Category Archives: Politically Incorrect

I'm starting to write this column on Independence Day. Ol' Nevah and I had a real quiet Fourth of July holiday. We basically stayed home all four days and canned some carrots, tilled and watered the garden, watched patriotic shows about the Star Spangled Banner and the famous memorials in Washington, D.C., and watched our Royals emerge from hibernation and morph into an exciting baseball team to watch.

As we watched those patriotic TV shows, I got to thinking about the political swamp in the nation's capital and the vitriolic media and how our founders would turn over in their graves if they could see us squander many of the principles and freedoms to which they pledged their fortunes and sacred honor.

I've loved writing limericks for a long time and usually when I write them, I stick to agricultural themes. But in honor of Independence Day and in deference to our founders and the political climate I decided to wade into the politically-incorrect waters of politics and penned the following limericks that succinctly describe our politics as I see them today.

If you like them, fine. Same if you don't. I'm just exercising my Constitutional freedom of speech.

Republican congresspersons are mired and tired. Theyre shirking the job for which they were hired.

America's Fly-Over Nation got roused

Over what the "bi-coastal" elites espoused.

And elected a "Tweeter,"

Which makes it all sweeter.

As their socialist dreams get doused.

A politician insultingly tweeted

To a news anchor he thought needed

But it turns out the result

Of his tweeted insult.

Would have been better deleted.

Once there was a President Trump,

Who was banished from the mass media stump.

So he resorted to tweets.

To bypass those elites,

And now they're all mired deep in a funk.

Republican congresspersons are mired and tired.

They're shirking the job for which they were hired.

They twiddle-dee, twiddle-dumb,

'Cause they think we're all numb,

But, they might just end up being fired.

The Founders said we should celebrate,

The birth of our nation so great.

With illuminations high in the sky

On the Fourth of July,

Not piddling ones, but really first-rate.

Last week I started describing some new Aggie Emojis that I think the rural community should start using on social media.

Well, I've come up with some more.

* A farrier (horseshoer): The emoji of a head with a cowboy hat in the middle of an upside down horseshoe.

* A farmer stuck in the mud: The emoji of a muddy farmer's face in a billed-cap surrounded by a circle of log chain.

* A sheep shearer (compliments of my friend ol' Nick deHyde in Iowa): the emoji of sheep shearer in greasy chaps sitting on a wool sack with a bloody bandana wrapped around his left fist.

* A farmer/mechanic: The emoji of a farmer head holding a wrench to the forefront with bleeding knuckles.

I'll probably think of more Aggie Emojis in the future.

At one point during a youth baseball game in a small rural town, the coach called one of his 9-year-old baseball players aside and asked, "Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?"

Boy: "Yes, coach."

Coach: "Do you understand that what matters is whether we win or lose together, as a team?"

Boy nodding. "Yes, sir."

Coach: "I'm sure you know, when an out is called, you shouldn't argue, curse, or verbally attack the umpire and call him as blind as a bat. Do you understand all that?"

Boy: "Yes, sir."

Coach: "And when I take you out of the game so that a teammate gets a chance to play, we don't yell 'what a dumb decision' or 'playing favorites again' do we?"

Boy: "No, sir, coach."

Coach: "Good, Now please go over and explain all that to your parents."

Hope I survive all the deep water I've gotten myself into this week. Have a good 'un.

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Yield: A political limerick - Fence Post

Ontario NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh launches his bid for the federal NDP leadership in Brampton, Ont., on Monday, May 15, 2017. Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Quebecers are not used to being asked to vote for politicians who look like Jagmeet Singh. He wears colourfulturbans and has a long, dark beard, symbols of his Sikh faith. And he is a serious contender for the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party.

Some Quebec New Democrats are concerned that if Singh wins the leadership, voters in this province will reject their party. Considering the evidence, including their own recent experience, that concern is understandable.

Last week, Le Devoir reported the fear of several Quebecers in the NDP that electors in their province would not vote for an aspiring prime minister who displays his religious convictions so conspicuously.

