Goth Denny’s

Denny’s is a restaurant chain based in the United States.  It is similar to Huddle House, Waffle House, and IHOP, in that it is a breakfast house/fast casual/coffee shop style restaurant.  It’s open 24 hours a day, all year long (unless closing is required by law and I’ve no idea what law would cause a restaurant to close, but I guess there’s one somewhere).  It’s the place you go when it’s 3 am and you’re drunk and leaving the bar/club and are in dire need of food, yet realize you’re too drunk (or hopefully you realize this) to go home and cook.

Those that are familiar with Denny’s might be confuzzled (portmanteau of confused and puzzled) by this image:

I know I am.  It’s probably a marketing thing…hold on, BRB (be right back)…*

…yup, it’s a marketing thing.  Apparently it’s working for them:

When you think of Denny’s, what comes to mind? The famed Grand Slam breakfast? Or maybe a family road trip? Or are you one of the thousands of followers who know, and love, Denny’s irreverent Twitter posts?

If it’s the latter, there’s a good reason. Last July, the brand tapped Erwin Penland to run its social channels, and since then, engagement has increased over 200 percent. By commenting on current events, usually with its now-signature snarky tone, or posting relatable complaints, the brand has endeared itself to its followers.

Social Media Profile (as of 9/22/14)
Facebook Likes: 851,360
Twitter Followers: 110,208
Instagram Followers: 1,187

yes, I realize this isn’t a meatspace (term for ‘not online’; works better than IRL-in real life-because online is *part of real life…it’s not some bizarre alternate reality unconnected to the rest of our lives), but I was told by a good friend that when she reads my comments, they feel like conversational pieces, as if I were sitting next to her having a conversation, which made me realize that I don’t need to adhere to strict writing rules.  Thanks Iris!

Goth Denny’s
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Goth Denny's

Denny’s is a restaurant chain based in the United States.  It is similar to Huddle House, Waffle House, and IHOP, in that it is a breakfast house/fast casual/coffee shop style restaurant.  It’s open 24 hours a day, all year long (unless closing is required by law and I’ve no idea what law would cause a restaurant to close, but I guess there’s one somewhere).  It’s the place you go when it’s 3 am and you’re drunk and leaving the bar/club and are in dire need of food, yet realize you’re too drunk (or hopefully you realize this) to go home and cook.

Those that are familiar with Denny’s might be confuzzled (portmanteau of confused and puzzled) by this image:

I know I am.  It’s probably a marketing thing…hold on, BRB (be right back)…*

…yup, it’s a marketing thing.  Apparently it’s working for them:

When you think of Denny’s, what comes to mind? The famed Grand Slam breakfast? Or maybe a family road trip? Or are you one of the thousands of followers who know, and love, Denny’s irreverent Twitter posts?

If it’s the latter, there’s a good reason. Last July, the brand tapped Erwin Penland to run its social channels, and since then, engagement has increased over 200 percent. By commenting on current events, usually with its now-signature snarky tone, or posting relatable complaints, the brand has endeared itself to its followers.

Social Media Profile (as of 9/22/14)
Facebook Likes: 851,360
Twitter Followers: 110,208
Instagram Followers: 1,187

yes, I realize this isn’t a meatspace (term for ‘not online’; works better than IRL-in real life-because online is *part of real life…it’s not some bizarre alternate reality unconnected to the rest of our lives), but I was told by a good friend that when she reads my comments, they feel like conversational pieces, as if I were sitting next to her having a conversation, which made me realize that I don’t need to adhere to strict writing rules.  Thanks Iris!

Goth Denny's

Court document puts the lie to self-defense claims in Philly gay bashing case

‘Self-defense’.  Ha!

One of the attorneys of the three individuals accused of beating two gay men on September 11, 2014 is actually claiming that they acted in self defense.  A recently released court document does not support that claim:

Now that Kathryn Knott, Kevin Harrigan and Philip Williams have been charged with the crime, an affidavit of probable cause describing the incident has been made available by the court.

Court document puts the lie to self-defense claims in Philly gay bashing case

Sapphire: The Myth of the Angry Black Woman

On September 18, 2014, television critic Alessandra Stanley stepped into it (‘it’ being a big steaming pile of stereotypical, racist, sexist dung).  Her article for The New York Times opens with the following:

When Shonda Rhimes writes her autobiography, it should be called “How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman.”

