Recently Diane and I saw Tim Wise speak; as always, he was excellent and insightful. (I gave him crap about how long it's been since he posted to his blog.) He started out by informing us that he would not be talking about "diversity" (a fait accompli in the modern world, and often misrepresented as the inclusion of people of color into white organizations -- the exact opposite from the actual way things progressed in the US, when white folks came over and inserted themselves into the native society already on this continent).

He also warned us that he wouldn't be spending any time on the "let's set the bar absurdly low" concept of "tolerance". As he points out, it's not really a big deal for white folks to "tolerate" black people, Latinos/Latinas, native peoples, etc. Moreover, tolerating the poverty and discrimination that exist in such abundance today is the exact opposite of what we ought to be doing, as progressive individuals and organizations.

I'd been thinking for some time about the Teaching Tolerance project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and how facile their approach is. When we heard Mr. Wise, I had a shock of insight on a bit of culturejamming. So here it is. Enjoy.

Killer Robot Watch

The latest in our ongoing series of reports about the deadly threat to human life posed by murderous robots: They're being used to demolish buildings in Madrid. Can occupied buildings be far behind?

Robots suspended from cranes will help demolish the skeleton of one of Madrid's tallest buildings destroyed by a weekend fire because the ruin is too dangerous to be handled by workers, city authorities said Friday.

Yeah, right. They just don't want us to recognize the first step on the path to total robotic domination. John Connor, where are you?

Stupid, Ugly & Vapid

Here's something I'm getting incredibly sick of: Twits in SUVs who slow way down for dips in the pavement. Isn't that grotesque machine of yours capable of scaling solid rock? "Well, gee. My 2005 Chevy PigCrotch SUV is designed to drive over volcanos and conquer jagged mountain passes -- but it's not quite able to deal with this slight break in the curb as I drive into the supermarket parking lot." Get the $#@! out of the way!

Big Beef Language

And speaking of things that inflame my anger:

1. Unless you have a speech impediment, saying the word "is" twice in a row shall henceforth be punishable with tar and feathers. I'm extremely sick of hearing this on the radio: "The problem is not a lack of potato nuggets. What the problem is, is a spike in the cost of elk hearts." Morons! Pause for three seconds and think about what you're saying. "The problem is not . . . The problem is . . ." Simple!

Okay, enough of this. It's my day off. Back to the video games.

TimeWaster™

SpaceTree is pretty stupid, but there's maybe one good joke in each episode.

Today I'm listening to: Frisky Radio! Bad site, good music.