be it.  Remove the pathological and artificial quotas and we can easily live with 90 days of hiatus.

I will just now jump to ordinary politics.   This meme well represents my current mood.  The Democratic party clearly is better and governing, and has a truly moral moral foundation. Which is a large part in the being better at governing part.  But these days they seem not good, sorta bad at politicking.  Particularly when some of the leaders still insist that being more centrist, and or populist is the answer.  Fuck that.   

Zohran Mamdani's success in getting elected Mayor of New York might not be the template for other areas and offices,  But he campaigned on progressive positions and got the rank and file in NY excited.  I know.  I was at that last big rally before the election.  It was a homecoming for Democrats who remember and never forgot what we are supposed to believe in, and do.  

We believe in letting people be.  We believe in equal justice for all.  Not just the people who are most like us.  And as opposed to the ignorant shit republicans say about us.  Most of us do not believe in free stuff just for the joy of giving free stuff.  What we actually believe in is paying the debt owed to groups and individuals who were denied equal justice and rights.  And we also believe in helping those who need help.  Don't be judgmental when you could be helpful.

And what we do it try to enact policies and govern to achieve that.

 The French Are Better At Democracy, And Resistance.

I am taking the rare risk of posting a vid before watching all of it.  Mainly because I am sure it is what it claims to be about.  And I keep saying shit like this.  If Americans could get down like the French we would never have had a second orange Hitler term.  He would have been run out of the fucking country!

Defending Racist Bullshit Is Like Promoting It. OWL!

 But I am not going to flat out call her a racist for how she covered the latest racist, white supremacist scandal caused by orange Hitler.  However, I call the difference a difference without distinction.

She made two posts about it as of this point in time.  In neither does she call it out for the racist horror it is.  In the first, she publishes what eventually became the current official excuse.  Sime staffer did it.  Orange Hitler admitted watching the first part.  but said he never saw the other part.  In her second one, she at least recognizes that the excuse could be bullshit, or as she says, "Or that's what Karoline Leavitt wants us to believe."

She is less interested in the blatant, psychopathic racism of the current POTUS than she is about his," social media method."  Which is where the second post goes  and ends.  She even posted a vid allegedly about that.  I lasted about 36 seconds.  He is revolting.  I was hoping there was going to at least be some analysis, but it was just him being his insane racist self.  That is why I barely got past half a minute.  That is about all I can take of him.  He is that revolting.

Anyway, her take on this latest racist, white supremacist scandal caused by orange Hitler says all we need to know about her, to judge her.  I would argue.