Her article went on to compliment Rhimes for changing the landscape of network television. Stanely clearly thought she was heaping praise upon Rhimes’ new show ‘How To Get Away With Murder’. Unfortunately for her, she was met with a great deal of scorn and criticism, some of which came from Shonda Rhimes herself (as well as Salon, Slate, and Gawker):

Continue reading “Sapphire: The Myth of the Angry Black Woman”

Sapphire: The Myth of the Angry Black Woman

Fuck. Shit is hitting the fan in Ferguson, MO.

5 arrested, two officers shot in Brown memorial unrest

Five protesters were arrested and some businesses were damaged Tuesday night after a memorial to Michael Brown was destroyed in a fire. The confrontation reignited tensions in the St. Louis suburb that was rocked by violence this summer after Brown, an unarmed teenager, was shot by a Ferguson police officer.

During a news conference Wednesday, Capt. Ron Johnson with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said two St. Louis County police officers were injured during the unrest.

Johnson said one of the officers was hit just underneath his eye with a rock. He is expected to recover.

The unrest started Tuesday when a beauty supply store was looted and vandalized by several people attempting to haul out a cash register. Johnson said the manager said this was the third time the store had been broken into in the last six weeks.

Police responded to the break-in and then several gunshots were heard and approximately 200 people gathered at the site where demonstrations were held after the Aug. 9 shooting of Brown, 18, by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

After the break-in, a fire was reported at a restaurant on Carson Road. Johnson said the investigation shows gasoline appears to have been poured around the restaurant. He said the fire was put out by Ferguson firefighters.

****

Ferguson police officer shot, but not killed

Scant details at the moment, but we’ll know more soon, I’m sure.

Update:

Police say the shooting occurred while the officer was at the Ferguson Community Center checking the building.

Tim Zoll of the Ferguson Police Department said the officer was shot in the arm. The officer’s identity and condition is unknown at this time. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the officer is female.

The suspect is still at large. No further information was immediately available.

****

 Ferguson unrest

Cast as an olive branch by some, the Ferguson police chief’s attempt to march with protesters demanding charges in the killing of an unarmed, black 18-year-old by a white officer still erupted into a clash that activists Friday blamed on police missteps.

The trouble Thursday night came hours after Police Chief Tom Jackson released a videotaped apology to Michael Brown’s family that drew skepticism from residents and protesters who still crave answers about Brown’s death. A county grand jury is weighing whether to indict Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in the Aug. 9 shooting, and the Justice Department is investigating whether Brown’s civil rights were violated.

This “olive branch” ought to have been extended the same day Michael Brown was murdered.  I think it’s a bit late in the eyes of many people.  For my part, it rings hollow bc it flies in the face of the chief’s actions since August 9th.  He’s got an uphill battle ahead of him if he wants people to think he’s on the correct side of justice.

 

****

Browns unmoved by chief’s apology

The parents of Michael Brown told The Associated Press on Saturday they were unmoved by the apology given by the Ferguson, Missouri, police chief weeks after their unarmed 18-year-old son was killed by a police officer.

Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, said, “yes,” when asked if Chief Tom Jackson should be fired, and his father, Michael Brown Sr., said rather than an apology, they would rather see the officer who shot their son arrested for his Aug. 9 death.

Fuck. Shit is hitting the fan in Ferguson, MO.

LGBT news 9.27.14

“Would you oppose attempts to add ‘homosexuality’, ‘transsexuality’, or ‘pedophilia’ to the anti-discriminations laws in Michigan?”-a survey sent out to political candidates by Public Advocate of the United States, a Virginia based non-profit run by Eugene Delgaudio.  Josh Derke was shocked to read this survey. The Michigan House hopeful shot back at PAofUS and Delgaudio:

“You and your group should be ashamed for sending this pile of excrement,” Derke wrote. “And I hope that if there is even a shred of humanity within you that you feel a twinge of guilt and shame for comparing loving couples and parents to pedophiles.”

Of course Delgaudio doesn’t see things that way:

Delgaudio, for his part, stood by the questionnaire, noting that Michigan candidates on both sides of the aisle have already accepted campaign contributions from wealthy LGBT rights supporters.

“We’re against any kind of bizarre behavior being protected under anti-discrimination laws. If you’re saying homosexuality is not bizarre, I understand, that’s your position,” he told MLive.

