The unimportant news thread

[Karl Henning]

Seen on Twitter: What do people who announce they're leaving Twitter only to return a few hours later want from us?

[Todd]

Former Fed Chair Bernanke shares Nobel for research on banks

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Former Fed Chair Bernanke shares Nobel for research on banks

Excellent academic and great Fed Chair. But this is similar to the awarding to Bob Dylan.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Seen on Twitter: What do people who announce they're leaving Twitter only to return a few hours later want from us?

Higher evaluation of them. Cato the Elder in Roman Empire hated his wife, but he passionately pursued her after she left him and remarried another man. In the ancient Rome, women could divorce men, so they were relatively treated good/fair.

[LKB]

Seen on Twitter: What do people who announce they're leaving Twitter only to return a few hours later want from us?

Attention.

Truly adult behavior in the " Information Age " is neither as valued or as frequent as it was some decades ago. It seems many people now need to be " liked " or " friended " in order to feel significant or secure. A cultural weakness, imho.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

History of Black People and Bourbon Whiskey in the USA.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220824-the-untold-history-of-black-bourbon

[Karl Henning]

I missed that the erstwhile Cleveland Indians are now the Guardians, instead. I like it.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

History of Black People and Bourbon Whiskey in the USA.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220824-the-untold-history-of-black-bourbon

I heard a story sometime over the past couple of years (probably on NPR) about Nearest Green which you might find interesting.  I would suggest starting with the top story first.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nearest-green-slave-who-taught-jack-daniel-how-to-make-whiskey/

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/01/1042481944/uncle-nearest-premium-whiskey-fawn-weaver

[Todd]

'Worst Is Yet To Come': IMF Cuts Economic Outlook And Warns Global Inflation Still Hasn't Peaked

[geralmar]

Policing, USA

Police leave handcuffed woman in squad car parked on railroad tracks:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BP9uHYZ4CFw

WARNING:  FOUL  LANGUAGE.

[Karl Henning]

Policing, USA

Police leave handcuffed woman in squad car parked on railroad tracks:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BP9uHYZ4CFw

WARNING:  FOUL  LANGUAGE.

Where, for goodness' sake?

[Karl Henning]

Platteville, Colorado.

Yeesh! (or did I say that already?

[geralmar]

Routine news day, U.S.A.

Five dead in mass shooting, North Carolina:

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/13/1128979037/north-carolina-shooting-raleigh

I got beat up online when I asked, rhetorically, why mass shooters in the U.S. are always white.  Politically it's scary black folk we're supposed to worry about.

Update:  shooter is 15.

[Karl Henning]

"No way to prevent this!"

[Todd]

I got beat up online when I asked, rhetorically, why mass shooters in the U.S. are almost always white.  Politically it's scary black folk we have to worry about.

Mass shootings are more nuanced and complex than you suggest. 

From Science Direct:

US Mass public shootings since Columbine: victims per incident by race and ethnicity of the perpetrator

A total of 104 mass public shootings since Columbine through summer 2021 were included in our analyses. Of these, 49% were committed by NH White perpetrators, and 19% by NH Black perpetrators (Table 1). Most mass public shootings were carried out by male shooters (96%) aged <40 years (64%). Compared to NH White perpetrators, NH Black perpetrators tended to more often commit mass shooting in workplaces or government buildings (53% versus 20%) compared with all other types of locations

From Everytown Research & Policy (linked on the DOJ website):

Mass Shootings in America

Since 2009, there have been 283 mass shootings in the United States, resulting in 1594 people shot and killed and 1046 people shot and wounded.

This covers 2009 through 2020.  It notes that 61% of mass shootings occurred in private homes, and that domestic violence was involved, directly or indirectly, in 53% of the mass shootings.  The FBI uses the phrase "active shooter situation" to describe the events you appear to be alluding to.

[greg]

I got beat up online when I asked, rhetorically, why mass shooters in the U.S. are always white.

Majority of US is white. Might not explain why, fully, but it's a good start.

Politically it's scary black folk we're supposed to worry about.

Huh? Who says that?

[Todd]

Huh? Who says that?

People on other websites geralmar visits.

[greg]

People on other websites geralmar visits.

Oh, I don't know what sites those are, but a lot of times with politics, it's just one side saying that the other side is saying or implying stuff that they really aren't. Each side needs the opposite side to be villanous as possible- because without any threats, there is less unity, less tribalism, and sadly most people are inherently susceptible to tribalism.

So best to directly engage or observe with the source that is being critiqued, and then process and critique by one's self, rather than take other people's word for it. Perhaps this is related, idk....

[Todd]

Oh, I don't know what sites those are, but a lot of times with politics, it's just one side saying that the other side is saying or implying stuff that they really aren't.

This is obviously true. 

[greg]

This is obviously true.

I should probably mention that another aspect is just that the root cause of this may be that there's a lot of people (maybe it is just some evolutionary reason?) that have this certain type of personality that is always on "high alert" status, scanning the environment for dangers or threats. This is what causes them to be so quick to point out threats, implying imaginary stuff, etc., even if it's just actually a big nothing. And it can causes susceptibility to ragebait or fearbait clicks.

It can be beneficial to be this way sometimes, but the problem arises when fears are projected onto whatever they consider the "other." These types of people often get wrapped up in partisan politics, and on a society-wide scale, this is what makes all sorts of wars, racism and genocide possible if things get really, really unhealthy and paranoia starts to run wild. They find safety and confidence in groups to take on the "threats" of the world, making them more tribal.

To be detached from that and observing from afar, it feels weird. To be associated with any political group at all feels weird, considering my aversion to groups and causes in general (having extreme immunity to peer pressure).

The most troublesome thing, though, with the culture war, is how you could be unassociated with any political party and still be a target if you voice any opinion that "sounds bad-" and it could be coming at a completely different angle than what people are expecting, but they just don't get it because they aren't willing to actually bother to listen. If the tribe could interpret it also as "sounding bad," then you could just be a target for their desired social credit.

I actually get the sense that you might be able to relate to that feeling, just a guess. I could be dead wrong, of course.