Easy Answers to Stupid Questions

At the New York Times, the headline reads: "Weekend Opinionator: Is Racist Hate Republican or Democratic?"

Easy Answer to Stupid Question: It's neither, assholes. There are racists in both parties, and I could readily provide examples from my own personal experience and from your own newspaper in the past year. Or has everyone else forgotten the primary campaign and then the general election?

There are also racist communists, and racist anarchists, and obviously racist fascists and racist Libertarians and racists in the Temperance Party and the Green Party.

As for the partisan blame-fest, I already said this, and unlike this guy who got paid far more than I did, I actually wrote my own thoughts down instead of cutting and pasting other people's comments.

The Random Good One Can Do in the World

My dislike for the environmentalist writer Edward Abbey is well-documented. Not only do I think he is bad for the environmental movement, he was a racist bastard.

Turns out my collection of racist Abbey quotes linked to above are on Abbey's wikipedia page. I'm surprised I haven't been hounded by his followers for attacking their hero. But if I turn one good environmentally-minded person from this anti-humanist than I've made the world a slightly better place. Abbey played a major role in turning the environmental movement away from connecting with large numbers of Americans over issues of pollution and the body and toward focusing on keeping humans out of "wilderness," whatever that actually is.

Throwing Their Hats into the "Racist of 2009 Ring" - Sean Delonas and the New York Post

While Florida Republican State Committeewoman Carol Carter made a strong bid for "racist of the year" for these comments and the fake-apology that followed, she already faces stiff competition. The New York Post published today this horribly racist cartoon by Sean Delonas. And just as inexcusable is the content of the cartoon is the Post's "apology," which says the cartoon is simply "parody" (it's not) and that Al Sharpton is just a "publicity opportunist" (he may or may not be, but that has nothing to do with how horribly racist the cartoon is). It should go without saying that America is anything but a "post-racial" society; if anything, the only post-Obama conclusion we can draw thus far is that horribly racist comments will be followed by equally-offensive faux-apologies that reveal no amount of contrition or regret whatsoever.

Sepp Blatter Reveals He's Not Just Sexist - He's Xenophobic Too!

Apparently, it wasn't enough for FIFA president to reveal his blatant sexism when he proposed women soccer players wear skimpy outfits to draw attention to the sport. Now, he's decrying the increasing tendency of Brazilian-born soccer players to become naturalized citizens in other countries, making them able to play on those countries' World Cup teams. His overall concern is foolish enough, based on the fact that the desire to keep World Cup teams "national" ignores any modern definition of what it is to be a "national", not to mention how arbitrary such definitions are. But you do NOT need to put it like this: "If we don't take care about the invaders from Brazil, not only toward Europe but toward Asia and Africa, then the next World Cups in 2014 and 2018 out of the 32 teams - you will still have national teams - but we will have 16 full of Brazilian players."

Oh no!!! The mongrel brown hordes from Brazil are invading Europe and taking over!!! The bastion of caucasian sportsmanship is being torn asunder!!!! First they get five World Cups, and now this!!!! OH, THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More seriously, this is about as xenophobic and ridiculous a thing I've seen from soccer leadership. It is incredibly racist against Brazilians, and not just because he refers to them as "invaders". You don't see Blatter complaining here about a broader tendency of players applying for naturalization to play on the team of a country where they weren't born. Blatter doesn't seem so upset, for example, about the Algerians who may apply for French citizenship to play on the French national team, or players from other parts of Africa, or Asia, or even within Europe. It doesn't matter if more Brazilians are doing this than any other country. If you think this is a problem, then what you need to do, as head of FIFA, is try to see that other countries put into place the same structure of scouting and training that Brazil has. But to sit in your tower bemoaning the presence of "invaders" without actually trying to find constructive ways to deal with the issue has all the maturity of a 5-year-old and all of the open-mindedness of a Confederate general. It's become patently clear that the time for Blatter to go has come and gone a long time ago. Maybe replacing him with a Brazilian would be a good idea.....

Historical Image of the Day

David Duke. Louisiana gubernatorial candidate. Klansmen.