“We’re not singling out gays and saying gays are pedophiliacs, or that they’re supporting pedophilia. We’re just asking, would you agree to oppose that?”

The survey only allowed a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.  How is someone supposed to read it any other way than “these things are all bad-do you support them or not”?  Homosexuality and transsexuality should be protected by anti-discrimination laws.  Pedophilia, which is actively harmful to children, should not. But for people like Delgaudio, they think they’re all bad, so of course they conflate all three. Fuck you Delgaudio and thank you to Josh Derke.

* * * *

If you have an outdated cellphone or computer, consider donating it to at risk LGBTQ kids.

The Trevor Project, Human IT and Straight But Not Narrow have released two new videos in support of their new Power On campaign which aims to provide refurbished technology to underprivileged LGBTQ teens.

Donated hardware will be refurbished free of charge by Human I-T with resources for LGBTQ youth, including access to The Trevor Project’s accredited instant messaging service for youth in crisis, TrevorChat, and the organization’s social networking platform for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. The refurbished laptops, smart phones, and tablets will then be distributed to LGBTQ centers and shelters around the country.

* * * *

 Department of Justice will ask Supreme Court to uphold same-sex marriage

I can just hear the wailing and teeth-gnashing of bigots everywhere.  I laugh. I LOL. I guffaw  at their tears.

This evening NBC News’ Pete Williams said that the U.S. Department of Justice “will ask the Supreme Court to uphold same-sex marriage.” Eric Holder, Williams reports, says the country is ready for marriage equality.

“Once again, Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama Administration have stood up for marriage equality at a critical moment,” said HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. “As the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court gather on Monday to evaluate several marriage equality cases for full hearing, I hope they consider two facts—that the nation is ready for marriage equality, and that there are painful consequences to inaction. Committed and loving gay and lesbian couples can’t afford to wait any longer. It’s time to settle this constitutional question, once and for all.”

LGBT news 9.27.14

Tauriq Moosa is not happy with the atheist movement

I won’t be part of a movement resolutely more focused on shielding rich, white dudes than by being inclusive of marganlised, non-male, non-white people. Count me out. Call me back when we give a shit about women and you can admit those of us writing in a small corner of the internet actually care about moral action, not money, for what we do.

You can and ought to read the rest here.

Here’s my response to his post:

There are so many things about this whole crapfest that piss me off. One of the biggest is the refusal of Dawkins, Harris, Shermer, and Nugent, as well as their followers to apply the same tools of logic, reason, and skepticism to their own views. They’re all sooooo ready to use those tools to shred the entrenched views of others (provided they’re religious), but to apply the tools internally? Hell no. They *can’t* do that. To allow others to criticize them and explain in detail why they need to reexamine themselves? Hell no. They *can’t* do that.
Instead of doing that, they double down.
Instead of doing that they whine about being bulled.
Instead of doing that, we get labeled as the ‘thought police’, ‘feminazi’s’, ‘jackbooted thugs’, ‘lynch mobs’, and other hyperbolic B.S. that doesn’t hold up upon examination (I question if Dawkins even understands what Orwell meant by the ‘Thought Police’).
Gah. If not for the fact that I’ve found a subset of the atheist community that does confront their own biases as well as those of others, that actively works to excise their own prejudices and expects the same of others…I don’t think I’d want anything to do with the atheist movement. Which I guess is what that crowd wants. They don’t want more LGBT People of Color among their ranks-at least not unless its on their terms; and for all that they sit upon their ivory throne in their ivory tower, they are not my lords, kings, or bosses. They do not get to dictate the terms of my participation. They *will* treat me with respect. They *will* treat women, LGBT people, and People of Color with respect. Or they will be part of an ever shrinking movement that wants nothing to do with they and their status quo.

Tauriq Moosa is not happy with the atheist movement

Ayn Rand, Buffy, and morality

We all have nightmares.

Often these nightmares are extensions of activities we dread, such as public speaking, singing solo in front of your peers, giving a book report naked, being the only server in a restaurant on a Friday night with every table getting sat in succession with barely any time to get a drink order, let alone food order, and the guests all get so mad they refuse to pay, meaning you’ve worked your ass off and will get no tip and on top of that, they all leave reviews of the restaurant that are so bad that business tanks and you’re out of a job and your boss blames you and you’re blacklisted from all the restaurants in the city and have to move elsewhere except you can’t because you don’t have money and holy fuck can I get this sentence any longer (I tried, really I did)?

