Political Theatre category archive

Via Facing South, which reports that North Carolina is the most gerrymandered state.

Some while ago, I heard a black actor I forget who talk about breaking into the Hollywood movie industry. He said one thing that stuck in my mind, that, if a black man wants to be an actor, he must accept that his first roles will be as a criminal or a thug.

It is distressing that that is the case. And it doesn’t stop with “entertainment” casting, as Professor Sonora Jha of Seattle University points out in considering news coverage of race-related issues. She considers the coverage of events in Ferguson, Missouri:

Further, why is it that the news media insist on having each of these people respond to questions about the upheaval that occurred in Ferguson, no matter that their expertise may not be in the area of anarchist political protest? Would we fault a viewer or reader for thinking that the blackness of these commentators necessitates that they be called out to speak for violence wrought on the streets by people who happen to be of the same race or ethnicity — or for wondering why the riot coverage is disproportionately spotlighted by the media?

Such “ghettoized” representation of diverse communities in news coverage is nothing new. Indeed, research has shown over and over again that news media tend to focus on white, authoritative, male sources. This preference becomes especially heightened in coverage of crime, disaster and even civil disobedience.

Do read the rest. It helps explain why David Brooks still has a job.

At the Guardian, Jeb Lund examines wingnut media’s efforts to spin away the murder of Eric Garner. A snippet:

After weeks of explaining away Ferguson as Mike Brown’s fault, outlets like Fox News faced a quandary: How do you make the unambiguous go away?

It turns out the answer is going back to the old playbook – where racism is the fault of its victims, where the discussion floats above the facts on the ground, and symbols are attacked with symbols. It doesn’t matter what happened to Eric Garner when what he represents is wrong.

Methinks ’tis an accurate diagnoses.

Juanita Jean.

Twits who are always wrong about everything.

Afterthought:

So many twits, so little time.

Don’t believe what television tells you about intrepid scientists with unlimited time and resources bored overworked underpaid lab techs examining infinitesimal bits of evidence in pursuit of justice.

It ain’t necessarily so.

As of today, the Virginia Department of Forensic Science will no longer perform several kinds of trace evidence examinations, prompting concern from police.

The department said the move, which will affect some examinations of gunshot residue, hair, fiber and other evidence, is the result of required budget cuts.

More what policing is like in real life at the link.

One more time, a Libertarian is a Republican who’s ashamed to admit it.

Raw Story has tips about how to deal with what Driftglass calls “your Crazy Uncle Liberty” when Uncle Liberty insists on peddling Fox News talking points at holiday dinners.

Michael Dearing suggests that tech companies and the government are rewriting the Bill of Rights. Here is his rendering of the current de facto state of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, taken from a presentation by Reed Hundt, “Make No Secrets About It,” November 11, 2014 at Stanford. .

Follow the link; methinks he has a point.

Afterthought:

No, I don’t agree with some of the suggestions for a rewritten version, particularly the bit about a right to “secret arms purchases,” but I do think the larger point is worth considering.

Dick Polman asks, “Immigration showdown: Can the GOP keep its zealots under control?”

I submit that that question has already been answered. Not only is the answer, “No,” it is “No, because the zealots are already in control.“

Via Job’s Anger.

Jim Wright sums in up (follow the link for the full post–you’ll be glad you did):

As expected, Thursday night President Obama announced that he will take unilateral action via executive order to reform the nation’s immigration system.

And as expected, this morning Republicans are going apeshit.

Because going apeshit is the only thing Republicans can agree on.

Graphic via TPM.

Yastreblyansky explains how David Brooks does it.

Andy Borowitz uncovers the Republican Party’s Grand Rand Strategy on immigration:

Appearing with House Speaker John Boehner, McConnell said that, in contrast to President Obama’s “Band-Aid fixes,” the Republican plan would address “the root cause of immigration, which is that the United States is, for the most part, habitable.”

“For years, immigrants have looked to America as a place where their standard of living was bound to improve,” McConnell said. “We’re going to change that.”

Follow the link for the rest.

Via Liberaland.