The madness of 'cultural appropriation' exposed rot in the American soul (Updated)

Let's file this under "American Silliness", shall we? TD

Rick Moran  "Keziah Daum is an 18 year old high school girl who set off a worldwide debate on the idea of "cultural appropriation." Daum wore a dress to prom loosely based on a Chinese design and committed the mortal sin of not being Chinese. 

"She was called out for her sin by another teen, Jeremy Lam:" [bleep]

. . . 

" 'Cultural appropriation" may be the sickest, most outrageousely stupid element of political correctness in existence. The history of human civilization would never be known without the Egyptians culturally appropriating the idea of writing from some unknown source. Every major advance in the history of civilization has occurred because of one culture appropriating and improving upon an idea or invention from another culture.

"Can you imagine what the world would be like if the invention of agriculture had remained in the fertile crescent? It is mind boggling that in a country that has made cultural appropriation a huge part of its identity, there would be those who would accuse anyone of "privilege" for doing what comes naturally to humans; learn from others.

"I don't think that the cultural appropriation accusers will be able to gain as much traction with anyone except the true believers after this incident. " 

 Shaming teen for wearing ‘racist’ dress to prom is crazy -- Where does nonsense of cultural appropriation end?

When everything is racist, then nothing will be racist.
Personally I'd not want my daughter to wear that dress for reasons better than "cultural appropriation". TD

How a Pretty Prom Dress Helped Reveal Rot in the American Soul

"If you’re a normal human being, like the majority of Americans who saw their Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds fill up with prom pictures last weekend, you thought that was a pretty girl in a pretty dress. Nothing more.
" But if you’re a toxic social-justice warrior, you saw something else. You saw oppression. You saw exploitation. You saw bigotry. You saw — gasp — “cultural appropriation.” The dress, you see, had obvious Asian influences, and Daum isn’t Asian:

Jeremy Lam@jere_bare

My culture is NOT your g*****n prom dress. https://twitter.com/daumkeziah/status/988115815068139520 …

4:34 PM - Apr 27, 2018 · Salt Lake City, UT

. . . "Let’s take the concept of “cultural appropriation.” It’s absurd down to its very definition. Susan Scafidi, author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law, defines it like this: 

Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects. 

"In a multi-ethnic, multi-racial culture like America’s, the potential for offense is unlimited. (Moreover, who, exactly, is empowered to grant “permission” to wear clothing, cook food, or use language? Is there a central registry?" . . .

Update: In a World Where Everyone's Offended by Everything, Can Comedy Exist?

Condi Destroys Kanye Critics: ‘I’ve Been Black All My Life – Don’t Tell Me How To Be Black’

The Libnorants

Daily Caller  "Former Secretary of State Condi Rice gave a full-throated defense of rap mogul Kanye West Wednesday morning on Fox Business Network.

"West has been the subject of recent controversy after his embrace of pro-Trump policies, activists and campaign gear. This week, he shared messages about Republicans freeing slaves, the perils of the welfare state and socialism and declared that black slavery was a “choice.”

"Kanye’s swing to the right has not been received well by those on the other side of the aisle. Congresswoman Maxine Waters essentially told Kanye to shut up.

"When asked for her take on the backlash to Kanye’s actions, Condoleezza Rice defended him. The former secretary of state said, “people should be able to express their views. Not all of us have to think politically the same way.”

“ 'I said to people sometimes ‘I’ve been black all my life. You don’t have to tell me how to be black,'” Rice continued. “So I think we need to recognize that in some ways the height of prejudice is to look at somebody and think you know what they think because of the color of their skin.' ” . . .

Reuters Poll: Black Male Approval For Trump Doubles In One Week

Michelle Wolf Isn’t the Problem. The Dinner’s the Problem

Daily Stream

America Needs  an Adversarial Press

. . . "Right or left, we all need reporters to be equal-opportunity skeptics. Of course we don’t trust the other side. But we really can’t trust our own. As Lord Acton so famously said, as I explained here, “Power tends to corrupt.” Our own people get sucked into the thing, whether you’re a conservative who calls it “the swamp” or a leftist who calls it “the power elite.”

"The WHCD celebrates the, let me call them “the swamp elite.” They’re saying to the rest of us: “We’re really friends, because we’re the insiders. We run the country our way, for our own purposes. We may fight in public, but only to settle who’s the top insider. Some of us may really hate each other, but that’s the way it is in any family. The important thing is we’re family. And you’re not.”

"Down with the dinner. And down with what it symbolizes."