Then there are real nightmares.  Those things that would just be abso-fucking-lutely awful if they happened in the real world.  I was recently introduced to just such a nightmare. I won’t rank it in terms of absolute awfulness, but it’s gotta be up there-like in the top 1 (not a typo).

Put down the drinks.  Surround yourself with soft pillows.  Lay on the floor. Prepare yourself for:

  Ayn Rand does Buffy

GILES: In every generation there is a Slayer. She is the Chosen One. She alone will stand against the forces of darkness –

BUFFY: What does it pay?

GILES: What do you mean?

BUFFY: I’m being expected to risk my personal health and well-being on behalf of those too weak to fend for themselves, yes?

GILES: I wouldn’t put it exactly like that.

BUFFY: Surely this kind of specialized labor merits compensation, if my skills are so highly valued on the free market.

GILES: Well, we can’t really offer the Slayer money, if that’s what you mean.

BUFFY: Then I will find someone who can, and work only for the highest bidder.

[a group of vampires bash their way into the library and begin chewing on Giles]

GILES: Buffy, help –

BUFFY: If you really valued my services, you would pay me.

GILES: I’m dying –

BUFFY: This is emotional extortion and I won’t respond to it.

There are more examples at the link.

By the way, I actually do think the Slayers should have been paid.  They got the short end of Mr. Pointy-living an incredibly short and violent life. Given abilities they never chose and a destiny they never asked for.  All of this and they don’t get paid?! I think that people should get paid for their jobs, even if that job involves helping others, saving lives, or battling vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness.  The Slayer should be paid.

My gripe with so much of Ayn Rand’s Libertarian bullshit is the selfishness, as seen in the above example.  Not caring about the plight of others is pretty much the antithesis of who I am.  I might not be able to help others as much as I’d like, but I have a great deal of empathy and hearing of the suffering of others, including people I don’t know and never will has an effect on me.  If I was in the same situation as “Buffy” was in the above scenario, I’d save Giles.  Yes, there’s a risk, but given her power levels and her skills, that’s a minimal risk to her life, especially for the benefit of y’know, Anthony Stewart Head being able to keep his head.

Why?  Because of empathy. Because I know that if circumstances were different, I could be in the same car accident, have the same debilitating disease, face the same bullying, or deal with the same oppressive, theocratic government that calls for LGBT people or atheists to be killed. If I were in that same situation where my life was in danger, I’d want someone to help me if they could.  I wouldn’t want someone to sit on the sidelines and not offer assistance if they were able to (assuming they wouldn’t have to face too great a risk of harm to themselves [a risk that is up to each individual to determine]-I’m not saying that someone should rush into a burning building to save my life, although if they did, and saved me, I think I’d be a bit grateful). Moreover, since I don’t want to be made to suffer, I don’t want that to happen to anyone else. I don’t want anyone to suffer, and since I realize that suffering does happen, empathy causes me to react in a sympathetic, compassionate way.

I neither need nor want any divine commands to act in a moral way. At the heart of my morality is empathy.

Ayn Rand, Buffy, and morality

Hey look! Reverse Racism is totes real!

Thanks to Brony for bringing to my attention a video by Aamer Rahman- ‘Fear of a brown planet‘:

This is what so many people get wrong when discussing racism (most often those people are white, but that’s not always the case).

Racism is not just a white person calling a black person a racial slur like nigger, coon, tom, savage, pickaninny, mammy, buck, samba, jigaboo, or buckwheat.

It’s not just mobs of white people storming into the homes of black folks and subjecting them to lynchings.

It’s not just black people being denied the right to vote, which came in 1870 (but is still fought against today).

It’s not just slavery (abolished by the 13th Amendment which was passed in December 1865, however, enforcement of the 13th Amendment took decades to realize, and even then, some whites found a way to practice involuntary servitude; the last state to abolish involuntary servitude was Maryland, in 1972).

It’s not just black people being forced to sit at the back of the bus.

It’s not just white people fearing “racial contamination” from swimming in the same pool as black people.

Racism does not just harm black people either.  Asian-Americans, Indians, and Hispanic-Americans are all harmed by racism in the United States.

Racism is so much, much more.

Racism is racial profiling practices like ‘Stop & Frisk’.