The newspaper followed up this week, quoting an unidentified source as saying that some New Democratic members of Parliament from Quebec are considering not running again if Singh becomes leader, because they fear that they would be defeated.

A former New Democratic MP defeated in the 2015 general election, Pierre Dionne Labelle, flatly told Le Devoir that Quebecers arent ready to have a leader wearing conspicuous (religious) symbols.

He and other, unidentified sources also mentioned positions taken by Singh, as a member of the Ontario legislature, that may have been influenced by his religious beliefs.

Dionne Labelle wasnt the first Quebec New Democrat to go on the record with his concerns about Singh.

Like Dionne Labelle and the other sources quoted by Le Devoir, Karl Blanger, writing last month for Lactualit magazine, recalled that the turning point against the NDP in 2015 was a controversy in Quebec over a religious symbol.

As the partys national director at the time, Blanger was well-positioned to witness the effect of the Bloc Qubcois attack on NDP leader Thomas Mulcairs defence of a Muslim womans freedom to wear the face-covering niqab.

On the specific question of a Sikh leader, recent poll results suggest that with Singh, the NDP would face resistance from a majority of Quebec voters.

In a Canada-wide survey by the Angus Reid Institute in late May, 54 per cent of Quebecers expressing an opinion candidly gave the politically incorrect answer that they would not consider voting for a party led by a Sikh. And 64 per cent said they would not consider voting for a party led by a man who wears a religious head-covering.

The argument that Quebecers are uncomfortable with religion in general because of their experience under an oppressive Catholic Church prior to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s is unconvincing.

True, in the 1970s, when we baby boomers were all liberating ourselves, I was struck by hearing many of my French-speaking contemporaries tell me of their additional personal struggles to free themselves from the grip of the Church.

Still, the relationship of Quebecers to religion remains, well, complicated.

There has been no movement to eradicate Catholic place names from the map of Quebec, as there was to eliminate those in English, or to remove Catholic symbols from public school buildings.

It was the courts, not public pressure, that halted the recital of a prayer before meetings of the Saguenay city council. And it is public opinion, as interpreted by the three largest parties in the National Assembly, that keeps the crucifix on the wall above the speakers chair.

Last week, there were complaints when a Muslim prayer was overheard at the privately owned Parc Safari zoo outside Montreal. But as La Presse columnist Mario Girard pointed out, nobody objected last month when an outdoor Catholic mass was celebrated during an arts festival held by a Lanaudire village named Sainte-Batrix.

All this is the selective secularism thats been called Catho-lacit, a combination of the French words for Catholicism and secularism.

Eventually, Quebecers will probably get used to politicians who look like Singh, just as they have got used to ones who are women, or black, or gay. But were not there yet.

dmacpgaz@gmail.com

Twitter: DMacpGaz

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Don Macpherson: The NDP's 'Jagmeet Singh problem' in Quebec is real - Montreal Gazette

The mainstream right wing of the U.S. political spectrum, which has inexplicably been handed the keys to the White House, is utterly baffling to observe from the outside. When a misogynist multibillionaire with zero experience in matters governmental, diplomatic, or military is handed the reins of power to the world's most powerful country, you know we are truly, deeply fucked.

And now Kid Rock wants a piece of the action. The Detroit rapper and Southern-rock revivalist, born Robert Ritchie, has officially announced that he's running for a seat in the United States Senate. Like Donald Trump, whose presidential campaign he supported, Ritchie has no political experience. He also lacks any postsecondary education.

Fortunately for him, those things are not prerequisites for senatorship. In fact, the requirements are pretty minimal: you have to be over 30 and you have to reside in the state in which you are elected. Having a criminal record isn't detrimental, which is good for Ritchie, who has faced charges for assault and alcohol-related offences on a number of occasions.