Michelle Wolf's Potty Mouth Was Wrong, Too

Foul language isn’t foul because it’s about sex, after all. It’s foul because it aims to shock, to disgust and to cheapen. It’s foul because it’s degrading. And it’s degrading partly because it treats sex as far less than it is, far less than it was meant to be. 

Sarah’s Grace as White House Correspondents’ Association Tries to Save Face  

 . . . "Kathy Griffin thought the performance was “great.” Then again, she thinks the President’s severed head in the age of ISIS is funny. Griffin said Wolf “was hired to do a roast. That was her job.” Apparently, the malice Wolf threw in for free. 
"Griffin then argued that a comedian’s job is to “push the line and go over it again.” That’s what a comedian says to justify doing anything for attention — however obnoxious, malicious or vulgar. Notice there’s nothing about being funny in her definition. 
"But let’s accept Griffin’s premise for a moment. How was Wolf “pushing the line”? She’s in a room full of people, nearly all of whom are liberals. How is it “pushing the line” to trash Sanders? Or speaking gleefully of abortion in a predominately pro-choice arena? She wasn’t pushing the line. She was parroting the party line. Happens all the time. You put a colorful twist on stock liberal positions, add vulgarity and viciousness, then shout “Look at me! I’m edgy!” 
"The funny thing? Sarah Sanders is the one coming out of this looking like a champ. "

Hillary Clinton's New Excuse On Why She Lost The Election

Daily Wire  "Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said during a leadership conference this week that her chances of winning the 2016 presidential election were hurt because she was a capitalist.

"Clinton, who made the remarks at the Shared Value Leadership Summit, said that being a capitalist hurt her because so many Democrats are "socialists."

" 'You may be the only presidential candidate since World War II that actually had to stand up and say, 'I am a capitalist.' And you did. Did it hurt you?" asked Alan Murray, who is the Chief Content Officer for Time Inc.

" 'Probably," Clinton replied. "It's hard to know, but if you're in the Iowa Caucuses and 41 percent of Democrats are socialists or self-described socialists, and I'm asked, 'Are you a capitalist,' and I say, 'Yes, but with appropriate regulation, appropriate accountability,' you know, that probably gets lost in, 'Oh, my gosh, she's a capitalist!'"

HELPFUL: In which Hillary Clinton admits the Democratic Party is loaded with socialists… "I’d never defend socialists, BUT — socialists in the Dem Party weren’t the reason she didn’t go to Wisconsin. But add “I’m a capitalist” to Hillary’s super long list of reasons she lost."

Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that being a capitalist probably hurt her cause in 2016 because so many Democrats in the party today are socialists.

. . . "She has laid blame on numerous factors for her eventual general election defeat at the hands of President Donald Trump, Sanders and his diehard supporters among them. Sanders ripped Clinton as beholden to Wall Street interests during the primary, and she wrote his attacks did "lasting damage" to her.

"Clinton also criticized Sanders as unrealistic in his policies and for essentially offering voters a bill of goods." . . .

When Character ASSASSINATION is the Name of the GAME

Socio-Political Commentary...

"Adm. Ronny Jackson, President Trump’s choice to head the Veteran’s Administration, learned last week that in today’s Washington, character assassination is the name of the game. Republican senators looked the other way as Democrats, led by Montana Sen. Jon Tester, leaked unsubstantiated charges from unnamed accusers claiming the decorated veteran as an incompetent pill pusher, bully and uncontrollable drunk. By week’s end the admiral, knowing that he was never going to be confirmed anyway, removed himself from consideration.

"The allegations had never been vetted, but Mr. Tester leaked them anyway in an ultimately successful effort to derail yet another Trump appointee. Senate Democrats are waging all-out war against Trump nominees and seem to have no qualms about inventing allegations the president might dismiss as “fake news” to achieve their goals. In this instance, Mr. Tester was the chosen assassin by virtue of his ranking position on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and his constant posturing as the guardian of veteran’s rights. He took to the task with real enthusiasm, ensuring that a floundering agency will continue leaderless for the foreseeable future.

"They knocked the admiral out, but as the dust was settling it became clear that Mr. Tester’s charges were pure bunkum, made up and circulated to destroy the admiral’s reputation simply because Mr. Trump nominated him.

"Adm. Jackson is a veteran of the war on terror and has served three presidents as White House physician. None of them noticed the behavior that so concerned Mr. Tester, and former President Barack Obama was impressed by Adm. Jackson’s intelligence, diligence and competence, writing that “Ronny has earned my confidence and the gratitude of my family for his diligence and knowledge.' ” . . .

