Category Archives: Political Correctness

Sarah Silverman has never been one to care too much about political correctness. Yet she understands that publicly identifying with a particular political group is one way to signal your basic ideologies, and shes worried that some people who self-identify as liberals or progressives might be losing sight of what that stands for.

As Mediaite reports, Silverman shared a personal story on the latest episode of her podcast about how her friends kid goes to a so-called liberal school, where they just expelled a group of eighth-graders for essentially doing the kinds of things that eighth-graders do. In this case: Making a list of all the kids in their class, then ranking them by popularity, from most to least.

Silverman said that she couldnt stop thinking about the story, because it was something she was seeing happening with liberals and progressives. [And] I worry what liberal has become is becoming antithetical to its cause.

Given that the traditional definition of a liberal is one who supports the individual and individual rights such as freedom of speech, Silverman has a point. Which isnt to say that she agrees with the exercise in question. But, in her mind, it could have been a teachable moment:

Its not nice, of course. But it is a part of how children develop. These misguided attempts of figuring out: Where do I fit? Where am I in this picture? Its very usual of behavior at that age

I mean god, what an opportunity to teach them about why you had that impulse, and who you hurt, Give them detention, punish them. But expulsion? There needs to be, especially, and critically for children, a path to redemption when you make a mistake. Its such a f***ing teachable moment.

To Silverman, that the schools immediate reaction was to remove the teens involved in the incident means that they should no longer be able to identify as a liberal place of learning.

You are not progressive if youll not allow children with developing mindsif you allow them no room to progress for progress, she said. You cant call yourself progressive if youre kicking kids out of school for navigating childhood poorly.

You can listen to the full episode on Spotify.

(Via Mediaite)

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Sarah Silverman Is Worried Liberals Are Losing Their Way - UPROXX

Dominic Raab is to outline a sweeping overhaul of human rights law that he claims will counter wokery and political correctness and expedite the deportation of foreign criminals.

The highly controversial reforms, to be announced on Tuesday which will create a new bill of rights will introduce a permission stage to deter spurious human rights claims and change the balance between freedom of expression and privacy.

But lawyers described the proposed changes to the Human Rights Act as dangerous and fuelled by political rhetoric rather than necessity. They pointed out that the government has signalled its intentions before the independent review of the Human Rights Act, which is due to be published later on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the intended reforms would allow judges to override rulings from the European court of human rights, rather than following them blindly.

It claimed that as many as seven out of 10 successful human rights challenges were brought by foreign national offenders who cited a right to family life in the first instance when appealing against deportation orders a practice it wants to end.

A senior MoJ source said the government felt strongly that free speech and democratic debate had been whittled away whether by wokery or political correctness.

After the Mail on Sundays failed appeal over its publication of a letter written by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to her estranged father, the source said common-law privacy laws had come in by the back door and that freedom of speech needed to be given extra weight.

But Stephanie Boyce, president of the Law Society, said any changes to the Human Rights Act should be led by evidence and not driven by political rhetoric.

She said: British judges deliver British justice based on British laws, looking closely at how judgments fit into the national context, and disapplying them if there is good reason to do so. UK courts do not, as government suggests, blindly follow case law from the European court of human rights.

Equally, foreign criminals already can be deported in the public interest even where there are arguments against this from the right to family life. Every case is different, making it necessary to weigh each on its own particulars. Talk of restricting rights is dangerous and does not reflect the nuanced job the courts have to do.

The MoJ has highlighted the fight over prisoners voting rights, and the requirement for police to issue threat to life notices known as Osman warnings to gang members as examples of unwelcome interference from Strasbourg.

Without explaining how, the MoJ said its plans would also reduce pull factors to the UK being exploited by people-smugglers facilitating dangerous small boat crossings. But it confirmed that the UK would remain a party to the European convention on human rights.

Martha Spurrier, director at Liberty, highlighted instances of the Human Rights Act helping people achieve justice, including LGBT military veterans getting their medals back after they were stripped of them because of their sexuality, and unmarried women receiving their widows pension after the death of their partners.

She described the plans as a blatant, unashamed power grab, adding: Todays announcement is being cast as strengthening our rights when in fact, if this plan goes through, they will be fatally weakened. This government is systematically shutting down all avenues of accountability through a succession of rushed and oppressive bills. We must ensure the government changes course as a matter of urgency, before we very quickly find ourselves wondering where our fundamental human rights have gone.

Sacha Deshmukh, the chief executive of Amnesty International, said human rights are not sweets ministers can pick and choose from and the aggressive attempt to roll-back the laws needs to be stopped.

He added: If ministers move ahead with plans to water down the Human Rights Act and override judgments with which they disagree, they risk aligning themselves with authoritarian regimes around the world.

Prof Philippe Sands QC, who sat on the 2013 commission on a bill of rights, said: The concern is that this will mark a further step in the governments eager embrace of lawlessness, undermining the rights of all individuals, the effective role of British judges and the European court, and the devolution settlement into which the Human Rights Act is embedded.

Adam Wagner, a leading human rights barrister with Doughty Street chambers, said: If this is to be a true bill of rights, instead of a party political rights wishlist, as this appears to be, the government should obtain cross-party support.

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Raab to claim overhaul of human rights law will counter political correctness - The Guardian

When are we supposed to get the Harriet Tubman $20 bill that we were promised by the Democrats a few years ago?

Former President Andrew Jackson needs to come off the front of the bill. He was a racist slave owner and he horribly mistreated Native Americans in the Trail of Tears.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced in 2016 that Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. That was under the administration of former President Obama.

The Trump administration slowed down the process, calling the change pure political correctness.