His Kid Rock for U.S. Senate website makes no mention of party affiliation, but Ritchie has proclaimed himself a Republican in the past. (He has also proclaimed himself an American Badass, a redneck, a pimp, and "the Bullgod", for the record.) Kid Rock is just what the GOP seems to be looking for these days, a true avatar of old-fashioned American values: a weed-smoking, cougar-killing former drug dealer who once starred in a sex tape with Scott Stapp.

Kid Rock is proudly politically incorrect and unapologetically vulgar, traits that might cost him some support among more old-guard conservatives. Then again, if Donald "Grab'em by the Pussy" Trump can get elected, clearly no one gives a shit about anything anymore.

Without further ado, here are a few of Kid Rock's most problematic lyrics.

1. "Balls in Your Mouth" (1993)

Sample lyric: "Cruisin' through town in my jacked-up truck/Eyes open cuz I'm scopin' for a big butt slut/One that I can take straight back to my house/And have her suck my dick and put my balls in her mouth"

Pretty much any Kid Rock song on the topic of sex could be construed as sexist (see also: "Fuck U Blind" and "WCSR"), but "Balls in Your Mouth" is some seriously next-level misogyny. The song finds our hero seeking out a partner for a specific activity. He finds one, the act is consummated to the mutual pleasure of both participants, and then the next day he publicly slut-shames her, as any gentleman would.

2. "Black Chick, White Guy" (1996)

Sample lyric: "Pretty girl in the ghetto, go figure/Yeah, she got macked by some dope dealin' nigger"

Hey, Kid: you know who's allowed to use the N word? Take a look in the mirror. Not that guy.

3. "Fuck Off" (1998)

Sample lyric: "Kid Rock, I couldn't be no Bozo/And I get too much P to ever be no homo...I'm not Peter Pan, I don't fuck with fairies/But I bust more rhymes than virgin cherries"

To his credit, Kid Rock, like Barack Obama, has "evolved" on LGBT issues. Sort of. Two years ago he said "As an ordained minister I dont look forward to marrying gay people, but Im not opposed to it." Wait, Kid Rock is an ordained minister?!

4. "Midnight Train to Memphis" (2001)

Sample lyric: "Doped-up rebel with an attitude/Shit/So fuck a bitch...I won't switch, won't quit my vices"

Based on a cursory perusal of his lyrics, Ritchie's vices include cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and marijuana. This would make him the only open and unrepentant user of illicit drugs in the U.S. Senate. Which is...progressive? Maybe? In any case, he's on record as supporting the legalization of coke and heroin. Good luck with that!

5. "Half Your Age" (2007)

Sample lyric: "She's half your age and twice as hot...Oh she wakes up every morning and she folds my clothes"

Kid Rock has had his fill of women who have, like, opinions and shit. He's found someone young and malleable who will do his housework and not complain about it. The American dream, really.

6. "3 CATT Boogie" (2012)

Sample lyric: "Banks hedgin bets for the next generation/And Wall Streets stirrin up the whole situation"

Every once in a long while, Kid Rock lets a vaguely political sentiment creep into his lyrics. These lines from "3 CATT Boogie" reference the financial crisis of 2007-08. Trouble is, he seems to be suggesting that big banks and Wall Street have to shoulder much of the blame for it. Needless to say, this is not the Republican party line. In fact, the GOP is trying to repeal much of the Dodd-Frank Act, which was designed to protect consumers from another financial meltdown. The Republicans' Financial CHOICE Act has been characterized by top Democrats as a handout to Wall Street. We're shocked to admit that we're with Kid Rock on this one, even though we're 99 percent certain he thinks Dodd-Frank is a brand of hot-dog wiener.

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Kid Rock runs for US Senate: his most politically incorrect lyrics - Straight.com (blog)

A worshiper, holding an American and an Israeli flag, prays during The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, on Jerusalems promenade, in 2011.. (photo credit:BAZ RATNER/REUTERS)

Christiane Amanpour was on my balcony scanning the Mount of Olives and the Temple Mount with her eyes. The CNN journalist had come to my home to interview me about settlers and the Bible, and I guessed from her line of British accented-questioning but do you hear God telling you to take this land? that she was hoping to ensnare me into saying something politically incorrect and juicy.