The Silence of the Republican Lambs on Ronny Jackson, the Roaring Economy, and More  . . . "The midterms are a few months away.  Will Republicans run with Trump or against him?  Any guesses as to which option has the higher probability of getting them re-elected?  Will Republicans engage and dance or stand in the corner as wallflowers?  If they play this wrong, it may be their last dance."

Are NBC and CNN Paying Off Top Spies Who Leaked Info With On-Air Jobs?

The Tablet  . . . Guess what? Comey’s briefing was the news hook.

"Proof of the set-up is found in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s 253-page-long Report on Russian Active Measures that was published last week. According to the report, James Clapper acknowledged “discussing the dossier with CNN journalist Jake Tapper.” Their discussion “took place in early January 2017, around the time [intelligence community] leaders briefed President Obama and President-elect Trump on ‘the Christopher Steele information.’ ”

"So here’s how it worked: Clapper told Comey to brief Trump on the dossier. Clapper then told Tapper that Comey had briefed Trump on the dossier. In other words, the reporting on the Steele dossier for which CNN won its award was an operation coordinated between spies and the press whose purpose was to report the existence of “compromising information” on the president-elect—information that consisted of unverified politically-funded opposition research produced by one of the CNN journalist’s former colleagues. Buzzfeed then published the dossier in its entirety—a document that prior to the briefing no press organization had been able to verify and hence had refrained from making public.

"Since then, thousands of articles on the Trump-Russia collusion story have taken CNN’s original story as the model for a new kind of American journalism, spoon-fed to a pliant digital press by cabals of political operatives and ex-spooks. Lies, innuendo, wild conspiracy theorizing, and the insistent assumption of guilt have replaced old-fashioned rules of sourcing, objectivity, and basic plausibility. While the social cost of this radical departure from these century-old norms is likely to be high, it has acquired two main forms of justification, the twin pillars of the new press." . . .

Tony Branco

The linked article to this cartoon demonstrates how the WaPo chose to discredit it along with the cartoonist.

The Short And Ugly History Of The Disastrous Iran Deal

David Harsanyi; The Federalist

From beginning to end, the deal has been a disaster for the United States.

. . . "It’s also worth remembering what we’ve given up for this deal. From the start there was almost nothing Obama wouldn’t do to save it. To pass it, the administration created (then bragged about) a media echo chamber that smeared the opposition at home. Obama accused those who opposed the accord of being in “common cause” with Islamists, offering the ludicrous false choice: his way or war. Some of the nastiest attacks were reserved for fellow Democrats like Chuck Schumer, whose tepid pushback triggered Obama flunkies to accuse of him of harboring dual loyalty.

"Then there was the constant subjugation of American interests to placate the Iranians. First, Obama made “common cause” with Russia and Syria. It seems increasingly plausible, in fact, that the president was hamstrung in Syria because he wanted to avoid upsetting the Iranians and Russians. Vladimir Putin, the man who helped Iran create its nuclear program, was a fan of the deal. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was also an admirer, confident that Iran would continue its “just causes” after the deal was wrapped up. What could he possibly mean?" . . .

It's been said since back in 2017: Barack Obama Was a Foreign-Policy Failure
"The 44th president of the United States promised to bring change but mostly drove the country deeper into a ditch."

Update:   

Orlando Martinez‎atThe Libnorants

The Fault Line

The American Spectator

The Nerd Prom: what more needs be said?

...But we'll say it anyway. 

Fallout: The Hill Drops Out of White House Correspondents’ Dinner
“The Hill, which has participated in the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner for many years, does not plan at this time to participate in the event moving forward,” he wrote. “In short, there’s simply no reason for us to participate in something that casts our profession in a poor light.” . . .
That's one for The Hill  . . . "A hand of applause for James Finkelstein and The Hill, class acts, whatever else they may be.  As for the rest of the national media...  "Anybody...?"

NBC Excuses Offensive Correspondents’ Dinner  . . . "Even as people across the political spectrum, including many in the media, are denouncing Wolf for her vile attacks on the White House staff, NBC still found it necessary to use the controversy as a chance to bash Trump." . . .

What's ahead for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner? Greg Gutfeld?  . . . "Margaret Talev, the president of the WHCA, said her "only regret is that, to some extent, those 15 minutes are now defining four hours of what was a really wonderful, unifying night."  Speaking to CNN's Brian Stelter (who defended Wolf's performance) on Reliable Sources Sunday morning, Talev said:

"Comedy is meant to be provocative" but "my interest overwhelmingly was in unifying the country, and I understand that we may have fallen a little bit short on that goal."