Now a lady in U.S. Sen. Mark Warners office told me that this is to happen in 2032.

The Democrats appear to be long on promises and short on delivery.

NAOMI GAYLE SAUNDERS

Richmond

Editors note: The Biden administration said in January that it was trying to speed up efforts to make the change, but it may not happen until 2030 at the earliest because of the federal Treasury Departments redesign process that includes required security and anti-counterfeiting measures, according to officials.

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Waiting for Harriet Tubman to appear on U.S. currency - Richmond Free Press

You can freeze during the traditional New Years Eve ball drop in New Yorks Times Square.

Or you can welcome 2022 someplace tropical, like the Florida Keys.

Key West revelers can choose from several lighthearted takeoffs on the Times Square gala as midnight approaches Friday, Dec. 31.

At the Bourbon St. Pub/New Orleans House complex, 724 Duval St., female impersonator Sushi is to star in the Red Shoe Drop festivities for the 24th year. Seconds before midnight, a super-sized red high heel carrying the elaborately gowned Sushi will be lowered from the complexs balcony toward the cheering crowd below.

As well as Sushis lively banter prior to the drop, spectators can enjoy performances by notable female impersonators and other local and national talents on a street-side stage.

Street viewing of the entertainment and drop is free and open to the public. A limited number of tickets for a VIP balcony party overlooking the stage is offered each year; call New Orleans House Guest House at 305-293-9800 for VIP ticket availability.

Party people on lower Duval Street can watch the drop of a gigantic manmade conch shell, the symbol of the Florida Keys, to the flat roof of Sloppy Joes Bar, 201 Duval St. Festivities are emceed by a rooftop host and, as a huge clock counts down the seconds to midnight, the supersized shell begins to descend. Live music inside Sloppy Joes rounds out the revelry. Visit http://www.sloppyjoes.com.

In the Key West Historic Seaport, New Years Eve merriment is centered on the Schooner Wharf Bar, 202 William St., and celebrates the islands colorful seafaring heritage. Just before midnight, political correctness is out the window as a pirate wench is to be lowered from the top of a majestic tall ships mast completing her descent as the clock strikes and cannons boom to welcome 2022. The event includes live music, dancing and festivities at the Schooner Wharf. Visit http://www.schoonerwharf.com.

At the Ocean Key Resort & Spa, 0 Duval St. on Key West Harbor, plans call for a huge replica of a Key lime wedge to splash down into a larger-than-life margarita glass on the propertys Sunset Pier at midnight. The event features live entertainment by The Beatle Band as well as dancing, a super-premium open bar and butler-passed appetizers. Only 125 tickets are available for the gala. For a ticketing link, visit http://www.facebook.com/OceanKeyResort/events/?ref=page_ internal.

New Years Eve festivities also are planned at the original home of Pan American World Airways featuring the midnight flight of a stewardess in a replica Pan Am aircraft. Today called First Flight Island Restaurant & Brewery, the structure now at 301 Whitehead St. was the place where Pan Ams first tickets were sold in 1927. Other attractions include a full open bar, champagne, chef-manned food stations and live music. Attendees are encouraged to wear 1920s Gatsby-era costumes. For information and ticketing, visit http://www.firstflightkw.com/nye.

In Marathon, the Lighthouse Grill at the Faro Blanco Resort & Yacht Club, 1996 Overseas Highway, is planning a midnight Anchor Drop from the iconic Faro Blanco lighthouse, a beacon that has guided guests to the popular resort and marina since the 1950s. Revelers can first enjoy dinner at the grill, as well as dancing and snapping shots in a photo booth, and toast the New Year with complimentary champagne. For reservations, call 305-434-9039. For information, visit ,www.facebook.com/ events/436927494701313?ref=newsfeed.

Islamoradas Cheeca Lodge & Spa, mile marker 82 oceanside, also is staging a New Years Eve celebration and midnight fireworks display. Revelers can savor a multi-course gourmet dinner at the flagship Atlantics Edge restaurant while enjoying panoramic ocean views. Live music is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. For more information, costs and reservations (required), call 305-517-4447.

While the festivities outlined here are New Years Eve highlights in the Florida Keys, a roster of Keys holiday activities and other special events can be viewed at http://www.fla-keys.com/calendar/.

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Places across the Keys to ring in 2022 - Key West Florida Weekly

SUDDENLY, its not looking very good for the Prime Minister.

Behind in the polls and his personal standing plummeting.

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Meanwhile, he just suffered a huge act of defiance by 100 of his own back-benchers. Seems theyve had enough of him too.

The latest problem came with his plans for tackling the Omigod! variant of Covid.It is apparently ripping through the population like a Doberman Pinscher through a tin of Pedigree Chum.

Boriss response has been to confuse the bejesus out of people. So, work from home, he says.

But dont forget to attend the office Christmas party! This makes no sense.

Were going to have a nice Christmas, he tells us.

But there are hints that much stricter measures may be just around the corner. A Plan C, apparently.

Listen, Johnson, if its THAT serious, then sod Christmas.

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And here we have the two big problems the stuff which is turning people off BoJo and the Tories very quickly.

First, he is incoherent. He flip-flops from day to day. The measures he introduces sometimes seem contradictory.

According to a Labour MP, one minister said the travel restrictions are useless. But then theres this his other big flaw. He is not how can I put this terribly honest.

He is trying to scare us about Omicron. It is a variant which is very transmissible. Fine, we understand that.

But according to the PM, it is also lethal. One person in the UK has already died with it. But he wont tell us who that person is. Nor how old they are.

And my guess is that this is because the person is indeed very old. And probably with very serious underlying health conditions.