Racism is the Republican and Libertarian opposition to government assistance programs.

Racism is bootstrapping and the idea that there’s a level playing field for whites and blacks.

Racism is the treatment of President Obama by virtually the entire Republican Party and a great many Americans.

Racism is The Bell Curve.

Racism is the American criminal justice system.

Yeah, those are all examples of racism.  But what IS racism?

Racism refers to a host of practices, beliefs, social relations and phenomena that work to reproduce a racial hierarchy and social structure that yields superiority and privilege for some, and discrimination and oppression for others. Racism takes representational, ideological, discursive, interactional, institutional, structural, and systemic forms. Despite its form, at its core, racism is constituted by essentialist racial categories that turn human subjects into stereotyped objects, and then uses those stereotypes to justify and reproduce a racial hierarchy and racially structured society that limits access to resources, rights, and privileges on the basis of race.

Extended Definition

It is important to recognize that racism manifests in a variety of forms and styles in today’s world. Forms of racism include the following:

  • Representational: depictions of essentialized racial stereotypes are common in popular culture and media, like the tendency to cast people of color as criminals and as victims of crime, or as background characters rather than leads, in film and television; also common are racial caricatures that are racist in their representations, like “mascots” for the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and the Washington R******* (name redacted because it is a racial slur).
  • Ideological: racism is manifest in world views, beliefs and common sense ways of thinking that are premised on essentialist notions of racial categories, and the idea that white or light skinned people are superior, in a variety of ways, to dark skinned people. Historically, ideological racism supported and justified the building of European colonial empires and U.S. imperialism through unjust acquisition of land, people, and resources around the world. Today, some common ideological forms of racism include the belief that black women are sexually promiscuous, that Latina women are “fiery” or “hot tempered,” and that black men and boys are criminally oriented.
  • Discursive: racism is often expressed linguistically, in the discourse we use to talk about the world and people in it, and manifests in racial slurs and hate speech, and in code words that have racialized meanings embedded in them, like “ghetto,” “thug,” or “gansta.”
  • Interactional: racism takes an interactional form such as a white woman crossing a street to avoid walking past a black or Latino man, a person of color being verbally or physically assaulted because of their race, or when, someone assumes a person of color working at an establishment to be a low-level employee, though they might be a manager, executive, or owner.
  • Institutional: racism can take institutional form in the way policies and laws are crafted and put into practice, such as the decades-long set of policing and legal policies known as “The War on Drugs,” which has disproportionately targeted neighborhoods and communities that are composed predominantly of people of color, New York City’s Stop-N-Frisk policy that overwhelmingly targets black and Latino males, and educational tracking policies that funnel children of color into remedial classes and trades programs.
  • Structural: racism takes structural form in the ongoing, historical, and longterm reproduction of the racialized structure of our society through a combination of all of the above forms. Structural racism manifests in widespread racial segregation and stratification, recurrent displacement of people of color from neighborhoods that go through processes ofgentrification, and the overwhelming burden of environmental pollution born by people of color given its proximity to their communities.
  • Systemic: racism within the U.S. can be described as systemic because the country was founded on racist beliefs with racist policies and practices, and because that legacy lives today in the racism that courses throughout the entirety of our social system.

In addition, sociologists observe a variety of styles, or types, within these different forms of racism. Some may be overtly racist, like the use of racial slurs or hate speech, or policies that intentionally discriminate against people on the basis of race. Others may be covert, kept to oneself, hidden from public view, or obscured by colorblind policies that purport to be race-neutral, when in fact they manifest in racist ways. While something may not appear obviously racist at first glance, it may in fact prove to be racist when one examines the implications of it through a sociological lens. If it relies on essentialized notions of race, and reproduces a racially structured society, then it is racist.

(bolding mine)

That part is bolded because so many people do not understand that racism is not limited to racial slurs or policies.  Racism extends to institutionalized structures of power that benefit the racial majority and discriminate against racial minorities.  This is why there is no such thing as reverse-racism.  Black people do not have social, political, or economic power over white people. They never have. While some African-Americans have bigoted or prejudicial views of white people, this doesn’t rise to the level of racism because they lack the social, economic, or political power that white people have.  Aamer Rahman’s video explains perfectly why reverse-racism is not a thing.  I wish every person on the planet could watch this and take the time to think about it.

Hey look! Reverse Racism is totes real!