September, 2013 archive
Enforcing the Code 0
Last week, I fulminated about a couple of school dress codes that were, at best, problematical and, at worst, bigoted.
Now comes Ruthann Robson to explore the questionable history and application of dress codes as a means of perpetuating and enforcing class and status.
A nugget:
Dress codes also hearken back to a time when kings, queens and government councils routinely proscribed all manner of attire, with special attention to prohibiting people of “mean condition” from certain styles – purple, for example, was reserved for royalty. But the English went even further, regulating how frilly men’s collars could be or how revealing their tunics could be. Colonists brought such traditions with them to America. The Puritans prosecuted women who wore lace and Southern colonies included matters of dress in their slave codes.
Syria: A Russia to Judgment (Updated) 0
I don’t know whether today’s announcement is a case of successful Obama brinkmanship or Putin to the rescue or a merely speed bump on the way to raining robotic death from the sky, so I got nothing.
It will be fun to watch the spin cycle.
I can, nevertheless, take delight in its having rendered at least 50% of today’s columns and editorial cartoons irrelevant.
Addendum, Later That Same Day:
Josh Marshall has a pretty good first take.
“All by Yourself, Alone” 0
Noz’s post title says it all.
The Rich Are Different from You and Me 0
Chris Arnade explains at The Guardian:
When you’re wealthy you make mistakes. When you are poor you go to jail.
Yes, it is like comparing apples and oranges. That is the point though. We have built two very different societies with two very different sets of values. Takeesha was born into a world with limited opportunities, one where the black market has filled the void. In her world transgressions are resolved via violence, not lawyers. The law as applied to her is simple and stark, with little wiggle room.
Mr one-glove (a Wall Street trader; follow the link to learn where he got his nickname–ed.) was born into a world with many options. The laws of his land are open for interpretation, and with the right lawyer one can navigate in the vast grey area and never do anything wrong. The rules are often written by and for Mr one-glove and his friends.
Myth America 0
Eric Garland explores three American myths about America and war.
Here is his list of myths and a nugget from the discussion. Follow the link for a discussion of each myth and of how they have led us into misadventure.
- Myth #1: America has to act.
- Myth #2: America’s actions are benevolent.
- Myth #3: America can win wars.
. . . .
An uncritical acceptance of mid-20th century mythology is what led to such catastrophic strategic errors in America’s wars of adventure. The United States led a cadre of allies into what is historically known as the “Graveyard of Empires,” Afghanistan. While removing the Taliban from the failed state was an imperative, supported by moral justifictions and realpolitik, we should have known that the task of securing the country would require total focus and dedication. After all, President Jimmy Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski suckered the Soviets into doing the exact same thing as a way to ruin them.
Drinking Liberally Norfolk Tomorrow 0
Now on Tuesdays for Norfolk (still Thursdays for Virginia Beach) to make it easier for persons with commitments on either day to catch at least one per month.
Drinking Liberally is a gathering place for liberals. Socialize and laugh in a friendly atmosphere.
When: 6 p., Tuesday, September 10.
Where:
Uno Chicago Grill
5900 Virginia Beach Blvd
(Janaf Shopping Center) (map)
Details here. Meetup page here.
Parallels 0
Thoreau points out the words have meanings and may not mean what you think they mean.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Polite in the park.
The mother of the girl told a 911 dispatcher that the girl shot herself with a handgun Saturday morning, according to a statement from the park.
Feeding at the Public Trough 0
The NFL head-butts the taxpayers, aka the “fans.”
David Cay Johnston analyzes the concussion settlement.
(snip)
Still, Rishe missed the big story by not asking an obvious question: If the settlement does not cover all the costs of medical care, much less lost future wages, who will bear that burden?
Answer: Taxpayers.
The average left after those costs above is just $150,000. [Update: To arrive at these illustrative calculations I divided the settlement figure by the approximately 4,500 plaintiffs. Dividing by the full list of retirees and surviving spouses—several times larger—would reduce the average per-player allotment.] Since some players, or their families in the case of dead players, may collect as much as $5 million, even that average figure is inflated. That figure, a typical payout of less than $150,000 per player, should have set reporters to asking if it was in fact enough to cover the players’ medical costs. NFL players only have health insurance while workingfor the length of their careers plus five years, a highly relevant detail for any industry that knows many workers will be unemployable due to on-the-job injuries.Makes sense in a way, I guess. After all, the Emperor helped pay for the circuses in the Roman Coliseum.
More Xes and $s at the link.
Credibility Gaffe 0
Rajan Menon thinks that blowing up stuff in Syria is not relevant to America’s international “credibility.”
“Credibility” has great power in national security debates.
(snip)
In reality, the credibility gambit often combines sleight of hand with lazy thinking (historical parallels tend to be asserted, not demonstrated) and is a variation on the discredited domino theory. This becomes apparent if one examines how it is being deployed in the debate on Syria.
Making a futile and pointless gesture, one that is agreed will ultimately accomplish nothing, though, will most certainly undermine “credibility”; such is politics a la Animal House.
“Here She Comes, Miss America” 0
But will anyone notice the new incarnation of this hollow, silly, exploitative spectacle which has always tried to pretend it’s about something other than staring at putting girls on display for money, burlesque without the moves*?
Karen Heller reminisces:
Never cover Miss A a second time.
Little has changed since. The press is still asked to call the organization “a scholarship program,” not a pageant. The whatever-it-is must be promoted as “the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women,” yet most winners ultimately become anchorbots and infomercial chatterboxes. True, there are doctors, lawyers, and Vanessa Williams, the most talented Miss A ever, but the year’s first Miss A, Mallory Hytes Hagan of Brooklyn, 23, claims her ambition is to “obtain a degree in cosmetics and fragrance marketing.” How much scholarship assistance does she need for that?
Back when I was a young ‘un, news stories for the new Miss America in even the most proper paper carried the winner’s measurements. They no longer do so.
Now we wait for the sex tape.
___________________
*Afterthought: And without the honesty.