It seems to be the NHS that Boris is trying to protect, rather than us.

Because all the evidence we have so far is that Omicron is much, much milder than the Delta variant and considerably milder than the original virus.

In which case it is scarcely worse than a cold. Maybe a nasty cold.

This seems to tally with official reports from South Africa. There, the hospitalisation rate has been one third lower than with previous mutations of this virus.

Whats more, the rates of infection there are slowing.

Boris is trying to use Omicron as a means to force the reluctant to get vaccinated.But theres a problem here, too. He is telling the unvaccinated that they need a couple of jabs to protect them.

While telling those who have had two jabs that this is nowhere near enough and they need a booster.

This all looks like a Government which is coming apart at the seams.

The backbenchers have no faith in the leadership. Some senior Tories are mumbling that Boris has to go.

They are right, I think. That lethal cocktail of incoherence and dishonesty is destroying a Government which we once had so much faith in.

A Prime Minister who never seems to be actually skippering the ship of state. But letting it drift aimlessly.

The public needs honesty and decisiveness. But those are two things which seem utterly alien to our Prime Minister.

The clock is ticking, Boris.

For your premiership its aboutlet me check my watch two minutes to midnight.

Should I stay or should I go?

IT looks very much like Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John will capture the Christmas No1 spot with their hugely original take on the yuletide single, Merry Christmas.

In it, Mr Sheeran talks about mistletoe, Christmas trees and sitting by a roaring fire.

Although nowhere near as close to it as I would l like him to be.

Luckily, pop-pickers, there are some other lovely tunes in competition with Ed and Elton for that coveted chart-topping slot and, below, Ive come up with some ideas of my own.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Introducing Bojo... & The True Bluenotes

It's not my party (and I'll cry if I want to), Allegra Stratton

The Only Way Is App, Sajid Javid & The Exciters

I enjoyed my Sun columnist mate Jane Moores awards of the year.

Especially Prince Harry The Fresh Prince of Hot Air.

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My hero of the year is another colleague of mine.

A writer called Toby Young.

Now, were some way short of being the closest of friends, me and Tobes.

Never trust a QPR fan, for a start. But less than two years ago he set up the Free Speech Union.

It has been a huge success, fighting the cancel culture.

And sticking up for people persecuted by the woke brigade.

Its an incredible achievement and gives us all a bit of hope while the progressive nutters are doing their stuff.

Kind of hate to say it, Toby but respect.

Meanwhile, my own special award for Privileged Dim Witted Ponce of the Year goes to university drop-out Miles Routledge, aged 21.

He is the dork who had to be airlifted out of Afghanistan at taxpayers expense when the Taliban took over.

Hed travelled there to see what is was like.

Now the drongo is in South Sudan. A country beset by civil war.

No airlift this time, Miles. Hunker down in your mud hut Mummy isnt coming to save you again.

I wonder to what extent political correctness played a part in the horrible death of poor Star Hobson?

Social workers thought relatives were being homophobic when they expressed their concerns.

As it turned out, those worries were absolutely justified.

Political correctness kills.

Well done to American athlete Lia Thomas.

What a swimmer. Keeps smashing all the records for womens swimming.

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Thats because Lia, right, is a bloke. She is a bloke who has transitioned to being a woman. Rivals are not best pleased about it.

But theyre scared to speak for fear of being cancelled.

When will this madness stop?

Remember Geronimo, the alpaca killed by the Government?

They said he had bovine TB. He didnt.

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The final post mortem tests have discovered not even the tiniest trace of bovine TB anywhere within the poor creatures cadaver.

Environment Secretary George Eustice had Geronimo slaughtered, utterly pointlessly, at great expense in order to preserve his appalling badger cull, which has been of questionable success in slowing the spread of the disease.

When this increasingly ridiculous Government insists how enlightened it is on animal rights, remember Geronimo and the badger cull.

Good for Boris! No, dont be daft not that Boris.

I mean Boris the Siberian Eagle Owl.

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He has chewed through his tether and escaped captivity in Hampshire.Been gone a week and his owner is getting worried.

But thats what owls should be doing. Flying around untethered.

His owner reckons he might be on the look out for a quick shag.

Good luck with that, Boris.

I dont think there are many Siberian Eagle Owl babes hanging around Southampton.

Hes nearly 3ft tall and with a 6ft wingspan, by the way.

So if youre out walking in Hampshire with a poodle, keep it on a tight

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Boris Johnson is incoherent, he flip flops from day to day and his measures are contradictory... - The US Sun

In the upside-down world alternate universe created by Fox News,"real Americans" are under siege in "their owncountry" from nonwhite, non-English-speaking immigrants, Black and brown people more generally, and street violence orchestrated by antifa, the Black Lives Mattermovement and other bogeymen

America's suburbsare being overrun by criminals (understood by default to be Black or brown), and patriotic Americans face relentless censorship and discrimination from the forces of "wokeness." Teachers and activistsare spreading "critical race theory" in public schools, devoted tobrainwashing white children into self-hatred.

"Socialism" is running amok and destroying America. Gay menand lesbians have ruined the institution of marriage, and trans people are sexual deviants who loiterin public bathrooms seeking to molest children or, more to the point,seduce trueAmerican heterosexual manly men.

"Political correctness" is taking away (white) people's freedoms and oppressing them. Christmas is being destroyed. America's "Christian values" and origins are being disrespected. The country's pristine history asa "Christiannation" and the shining city on the hillare being "canceled" by leftist scolds,the 1619 Project and otherAmerica-haters."Western civilization" (meaning some imaginaryversion of what used to be called Christendom) facesexistential danger.