The Selective Outrage over Michelle Wolf & Kanye West  . . . "Many liberals reacted with unbridled moral horror and a seething sense of betrayal. Meanwhile, many avowed conservatives — particularly those who are most ostentatiously in the Trump coalition, and who had spent years ridiculing West — suddenly embraced him as a free-thinking hero.

"On one level, this is just another example of the hypocrisy and opportunism that saturates so much of our politics today. But hypocrisy can be an underappreciated sin, because it illuminates a principle: Without a standard to violate, there’s no hypocrisy." . . .

Michelle Wolf’s liberal defenders, who’d never accept the comedian’s vitriol if it were aimed at one of their own, ludicrously celebrate her courage for speaking [nonsense] to power.

In other words, Kanye may be a mentally unbalanced flake, but at this moment he's our mentally unbalanced flake

Michelle Wolf Has 'Em Howling (With Rage)  . . . "During the Bush administration, the "Nerd Prom" was an excuse for Stephen Colbert to bomb in the Washington Hilton ballroom harder than George W. Bush ever bombed in Iraq. During the Obama administration, the WHCD became just another platform for Dems to lash out at their critics, with the eager help of Obama's enablers in entertainment and the media.* The only time the WHCD has ever really mattered was in 2011, when Obama and host Seth Meyers took turns bashing private citizen Donald Trump for the "birth certificate" stuff. As Trump sat there absorbing their abuse, that was the moment he decided to make a serious run for president and get revenge." . . . 

I don't remember a WHCD host calling out anybody in the Obama administration for lying to us. Or at least not in such deeply personal terms. It would've meant the end of their careers as comedians. After all, who wants to hire a racist?

 Michelle Wolf wasn’t the first to shock a media dinner. Stephen Colbert and Wanda Sykes, anyone?  . . . "Folks, we’ve clutched these very same pearls before. Several other comedians in the not-so-distant past have scandalized the well-dressed folks gathered in Washington to hear them. Serious Washington meets Comedy, and things don’t go so well? Hey, we’ve seen that show before! Here’s a brief look at some of the other meant-to-be-funny monologues that didn’t leave all of the Beltway crowd laughing." . . .

VDH: Revolution and Worse to Come

Call me a never-Democratist. The party of Maxine Waters-Obama-Biden-Harry Reid-Kamala Harris-pro BLM, anti Israel-Pelosi-Celebrities-Bernie must never be allowed to govern this nation. Given the state of academia and media one has to fear that very thing. The Tunnel Dweller

Victor Davis Hanson

When legal bloodhounds and baying critics fail to take out Trump, what’s next? The Resistance wants Trump’s head — on the chopping block.

"On the domestic and foreign fronts, the Trump administration has prompted economic growth and restored U.S. deterrence. Polls show increased consumer confidence, and in some, Trump himself has gained ground. Yet good news is bad news to the Resistance and its strange continued efforts to stop an elected president in a way it failed to do in the 2016 election.

"Indeed, the aim of the so-called Resistance to Donald J. Trump is ending Trump’s presidency by any means necessary before the 2020 election. Or, barring that, it seeks to so delegitimize him that he becomes presidentially impotent. It has been only 16 months since Trump took office and, in the spirit of revolutionary fervor, almost everything has been tried to derail him. Now we are entering uncharted territory — at a time when otherwise the country is improving and the legal exposure of Trump’s opponents increases daily.

"Indeed, the aim of the so-called Resistance to Donald J. Trump is ending Trump’s presidency by any means necessary before the 2020 election. Or, barring that, it seeks to so delegitimize him that he becomes presidentially impotent. It has been only 16 months since Trump took office and, in the spirit of revolutionary fervor, almost everything has been tried to derail him. Now we are entering uncharted territory — at a time when otherwise the country is improving and the legal exposure of Trump’s opponents increases daily. First came the failed lawsuits after the election alleging voting-machine tampering. Then there was the doomed celebrity effort to convince some state electors not to follow their constitutional duty and to deny Trump the presidency — a gambit that, had it worked, would have wrecked the Constitution. Then came the pathetic congressional boycott of the inauguration and the shrill nationwide protests against the president. " . . .

Kanye reveals Obama's history of being a selfish jerk

Sick of the Kardashians? Let's change the subject to Kanye

Monica Showalter  "Kanye West, the rap superstar who stunned the left by declaring President Trump "his brother," has better reasons than might be imagined for defying Hollywood and going over to the redside: He dealt with President Obama up close.

"And what he found - and has now revealed - is that Obama was an incredibly selfish jerk.

