Plan B Forum

Having learned the benefit of using code language to appeal to the racists in their constituency while masking their meaning for moderates, Republicans are now using the same tactics to villify gays:

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina native and entertainer Clay Aiken is set to officially announce his candidacy for Congress today. Aiken will face two challengers in a Democratic primary for North Carolina’s Second Congressional District. If he wins, he’ll face Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers, whose staff has already thrown out anti-gay rhetoric and insinuations.

Ellmers’ campaign staff are already on the attack. In a statement, the campaign linked Aiken to “San Francisco” and said Ellmers, not Aiken, would be “fighting for families.”

“It speaks volumes to the state of the N.C. Democratic Party that the primary is shaping up to be a choice between the failed Perdue Administration’s Keith Crisco, a lawyer who doesn’t even live in the district, an activist who’s (sic) own party rejected her in the last democrat primary – and Aiken, a performer whose political views more closely resemble those of San Francisco than Sanford, Ellmers spokeswoman Jessica Wood wrote in an email. ”

"San Francisco values"? That's the best that Ellmers could come up with to avoid saying "don't vote for the fag"?

It does show how much progress has been made in the last couple of decades, at least. Ellmers knows that, even in rural North Carolina, she can't get away with the kind of open gay-bating rhetoric that Jesse Helms, for example, used to use to great effect among voters in the state.

I'm usually leery of claims of "code" but that is both code and just plain bad. Really that's the best offence you can provide? Pathetic.

Oh NOOOOOO!!!

I clicked on Scooter's link! It's going to cause me to get emails that have links to gossip websites that talk about handsome movie stars, dance music, interior decorating and fashion tips!!

Progress.

One of the steps between open, naked, bigotry and a truly free society is the point where they are ashamed to say so openly. We've been through this before. We know what happens.

Yrs,
Rubato

Yeah, you're right. Years ago I would have said "Clay Aiken is a talentless bore" but nowadays I've modified that to "Clay Aiken makes me vomit" - the same classification as Neil Diamond (I think not a homosexual person).

Thing is, the "San Francisco" remark is both code and not code really. Yes, I'm sure that one of the "political views" they associate with Mr Aiken/San Francisco is a very liberal attitude toward homosexuality - but they also mean to reference far more liberal positions than just that.

I would like to think (perhaps foolishly) that they would use a San Francisco reference to indicate far-left views even in a person of heterosexual persuasion, were that the case.

However, they should call a spade a spade if that's what they mean and take the consequences. Not than anyone does in politics of course.

it does not actually matter of "San Francisco" was code for "homosexuals" or code for "Liberal West Coasters" either is an equally pernicious and lying stereotype which works by whipping up hatred and resentment and causing the audience to turn its' brain off and its' mindless hate on.


yrs,
rubato

rubato wrote:it does not actually matter of "San Francisco" was code for "homosexuals" or code for "Liberal West Coasters" either is an equally pernicious and lying stereotype which works by whipping up hatred and resentment and causing the audience to turn its' brain off and its' mindless hate on.


yrs,
rubato

Wow...

The year is young, but that's my nominee for Most Incredible Example Of Unintentional Irony, 2014... (In fact, that one's a good contender for the "All Time" award...It really belongs in The Unintentional Irony Hall Of Fame...)

causing the audience to turn its' brain off and its' mindless hate on.

You mean like calling a political party "the party of treason", or claiming that Christians invented genocide, or saying that racism is a part of the Jewish religion? You mean that kind of "pernicious and lying stereotype" and "mindless hate"?

That's what I like about you rube; just when I think you can't possibly astonish me any further, you still manage to come up with a new one...In your own way, you're really quite amazing...

And the most unintentionally ironic statement of all, in that post chock-a-block with unintentional irony, has to be your deriding of the "stereotype" of "Liberal West Coasters"...

Since you are self-evidently the living breathing embodiment of that stereotype; you are precisely the sort of person upon which that stereotype is based...

Apparently this has escaped your notice...

Well aside from the Apostrophecalypse, rubato's comment does seem to indicate that Liberal West Coasters are something to apologise about. Got it in one, I'd say.

MajGenl.Meade wrote:Well aside from the Apostrophecalypse, rubato's comment does seem to indicate that Liberal West Coasters are something to apologise about. Got it in one, I'd say.

?? You make less and less logical sense these days. I do not thing being homosexual is something to apologize for and thus could not even possibly be saying that being a "Liberal West Coaster" is something to apologize for. That is just dumb.


But the use of hatred and resentment against other groups, as the GOP does nearly all the time, is something to be ashamed of. It tears us apart as a country. Slobodan Milosevich did the same thing when he came to power; he whipped up resentment and hatred among the Serbs by claiming falsely that they were being persecuted and marginalized by the other groups in Yugoslavia, with predictable results. It is the worst kind of brutal, unthinking demagoguery. (Christian missionaries from the US did the same against homosexuals in Africa with predictably brutal results).


yrs,
rubato

Yeah but I know my apostrophes.

the use of hatred and resentment against other groups, as the GOP does nearly all the time, is something to be ashamed of.

I'd say "you have GOT to be kidding" but long association with you has convinced me that you are not kidding...

You really are genuinely and sincerely that clueless....

The fact that what you describe there accurately characterizes a huge percentage of what you yourself bring to the table here, (and have for many years) is completely lost on you....

I can't think of another poster who has expressed more mindless "group think" hatred and bigotry than you have; if I wanted to devote the time I could copy and paste dozens of examples from your posts on this board alone...(To say nothing of your behavior the previous decade on two other boards)

But there's no need for me to do that, because everyone else can see the bleeding obvious for themselves, and you never would, no matter how many times it was thrown in your face...

Because you just don't get it; you are fundamentally incapable of seeing the reality of your own behavior, no matter how obvious it is to others...

On one level rube, I find this fascinating; (as I've mentioned before, the study of aberrant human psychology is kind of a hobby of mine)

However on a less mature level, I have to admit I find this cluelessness you have about yourself absolutely hilarious....

Putting on my amateur psychologist hat....

Rube, I suspect that your inability to have a fully developed honest understanding of your own behavior, is a sort of sub-conscious survival mechanism...

If you truly confronted the disconnect between the sort of person you imagine yourself to be, (in another thread recently you bizarrely asserted "the world is a better place because of people like me"... ) and the sort of person you actually are, it might create a level of cognitive dissonance that could lead you to throw yourself off the nearest bridge....

(Let me go on the record as being opposed to rube throwing himself off the nearest bridge...)

So, what to outside observers may appear to be a stunning level of denial, may be from your perspective, something you need to do just to get through your day....and avoid throwing yourself off the nearest bridge...

In which case I can't criticize you for that; please carry on...

I expect so little and then get so much less, even, than that.

yrs,
rubato

rubato wrote:I expect so little and then get so much less, even, than that.

yrs,
rubato

I suspect that's pretty much the story of your life...

rubato wrote:

MajGenl.Meade wrote:Well aside from the Apostrophecalypse, rubato's comment does seem to indicate that Liberal West Coasters are something to apologise about. Got it in one, I'd say.

I do not thing being homosexual is something to apologize for and thus could not even possibly be saying that being a "Liberal West Coaster" is something to apologize for.

I agree with that.

But you also said this:

"Liberal West Coasters" . . . is an equally pernicious and lying stereotype

when I'd have thought it was a reasonable term for ladies and gentlemen, bravely struggling for equality and justice for all, who live on the West coast and regard themselves as 'liberal' in thought and politics. But if you say they are pernicious and lying stereotypes . . .


Trout Rises to Fly - Robert Jordan