RELATED:'Tis the season, once again: Evangelicals must save Christmas from an imaginary enemy

Social scientists and other researchers have repeatedly documented thatFox News viewers know less about empirical reality and current events than people who do not consume any news at all.

In the Age of Trump and America's crisis of democracy, matters have growneven more dire: Those who live in the Fox News universe (and that of the larger right-wing media)are also much more likely to believe in the Big Lie that Donald Trump "won" the 2020 election, that Joe Biden is a usurper, that theterrorists who attempted to overthrow democracy on Jan. 6 are patriots, and that violence in defense of "traditional Americanvalues"is legitimate and necessary.

Fox News takes thesociopathic values and policies of the Trump-ruled Republican Party, and the even darker currents below those,and seeks towhitewashthem into normal and even idealistic political positions.As such, Fox News can legitimately be considereda public menace and a danger to America's collective safety and sanity.

In a recent conversation with Salon, documentary filmmaker and author Jen Senko discussed how Fox News is destroying families and other personal relationships:

A woman recently shared with me how her husband was a good, sweet guy and a really quiet person. Right before Trump ran for office and became president, he started watching Fox News and his personality completely changed. He would yell at her and their child more. He would criticize her, his wife, because she was a Democrat,yell at her, yell at her kid, start criticizing her. The husband was becoming emotionally abusive.

The woman who reached out to me was afraid that it was going to traumatize her child and that she mighthave to leave her husband. She was really sad about it because she had once been very much in love with him.

Another person who contacted me lost several members of her family to COVID. Her father still wouldn't get the vaccine. He got COVID, and still wouldn't get the vaccine or said he wouldn't and he died because Tucker Carlson and other people on Fox Newswere telling people like him not to get vaccinated.

I think they're in a trance. They are definitely not awake. They're almost on autopilot. They are going to accept anything they are told by Fox.

RELATED:Jen Senko on how Fox News brainwashed her dad and is prepping its audience for fascism

It hardly needs sayingthat there is no real "news" seen on Fox News although some in America's political and media classes still pretend otherwise, for a range of personal and professional reasons. Chris Wallace's recent announcement that he is leaving Fox News after 18 years will be greeted by the mainstream media as another sign that "respectable Republicans" are turning against the fascist insurgency and that a "civil war" is raging on the right. In fact, Wallace and other"old school" reporters at Fox News have largely served as beards, lendingcover and legitimacy to the channel'spropaganda operation..

Many outsiders to Fox News, who still live in normal society,cannot navigate or decipher the power that Fox News holds over its public and the larger right-wing political cult. For that we have Andrew Lawrence,a senior researcher at Media Matters and a professional guide to the Fox News universe, who told me that he watches the channel so others don't have to.

In our recentconversation, Lawrence explained howFox News functions inthe Republican anti-democracy movement, and how its programs usefear,repetition and lies to condition its viewers into compliance, submission and a constant state of anxiety.Healso discussed the role of white supremacy and white victimology in the Fox News universe, and in particular specifically thelarger narrative being offered by Tucker Carlson and other highly-rated Fox news prime-time hosts.

Toward the end of this conversation, Lawrence offers his advice on how media consumers can leadhealthier and more balanced livesin this timeof 24/7 news coverage, an escalating democracy crisisand what feels like a never-ending torrent ofexistential danger.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Given American's escalating democracy crisis, how are you feeling? How doyou makesense of this constant deluge of events?

There's been so much and there continues to be so much happening. It is day after day after day. It can be overwhelming. The whole situation can be depressing. I watch Fox News so that other people don't have to.

There are little blips of good news here and there. It's not all doom and gloom, but watching the things that we watch every single night at Media Matters is hard. We don't just look at Fox News we go into the worst parts of the internet and keep tabs on extremist groups as well.

The right-wing attacks on democracy, to me, are entirelypredictable. To cite one obvious example, the Jan.6 coup attempt and attack on the Capitol was announced publicly in advance. There was no surprise, yet there is an entire media class that pretends to be shockedby the obvious. As someone whotracksright-wing media for a living, how do you make sense of this pattern?

I was recently thinking about the El Paso Walmart shooting. It was inspired by all this Fox News right-wing talk about an "invasion" along the Southern border from Latin and South America. The El Paso shooter put out a manifesto. Here at Media Matters we went back and looked at how many times Fox News had mentionedan "invasion."

RELATED:El Paso is the best of America. No wonder a white nationalist terrorist attacked it

Another example is how you can go all the way back to George Tiller,an abortion doctor who was murdered,and how Bill O'Reilly was labeling him "George Tiller the Baby Killer."This happened right up until hiskilling. There was ashooting at Planned Parenthood in Colorado, whenFox News was reporting that they were selling baby parts.

You have the invasion rhetoric. You have Tree of Life Synagogue [in Pittsburgh], where the shooter was a guy who thought George Soros was funding migrant "caravans," which was another main talking point on Fox News. There is inspiration for these events coming from right-wing media talking points, over and over and over again. It leads to serious acts of violence.

Jan.6 is another example where there wasa mob of people swarming the Capitol and Fox News hosts were treating it like a college football game in how they were hyping it up beforehand.

You said you watch Fox News so other people don't have to. Why are their viewers so dedicated?

What Fox News is doing is capitalizing on fear, more than anything. That is theformula for keeping their viewers enraged and engaged. Using the COVID vaccine as an example,Fox News understands that their audience has a distrust in the government and some type of "they" who, in their minds, hold power and are controlling things. Fox News leverages that more than anything else. What I have realized, especially over the last sixmonths, is that Fox News is just a grift.

