What's in the News? 2.0

[Saria]

So, just because some women don't want their men to defend them and find it demeaning does not mean all women feel the same. For all we know, Jada likes Will protecting and defending her.  Personally, I find it refreshing to see a husband stepping up to shield his wife from humiliation.  Notice everyone is discussing Will's actions and not joking about Jada being bald? He took the attention off of her.  Besides, black women are not protected enough so I do appreciate seeing one getting that protection.

And for the record, Will has said he was wrong for the violence and that it is inexcusable.

I repeat: If a woman asks a man to defend her, protect her, shield her—however you want to word it (though I would point out that none of those words really covers what Will Smith did; Jada Pinkett Smith was in no danger; that was not “protection”, that was vengeance)—that’s a completely different scenario.

But if Will took it upon himself, without Jada’s express consent, to assault another person because he thought—as the comment I was replying to described—that that is what a man is “supposed” to do, and otherwise he will look “cowardly”, then that is absolutely demeaning her. It doesn’t matter how anyone feels about it. It is literally, by the dictionary definition of the word, demeaning her. It is making his reputation primary, and placing her feelings and desires below his own, or not at all (for example, in the comment I was replying to, not a single word was spent in consideration for the woman’s feelings).

And by the way, I am a woman of colour, and I do not appreciate that kind of “protection”. Whatever kind of “protection” I may be lacking, I can assure you it doesn’t include men deciding to assault people in my name, thank you very much. (I’m also more than a little flabbergasted to see this spun as “good for black women” but whatever.)

[ShadowFox89]

And how do you know there wasn't a conversation made earlier between the two where Jada said "dont let anyone bring up the hair"?

You don't. You can't unless you have some secret insider knowledge into the Smiths. Stop speculating.

On to more pressing news (if this topic continues for another page can the mods please force it off into its own thread), Russia is making claims of de-escalation while a former US president is again trying for black mail on Bidens son. This is like some stupid USA series that just won't have its series finale.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/29/trump-putin-hunter-biden-00021223
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/29/putin-biden-russia-ukraine-deescalation-00021395

[Saria]

And how do you know there wasn't a conversation made earlier between the two where Jada said "dont let anyone bring up the hair"?

You don't. You can't unless you have some secret insider knowledge into the Smiths. Stop speculating.

I repeat yet again: if Jada did ask for the slap, that’s an entirely different situation.

How many more times am I gong to have to repeat that?

[Mechelle]

There have been a few things in Britain over the last two days which people might find interesting.

Firstly, yesterday was the memorial service of the Duke of Edinburgh. There was a lot of uncertainty as to whether or not the Queen would be fit enough to attend, but she was able to do so. However, she was accompanied and supported to her seat by the disgraced Prince Andrew, supposedly her favourite child, who took a very high profile role. I can certainly appreciate him wanting to mourn his father, although he has also retired from public life - he might think this is just a temporary intermission.

The day before the Duke of Edinburgh's actual funeral, members of staff at 10 Downing Street were busy partying, and some have now been fined for breach of lockdown rules. The Conservatives had a team building exercise which included a boozy dinner last night.  There was a quiet demonstration by people who had lost relatives to Covid during the pandemic outside, which was ignored by those attending the dinner, who walked past and did not engage.

At the dinner, Boris  Johnson began by making a wisecrack taking the piss out of trans people and the Labour Party. Today, though, a Conservative MP, Jamie Wallis, has come out as trans, or as somebody who would like to be trans, and talked of a blackmail and rape ordeal. He (still his preferred pronoun, he has said, incidentally) has received support from all sides in the House of Commons. He was present at the dinner when Johnson made his joke.

[Tolvo]

https://www.vice.com/en/article/dypjmm/lgbtq-safe-to-be-me

The UK LGBTQ Safe to Be Me event is having difficulty finding any sponsors for it's event. Many companies have pulled out of the event citing the UK governments extreme anti-LGBTQIA+ history in recent times, mainly transphobia. Some rganizers are hoping the event falls through as they feel it is just pinkwashing and the event is without any sponsors at all just months before the event.

[RedRose]

Good luck for this to stop. https://gettotext.com/deemed-too-restless-a-little-girl-is-taped-to-her-canteen-chair-by-the-service-agents/

[Blythe]

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/fox-news-hires-caitlyn-jenner-as-contributor-and-commentator/2752073/

On the one hand, this made me double-take and wonder if Fox really did hire her. On the other hand, I'm also kind of not surprised and it makes a certain sense for Fox, given Ms. Jenner's unsuccessful (though quite visible) forays into politics but also given her general celebrity status.

Now I'm torn. I sort of want to watch just to see how she does but that would require watching Fox News, which I just plain don't like. :/

[Tolvo]

I feel like it's best to just not put yourself through that pain especially as it probably be her sharing a lot of her homophobic views on Fox. And being a trans voice they can use to hurt us while she makes money and gets connections.

[Oniya]

I feel like it's best to just not put yourself through that pain especially as it probably be her sharing a lot of her homophobic views on Fox. And being a trans voice they can use to hurt us while she makes money and gets connections.

This was about my take on it.  (Replacing 'us' with 'y'all'.)  I've seen her comment on trans youths in sports - which was kinda horrible. 

[TheGlyphstone]

I was dead certain that was an April Fools joke. I'm still not convinced otherwise...

[Sara Nilsson]

I am not surprised.

For Fox its a perfect.. see we are not bigots we hired a transwoman!

As for Caitlin, well she has always been conservative so.. *shrugs*

[Twisted Crow]

I don't really get the chance to talk to any folk in the trans- community that have very many conservative views. I'm kinda curious as to the 'why' and 'how' of it for them, though.