"According to Pajamas Media's Megan Fox, who ventured into the depths of the rap music press, Kanye told an interviewer known as 'Charlemagne':

"You see, Obama came to me before he ran for office and he met with me and my mother to let me know he was going to run for office because I was his favorite artist of all time," he said. West detailed that Obama asked him for his support and he agreed.

But after West interrupted Taylor Swift on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009 — which he apologized for immediately – Obama cut off support and was even caught on film calling West a "jackass."

"He never called me to apologize," said West. "The same person that sat down with me and my mom I think should have communicated to me directly."

"Seems Kanye has the normal human reaction of wanting to be treated like a human being by someone who introduced himself to him, asked for his help, and then got it. Apparently to Obama, the public persona was all that mattered, and when Kanye messed up at some awards ceremony, Obama he seized the political advantage by cutting Kanye down and cutting him dead, never caring that Kanye was embarrassed anyway about his overreaction and was attempting to make amends.

Photo added. TD

"Arguably, some may say that Kanye's a grown man and ought to take it on the chin, but he should be given some space for political inexperience and the fact that he's an artist (a pop culture one, but still an artist) with an artist's sensitivity. He did something nice for Obama, Obama kicked him when he was down, and Kanye took it in a rather human way, which is to say, personally.

"Sounds like Obama lied about Kanye being his favorite artist of all time, too.

"Obama found other ways to stay classy, as well. . . ."

Obama's a pol, and it's very interesting that Kanye also noticed that Obama did nothing, absolutely nothing, for violence-ridden Chicago, his hometown political base. Kanye isn't stupid and his bad experience with Obama has got him noticing things. Already, he's apologizing to President Bush for his famous 2005 Katrina remark that Bush didn't care about black people - read that here. Wait till he reads about the history of the Democratic Party and its affiliation with slavery, segregation, fascism, and the Klan... This guy could get very woke indeed.

. . .
 Kanye Unleashes on Obama, Spills Details of Personal Insults and Snubs
. . . "President Trump made big promises on the campaign trail about bringing prosperity to the inner cities. The fact that Kanye West—another unconventional, self-made billionaire—is not only echoing those ideas but meeting with the man himself and hinting about building factories and innovating new technology for housing should get most of us up out of our seats to cheer on this next phase of Making America Great Again." . . .

Oh, Say Kanye Sees
. . . "Now, none of this means that West should suddenly be considered for leadership of The Heritage Foundation. But it does mark a break in the solid leftist wall of Hollywood and the music industry, and in the intersectional coalition. The entertainment industry can't tolerate conservatives -- when I wrote a book on political bias in Hollywood, several Hollywood insiders told me openly that they refuse to hire those on the right. Shania Twain learned just a few weeks ago that signaling support for President Trump in any way means taking your career into your hands." . . .

Comedian Argus Hamilton said:

Kanye West stood by his statement of love for President Trump Thursday. It caused Democrats to fear that Kanye could lead an exodus of black rap stars from the Democratic Party and into the Republican camp. It could be only a matter of time before Ice T changes his name to Arnold Palmer.

Michelle Wolf: In her own words; an interesting take from this conservative

Peter Barry Chowka at American Thinker  "My first take on seeing the live broadcast of Michelle Wolf's comic speech at this year's White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton last Saturday was revulsion and disgust.  Like many conservatives, I felt as though this was the intolerable last straw of an elitist left-wing mainstream media gone bonkers."
. . . 

"One reason I was initially repulsed by Wolf was her delivery: her voice has that quality of fingernails on a blackboard.  (She referenced and made fun of that during her speech.)  It's the same reason I have a hard time actually watching Rachel Maddow: her off-putting affect.  Reading the Wolf transcript as I listened to her again, I got a different impression.  Yes, her routine was raw and crude.  But working with the transcript, I saw parts that were funny and original.  Disclosure: I am not a fan of 99% of modern comedy and never watch Comedy Central or the late-night shows on broadcast television.  My touchstones of comedy are classic comedians like George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, and most recently Seinfeld.

"Wolf did make fun of CNN, MSNBC, Megyn Kelly, and others on the left – although probably two thirds of her jokes were aimed at the right.  And the latter were more cutting.

"Even so, I am thinking now that we may be making too much of this episode.  Speech is supposed to be free, after all, and if we can't take a joke – even a questionable, bad joke – well, what then?

"I'm interested to know if people who read the transcript think I might have a point here or agree with my cats that I've lost my mind.

"[Editor's note: Be warned that the following transcript contains uncensored profanity and other crude language.]" . . .