They're just grifting their viewers and they're going to say anything that they have to in order to keep eyeballs on their station for as long as they can. Fox News will say whatever they need to in the exact moment necessary to tell their audience what it needs to hear to keep watching

What are the long-term themes that Fox News is emphasizing in the Age of Trump?

The main theme on Fox News right now is that the only racism that exists is racismagainst white people. "They" are coming for white people. It's a constant theme throughout the network. I would say Tucker Carlson is a little bit more upfront about it. He'll do segments on supposed anti-white policies.

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You can see this common thread right now running through nearly every segment that Fox News does, which is that white people are in danger and that theyare coming for you. I would say that is the main theme, more than anything. That's what keeps the viewers' eyeballs on the network all day, every day.

I focus on the prime-time Fox News shows and personalities. Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity in particular, they'll say things you won't hear on any other network. Why? Because what they are saying is not true.

For example, they claim that the COVID vaccine has killed tens of thousands of people. Fox News is the only place where you are going to hear such a thing. Fox News viewers then start to think, "If I'm not watching this show every single night, then I could die.It's life or death, if I watch this show or not, because they're the only ones whoare going to tell me that the vaccine is killing people." Or Fox News is the only one that's going to claimthat major cities are in complete ruins right now, and if I go there I might die. Fox News and their hosts are the only onestelling me that Cory Booker is coming for the suburbs. Those kinds of stories are whatkeeps the majority ofFox News viewers plugged in every single night.

What is the world like, according to Fox News and its viewers?

The world that they're living in is just constant fear. It is a constant theme of "They are coming for you."Black Lives Matter protesters are comingto yoursuburbs. They're going to be marching down your street. They're coming for your history. They're coming for your Confederate statues.

On a recent show, Tucker Carlson said that the government may force conservatives to take psychotropic drugs because they don't like their ideas. What is happening is supposedly a civilizational battle. It is always a battle for what they describe as "Western civilization."It's always just teetering on the razor's edge. "They" are about to win. They're going to take everything that's American from youand civilization, as we know it, is going to end.

Apocalypse is a constant theme on Fox News, all the time. I believed that, eventually, when the apocalypse didn't come, when Joe Biden didn't round people up and put them into FEMA camps, Fox News would stop with that story and would lose viewers from a lack of interest. That did not happen. The viewers just need more of it.

Tucker Carlson and Fox News recently featured a three-part series about Jan. 6 and the aftermath called "Patriot Purge."It was a masterful and dangerous example of fascist propaganda. Joseph Goebbels would have approved. What was your reaction?

It was sickening. Watching Tucker's series, it felt like something from a fictional movie, a dystopian movie where fascism has taken over the United States. Much of that "Patriot Purge" series was meant to whitewash white supremacy.

One of Tucker's biggest themes is that white supremacy doesn't exist. There's no such thing. When there is any criticism of white supremacy, Tucker tells his audience that is a criticism of all Republicans and all conservatives.

There is no connection between the truth and Tucker's Patriot Purge series. He features some of the most extreme actors tied to Jan.6and introduces them to the audience as though they are sympathetic characters, which in turn is getting the viewers fired up.

Fox News is the center of a much larger right-wing propaganda machine and echo chamber. How does it work?

Let's focus on "critical race theory" as an example. That came up out of nowhere.Nobody was talking about critical race theory before Fox News and Tucker Carlson and the right-wing political activists and strategists started talking about it.

They begin by saying that critical race theory is a huge problem. They say that people are pissed off about it. Fox News viewers are enraged, so they start going to school board meetings and yelling about their version of something called critical race theory which is not being taught in these schools. But they're very upset about it. Fox News starts interviewing these people and calls them parents, even though the majority of them are Republican operatives.

RELATED:"Critical race theory" is a fairytale but America's monsters are real

It is all one big circle and feedback loop. Now you're sitting there as a viewer and you're saying, "Wow, these parents, they have kids in these schools. They're furious." And it just goes round and round and round again like that.

As for the right-wing media echo system and the bubble that they are in, there is nothing like it on the left. Fox News did some 1,900 segments on critical race theory. That goes out to other right-wing websites and personalities on social media who will take themessage and make it go viral. They will hammer on a topic for months at a time if they need to.

These people are just making so much money offthis stuff. There is just so much money to be made in conservative media right now. There is no equivalent on the left.

Another aspect of this echo chamber and loop is how they all just talk amongst themselves. Then the message starts to get out. There are people who do not watch the news, but they see it on television in the gym and that's how they get their information. Then what they see on Fox News is a huge problem and a crisis. Or they just see a Facebook post from one of their friends who heard something. That is how these "controversies" startto break out of the right-wing bubble and into the mainstream.

There are supposed liberals and progressives who will appear onFox News. Their logic is that they will somehow win over or convince Fox News viewers to analternative point of view by providing the truth. What are your thoughts?

All that liberals are doing when they go on the channelis to givethe Fox News PR team a talking point: "We're reasonable. We'll bring on anybody." I think it's extremely damaging. I thinkit gives Fox News people a credibility that they don't deserve. During the 2020 campaign, Bernie Sanders did a town hall on Fox News and he got a standing ovation for his comments about Medicare for All. It was a big deal at the time and got lots of attention. The narrative was, "Oh, wow. Look at what he accomplished. Look at what he exposed all these Fox News viewers to."That was true in that exact moment. But then what Fox News focused on from the town hall was how Bernie Sanders made some comment about raising taxes.