[TheGlyphstone]

https://apnews.com/article/amazon-union-vote-staten-island-34a656411e0e2ba4eeedccaaac34e62b

The workers at an Amazon warehouse in NY managed to successfully unionize themselves.

[Tolvo]

I don't really get the chance to talk to any folk in the trans- community that have very many conservative views. I'm kinda curious as to the 'why' and 'how' of it for them, though.

I  can't speak for your average person fitting this criteria, but for Caitlyn Jenner for instance she is rich and famous. That can be a big factor among those who are more prominent trans republicans is that it fits their financial and power incentives.

[Oniya]

I  can't speak for your average person fitting this criteria, but for Caitlyn Jenner for instance she is rich and famous. That can be a big factor among those who are more prominent trans republicans is that it fits their financial and power incentives.

There was a guy they used to trot out as the 'conservative gay Republican' - Milo something-or-other?  Brain is saying that the surname sounded Greek.  Used to see references to him a lot on social media until suddenly he wasn't useful enough for them - or possibly had too much other baggage.  Among the things that sticks in my head was that he was banned from a furry convention.

[TheGlyphstone]

There was a guy they used to trot out as the 'conservative gay Republican' - Milo something-or-other?  Brain is saying that the surname sounded Greek.  Used to see references to him a lot on social media until suddenly he wasn't useful enough for them - or possibly had too much other baggage.  Among the things that sticks in my head was that he was banned from a furry convention.

Milo Yiannopoulos. He was gay until it stopped being financially useful to him (right after he lost all his credibility for being pro-paedophilia), then he claimed to have been pretending the whole time.

[Oniya]

Hadn't heard about the statement that he was faking it.  Like I said, he kind of disappeared.  Literally the only reason I remembered his first name was because it reminded me of The Phantom Toolbooth.

[Deamonbane]

Milo Yiannopoulos says he is ‘ex-gay,’ wants to rehabilitate ‘conversion therapy’

https://www.thedailybeast.com/milo-yiannopoulos-desperately-declares-himself-ex-gay-says-his-new-mission-is-conversion-therapy

Can't find any mention of it in the more reliable news sites tho.

[TheGlyphstone]

Hadn't heard about the statement that he was faking it.  Like I said, he kind of disappeared.  Literally the only reason I remembered his first name was because it reminded me of The Phantom Toolbooth.

I could be misremembering that bit, I just have a vague memory of him saying something to the tune of he only said it to troll liberals who couldn't believe in a gay conservative speaker.

[Oniya]

Ah, the J/K LOL method of losing an argument.

[RedRose]

He's not gay anymore?? Ok... I knew someone who knew him (online)

[VermilionPrincess]

There was a guy they used to trot out as the 'conservative gay Republican' - Milo something-or-other?  Brain is saying that the surname sounded Greek.  Used to see references to him a lot on social media until suddenly he wasn't useful enough for them - or possibly had too much other baggage.  Among the things that sticks in my head was that he was banned from a furry convention.

I watched his career end pretty much live on a you-tube stream. He was pretty much saying some pro-paedophilia stuff. Just because the stream is called "The Drunken Peasants" does not mean you need to be dunk when you're on it.
They still brag about it now I think. 

[Beorning]

In Poland-related news...

Oh, for crying out: the PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński (AKA the self-proclaimed Saviour of Poland) once again started claiming that the 2010 Smoleńsk plane crash was an act of assassination. In fact, yesterday he openly stated that it is certain that Russia was behind it.

Le me reiterate: the guy who is Poland's Deputy PM and the actual (if unofficial) ruler of the country openly accuses Russia of assassinating the Polish President in 2010 (along with 95 other people).

People are already asking if this means we're now going to expel the Russian ambassador and demand Putin to be prosecuted for the 2010 crash? Because these are the things to do, if Kaczyński actually means what he claims to believe...

Anyway: way to go, Mr. Saviour. Using the Russia-Ukraine war and the actual Russian atrocities to push the old conspiracy nonsense...

(sorry I have no English link yet. I'll post as soon as something appears)

[Mechelle]

Quite a development in British politics today as Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have all been fined for breaches of their own lockdown laws during a party for Johnson's 56th birthday at 10 Downing Street. There are a number of more serious allegations still to come, but this was a breach of the laws which Johnson had personally introduced and he is the first ever Prime Minister to have committed a criminal offence while in office.

What does this mean for the future? I think Johnson will survive for now as not enough Conservative MPs are prepared to send in a letter indicating no confidence in him, and indeed claim that it would be wrong to do so while we are "at war" in Ukraine. I recall though that Chamberlain was replaced by Churchill actually during the Second World War.
Sunak is very unhappy as there have been questions asked about his tax affairs, possibly prompted by Johnson allies, where he and his wife seemed to be British, Indian or American as it suited, and there were serious thoughts that he might resign, which would have really harmed Johnson's position, but he has decided against that for now.
The next step is the local elections which come early in May. Although the opposition parties have called for Johnson to resign, I think they secretly regard his continuing presence as a vote winner. If they do have bad election results, the Conservatives are ruthless in getting rid of their leaders - they even got rid of Margaret Thatcher when she had not lost a national election.
This post may become outdated very soon if a wave of Conservatives do actually come out against Johnson. So far, the most prominent figure is former Scottish leader Ruth Davidson, but if more do follow, he could deservedly be finished.




https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/12/boris-johnson-fined-for-going-to-his-own-birthday-party-in-lockdown-16453400/

[TheGlyphstone]

The man who opened fire on a Brooklyn subway platform is now in police custody.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/day-2-brooklyn-subway-shooting-nyc/index.html

10 people were shot, including five minors, and 19 others injured,, but none of the injuries are apparently life threatening.