Fox News trapped him: Allthey talked about was Bernie Sanders wanting to raise taxes. They didn't bring up the Medicare for All again. But that was one instance, for one moment. He didn't convince any Fox News viewers to support Medicare for All because after that, Fox News hosts and alltheir other guests Ted Cruz andeverybody else they bring on is just hammeringhow universal health care is really socialism, and somehow that is going to be the end of America.

It's impossible to convince Fox News viewers to change their beliefs. Fox News has spent 25 years telling their audience, "We are the only ones that you can trust. Literally, everyone else is lying to you. We're the only ones you can trust." That has paid huge dividends.

What is the role of Fox News in America's democracy crisis?

They are the leaders. They're not just leading it, they're pushing for it. They want this type of division because they know it's good for ratings, because they know it keeps eyeballs on their network.

You watch Fox News for a living and take on allthat stress and misery. What advice do you have for those Americans who are exhausted by the right-wing assaultand by this never-ending torrent of bad news and the resulting feelings of doom? How do you stay level?

I'm very lucky. I'm very privileged. I grew up in a middle-class family. I'm white and straight. For me, I try to completely disassociate when I can and when it makes sense. I'm not saying don't stay involved, but ifthis is all you're doing and all you're thinking about is politics and current events24/7, you're going to be miserable because there's so much awfulness out there. At some point you have to realize that you're just one person and you're doing everything you can. I try to embrace what is good out there as much as I possibly can when I'm not working, and when I'm not sitting there furious at my television.

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This man lives in the paranoid alternate universe of Fox News so you don't have to - Salon

With President Joe Bidens approval rating down to 36 percent, he is now more unpopular than his two predecessors ever were in office.

But, beyond politics, the very idea of America is losing luster. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (and rising) believe their country is not headed in the right direction. For decades, it was assumed America is the place to be an entrepreneur. The U.S. economy was synonymous with the American Dream. No longer. Upward mobility may be more alive in Canada than in America.

Indeed, upward mobility has been disincentivized, while the climbers are punished for daring to succeed. Government benefits are plentiful, while taxing the rich is the easiest refrain in politics. Under Bidens Build Back Better plan, the average top tax rate on personal income would reach 57.4 percent in the United Statesthe highest rate in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). All 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., would impose top tax rates on personal income exceeding 50 percent.

Todays experiment in Big Government wont end well for the United States. But it will make entrepreneurs, investors, and other wealthy Americans reconsider their place in the world and reevaluate their optionsand thats a good thing. Countries should compete for residents. If people arent treated well in one country, why shouldnt they go where theyre treated better?

People with means ultimately go where theyre treated best, and Americans are reaping the benefits of globalization more than ever before. From Croatia to the Caribbean, digital nomads across the socioeconomic spectrum are leaving one lifestyle for a better one.

As an offshore consultant who guides clients to where theyre treated best, I regularly advise high-net-worth individuals on second citizenship and residences. And, in recent months, I have seen a 300 percent increase in wealthy Americans seeking better tax climates and brighter futures. They have had enough of 50 percent tax rates.

While tax policy is a top complaint, there are other gripes. One is woke culture, which tightens the parameters of free speech and forces people into submission through political correctness. In a world of seemingly endless cancellations and contrived apologies, the First Amendment is under attack from all sides, while its public defenders are fewer and farther between.

Put it all together, and the result is a less appealing America to those with options. Other than patriotism and personal allegiance, why should a New York entrepreneur remain in a city with rising crime and legal drug injection sites? Why put up with constantly changing COVID-19 policies in Washington, D.C., when foreign governments may be more transparent? Why stick with 50 percent tax rates when tax climates are better in dozens of Asian, European, and South American countries?

I have lived in dozens of countries around the world, and its reassuring to escape the radical Lefts grasp abroad. In some Eastern European countries, wokism doesnt even exist. Politics isnt a fact of everyday life. People treat each other like human beings, not Twitter bots. In many Latin American countries, you can live more affordably and retain your individualismfree from government overreach. The same goes for certain Asian countries that continue to value entrepreneurship and upward mobilitywith no disincentives, no punishments.

This is not to be alarmist for alarmisms sake. But Americans need to ask themselves, and they are: Am I treated well here? Can I live better elsewhere?

With each passing day, more and more Americans are rethinking the meaning of home. The ongoing exodus to Florida is a perfect example. If people can move from New York to the Sunshine State for a better tax climate and brighter future, why cant they move abroad too?

They can, and they are. The American exodus is here to stay and growing by the day.

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In Biden's America, Americans Should Go Where They're Treated Best InsideSources - InsideSources

Will the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade? No U.S. president since Warren Harding has left such a huge thumbprint on the Supreme Court in such a short time as former President Donald Trump. The three people he picked to serve on the court are conservative products of my generation.

That means their formative thinking occurred in the 1980s. Its hard to explain to younger people today, who live in a more distracted and diverse America, just how dominant conservative thinking was in the 1980s. And just how enthusiastic people were about President Ronald Reagans sunny vision of America; all those Christmas-toy-town-on-a-chocolate-box feelings he stirred up.

In fact, conservative thinking was so dominant that liberal theory was essentially nonexistent in the 1980s. It would return in the 1990s with globalization, identity politics and political correctness, but during the 1980s, liberalism was a desert.

Morality was the keyword for 1980s conservatives. There was a set of essential values that ordered society, and conservatives were uniquely positioned to plug into them: good people were conservative. In reality, I believe they turned out to be bad-tempered crusaders with lurid vices, which separated them from older conservatives, who were very well-mannered and deeply circumspect, and who liked being thought of as respectable.

In the 1980s, conservatives moral certitude was a reaction against the moral relativism and situational ethics of 1970s liberalism. Roe v. Wade was the prime example for 1980s conservatives of a decision reached through the lens of situational ethics.

Trumps Supreme Court picks are 1980s conservatives, who are still optimistic in that Reagan way.

Matthew Atlee

Lancaster

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Reaganism and Roe v. Wade (letter) | Letters To The Editor | lancasteronline.com - LNP | LancasterOnline

Spoiler alert. This column runs the serious risk of not being politically correct. Just read or rip it up, but dont send me emails telling me that I am an insensitive lout who doesnt get it.

It turns out, no surprise, that humor in the workplace (not the wokeplace) is serious business. Two Stanford professors, Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, actually teach a course on the subject. They say, humor is an under-leveraged superpower in business.

Cue laugh track here.

When it comes to coaching CEOs, I am a strong advocate for a few things. First, a few years of psychotherapy would certainly do no harm. Second, taking some classes in improvisation could be very helpful. Everyone thinks they can think on their feet, but most of us are wearing two left shoes (high heels included) and it is a studied art. It can be learned, and it is powerful, but it is not the natural default.

And finally, learning to laugh at yourself is an excellent first assignment. Telling a joke is hard to do well, making people feel at ease with a humorous turn of phrase takes practice, and creating comfortable humor in the workplace without getting sued or fired is, at the moment, very challenging.

Many studies show with absolute certainty, if you laugh, you will live longer. Chuckling only adds a few years; you need to let it out loud.

Bagdonas says, Laughing actually changes the chemistry of our brains, making us more creative, bonded and resilient. She says that humor is an elixir for trust and an antidote to arrogance. But what I think is funny may not match what you think. And the dark but true side is that humor has at its core the concepts of irreverence, making fun of and causing some level of embarrassment. Someone or something gets called out. Whether it is Bill Maher, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, Larry David, Dave Chappelle. They all leverage some unspoken rules that put us on the side of we get it, and some of that getting it is stereotypical and racist and rude.

A recent Curb Your Enthusiasm episode has a scene with two Black men feeling good about themselves and their desire to eat watermelon. I assure you this was both funny and offensive at the same time. Consider the ground-breaking sitcom, All In The Family. Archie Bunker was hilarious and outrageous and insulted every ethnic category, but at its core, and this is crucial, while we laughed at one moment, in the next, the humor also enlightened and made us more aware of our own bigotries.

Now in 2021, it seems that we are tipping (in my humble opinion) to the other end of the scale, where even knock-knock jokes are suspect in the workplace or in the public square. One of the unintended consequences of cancel culture and political correctness is that the lack of laughter actually impacts your happiness.

Bagdonas and Aaker play it safe and obvious. They say, never punch down or make fun of someone of lower status. No argument there, but that does limit some of your best shots on goal. Finding just the right edge of humor to balance on is the whole game.

Seriously folks, (that is a trick word, designed to let you get away with a barb and then take it back at the same time), you cannot demean or humiliate, and for a complete list of forbiddens, consult your mother or your HR director.

But, if a CEO/leader can find that small space (a lot smaller than it used to be) to stand where he or she can engage the team with humor, where a shared laugh breeds community and collegiality, and finally, where the humor increases the humanity of the recipients, then that is the right stuff. The best humor can ease an awkward pain and create a shared bond.

It is proven that physical laughter decreases stress hormones, increases immune cells, releases endorphins and creates infection-fighting antibodies. So, my next company is going to make a medical device that uses artificial intelligence to channel Groucho Marx and is embedded in your frontal cortex so that in moments of stress, if you say the magic word, the duck will come down and give you $50.

Rule No. 692: Quack, quack.

Neil Senturia is a serial entrepreneur who invests in early stage technology companies. You can hear his weekly podcast on innovation and entrepreneurship at http://www.imthereforyoubaby.com. Please email ideas to Neil at neil@blackbirdv.com.

Link:

Levity and laughter for leaders: Why we still need a sense of humor in the workplace - The San Diego Union-Tribune

As Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi fills out his recently installed ultra-conservative administration, a prominent Tehran university is supplying the lions share of top and mid-ranking appointments marking a notable reversal of the previous Rouhani administrations preference for Western university graduates.

Named after the sixth Shia Imam, Imam Sadiq University (ISU) was established in 1982 with the mission of synthesizing Islamic sciences and conventional humanities and bridging the gap between academic institutions and religious seminaries.

In Irans official lexicon that means instilling Islamic themes in university syllabi taught by professors who predominantly remain secular-minded. The universitys broader, unvoiced agenda is to train generation after generation of Islamic Republic officials with strong ideological credentials.

The new minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare; minister of economic affairs and finance; vice-president for parliamentary affairs; chief of staff of the president; governor of the Central Bank of Iran; head of the Securities and Exchange Organization; head of the Iranian National Tax Administration and the head of Administrative and Recruitment Organization all hail from ISU, either as alumni or former faculty members.

Moreover, several high-ranking officials including deputy ministers and governors also have ties with the university. Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy foreign minister and lead nuclear negotiator steering the byzantine talks with world powers to resurrect the same Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, which he once publicly mocked as a failed marriage, is perhaps the most notable public figure prepped by ISU.

Kani is in hot water for some of his controversial statements in recent weeks, his lack of foreign policy qualifications and protocol knowledge, his inability to communicate in English as Irans senior JCPOA negotiator and several diplomatic faux pas including attending a meeting with the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Sohail Mahmood in Islamabad while the flag of Iran was upside down on the meeting table.

Although Iranians dont expect President Raisi to assign reform-minded or progressive politicians to senior executive positions, which would discount his own conservative credentials, many worry that giving a large number of ministerial and top-tier government seats to the affiliates of a specific ultra-conservative university could jeopardize the nations underlying political philosophy and direction.

In the run-up to the June 2021 presidential election, when a slate of distinguished reformist and moderate candidates were disqualified by the Guardian Council to pave the way for Raisis easy win, whispers about Iran becoming a one-party state began to spread far and wide.

Raisi has since tried to dispel those concerns by pledging not to base his decisions on partisan considerations, familial connections or with an eye on making Iran a more securitized society.

Now, four months after his inauguration, Raisi is floundering to credibly counter allegations of nepotism, cronyism and militarizing domestic politics by outsourcing his administrations elite jobs to mainly ISU grads.

In a December 7 ceremony on national students day hosted by Sharif University of Technology that Raisi visited to make a speech and listen to select students, Mohammad Hossein Bayat, the representative of an Islamic student association, grilled the president for bringing together the most securitized cabinet of the Islamic Republic by appointing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps generals to each and every administration position.

The outspoken student didnt specifically mention the bloated role of ISU affiliates in Raisis cabinet, but intoned the president was the outcome of the most uncompetitive election of the history of the Islamic Republic with the lowest turnout and has since generously awarded each sector of government to one of the corrupt or incompetent gangs of power and wealth.

In a speech to a November 2 parliamentary session, Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash, a conservative MP, warned Raisi of an atmosphere of disillusionment in Iranian society, saying, excessive reliance on a limited group of the alumni of Imam Sadiq University at the major administrative levels in the country has overshadowed the name of this dear and infallible Imam in society.

The Shazand district MP also pilloried Raisis administration as a government of the besotted an implicit reference to acolytes who paid unconditional homage to him to become top officials and asked him if there is a dearth of academic and political luminaries in the country which handicapped the president from picking proper statesmen.

The rare remarks by a traditionalist lawmaker put a spotlight on the internal divisions among hardline factions that Raisi has tried to contain since assuming power.

Jamsheed Choksy, distinguished professor at the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, says cynical reactions to Raisis overreach to Imam Sadiq University reflect concern even within the Islamic Republics ruling class that a more hardcore radical faction is consolidating power and could hold on to their gains, once current Supreme Leader Khamenei passes, through elevating the current president, who also is seen as the frontrunner, to lifetime appointment at the pinnacle of the theocracy.

Clearly that university and its alumni network benefit much from the institutions selecting and training of current and future generations of upper bureaucrats and clerical and non-clerical leaders of the government.

Those individuals within the regime who are part of the universitys network benefit as well through increased influence, authority, resources and appointment to elite offices, including Raisi himself, he added.

To be sure, that a certain university is reserved for educating future leaders or diplomats for a country is not a peculiarity. In the United States, for example, Georgetown University fulfills an almost similar function.

But the fact that ISU is emerging as the main recruiting ground for Raisi government politicos is raising concerns due to the nature of the atypical educational center.

In Irans bustling capital Tehran, where resistance to government-imposed cultural dogmas is more prevalent, ISU is one of a handful of gender-segregated universities where males and females study on separate campuses.

ISU faculty aversion to what they often call Westoxified humanities has culminated in ferocious and often fruitless debates about the Islamic worlds civilizational clash with the West. Some of the nations most diehard religious preachers, meanwhile, find the university mosque a receptive pulpit for their often fiery, socially polarizing sermons.

Although ISUs leadership has constantly comprised fundamentalist seminarians, including several family members of the late jurist Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani, who was the universitys founder and chancellor until 2014, some observers and experts say it still promotes a culture of debate.

The quality of education at this graduate school is high for two reasons. First, they have always been well-funded given their agenda for training the cadre elite of the state bureaucracy. The second reason is the relatively open academic atmosphere, said Ahmad Sadri, James P Gorter chair of Islamic world studies and professor of sociology at Lake Forest College in the United States.

They have consistently employed highly qualified professors who were either unable to gain posts at regular universities or were expelled from them. Inspired by the tradition of debate in seminaries and the closeness of the university to the center of power, one witnesses more diversity of opinion and less political correctness at Imam Sadiq, he told Asia Times.

Still, observers say the rising political domination of ISU associates and alumni is an unprecedented if not curious phenomenon. And not all believe that this couldnt have been expected or speaks to a sweeping change in Iranian governance or statecraft.

Rather than think of Imam Sadiq or these past organizations as a cause of radical change in the regime, I find it more helpful to consider the Islamic Republic as perpetually in need of reproducing its elite and it has to do so without a party, as is the case with China, or a royal family, as is the case with a monarchy, said Arang Keshavarzian, associate professor and chair of the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University.

Keshavarzian says that for the Iranian establishment to continue functioning it needs to replace the personnel running the state to cope with turnover resulting from purges and factional rivalries. Yet, there are questions about why each new president finds it necessary to reshuffle the previous administrations personnel with a new corps when they are all vetted trustees of the revolution.

Clearly there is a lack of trust and deep factional cleavages but also a lot is at stake personally and in terms of policy, and Raisi feels compelled to turn to the graduates and faculty of Imam Sadiq to try and impose his will on the apparatus of the state and society, he added.

Sociologist Sadri says hardliner efforts to ultimately usurp power are paying off, and this will wipe out the last remnants of democratic representation: Religious conservatives wish to monopolize the administrative posts. The game of push and pull between the hard, theocratic center on one side and the democratic institutions, parliament and presidency that reflect the increasingly disenchanted population has ended, he said.

Follow Kourosh Ziabari on Twitter at @KZiabari

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The uny filling the ranks of Raisi's hard-line regime - Asia Times