Suddenly, her eyes locked on the large Israeli flag fluttering on the balcony and asked: What is the symbolism of the two blue lines on the flag is it that Israel will control the land between the Nile and the Euphrates?

Nothing would have made her happier than if I had gone biblical on her and said that yes, God had promised this land to the children of Abraham! But instead, I went liberal: You know, I heard that the two lines represent the splitting of the Red Sea and that the star in the middle is the Jewish people leaving the slavery of Egypt and walking toward the freedom of Israel. The flag represents the Jewish peoples fight for self-determination after 2,000 years of oppression, and the values of liberty.

Amanpour, looking somewhat dissatisfied, left the flag motif and went onto other topics.

However, when I think about the flag of Israel today, with the Star of David flanked by two blue lines, I wonder if it represents the reality of the Jewish people. Back in the Exodus, we were one united nation, walking on dry land as two giant walls of sea stood on either side of us. But today we are actually two nations, 6 million living in Israel, 6 million living in the US, with a huge ocean separating us. Maybe the right way to draw a flag of the Jewish people is two Stars of David on either side, with a thick blue line going down the middle?

The recent Kotel scandal was a powerful tremor, with some pundits calling for a divorce between American and Israeli Jews. Also, many articles have been written over the past few years questioning whether Israels nationalist values comport with American Jewish liberal values. And even without political issues that divide us, the life of the Middle East is not like that of North America, linguistically, culturally and even Jewishly. Like two continents set on tectonic plates, the Jewish people can easily drift apart.

I, too, have been guilty of perpetuating this drift. I have been flying to North America for years for speaking engagements, teaching seminars, and fund-raising. Whenever I arrived at a fabulously wealthy synagogue or temple, my Zionism and my Israel-first impulse would kick in hard. In my mind I would imagine the building empty, sold to non-Jews, the congregants packing boxes to ship to their new homes in Israel. A strong sense of Zionism is a good thing, but the frustration and jealousy I felt toward American Jewry put a barrier between me and the people I came to see.

A few years ago I listened to an audiobook called Millionaire Mind. In it, the author said that if you meet a very successful person and subtly curse his good fortune because of jealousy, you will never become a millionaire. The only way to become rich is by rooting for and blessing the successful person to keep on winning. This wisdom hit me like a ton of bricks: Here I was trying to strengthen Israel through building a connection with American Jews, but I was sabotaging the whole thing with my righteous indignation and jealousy.

Now I took it upon myself to reform my ways and become a blesser. Today, whenever I come to a synagogue or temple in North America, I bless the building and the congregation, I bless the rabbi, and the Jewish education, and I bless the couples to have more children and to raise them right. I certainly did not come all the way from Israel to cause more division I come from Israel to reconnect with my American mishpaha (family), to send them blessings from Jerusalem, and to make sure we as a people dont drift apart. Of course, now that Im a sending good energy, my work has become much more successful.

But still, being a staunch Zionist can lead to frustration with American Jewry, some of whom make little effort toward building the Jewish state, the greatest project of the Jewish people in 2,000 years. So now, after blessing the congregation, I urge them to take a small step toward Israel, like committing to drinking Israeli wine on Friday night. This certainly supports Israeli business, but more important, it puts the water and the fruit, the air and the soil of Israel itself to enter and unite with the body. Many people have told me that since they began they have accepted upon themselves to drink Israeli wine, they feel more connected with the homeland. This is a small step, but a meaningful one.

Indeed, the greatest divide in the Jewish world today is between American Jewry and Israeli Jewry. That divide has been exacerbated by tensions having to do with religious control of the Western Wall, acceptance of conversions and marriages, and questions of the future of Judea and Samaria. But while real questions underlie these tensions, the resulting rift in our peoplehood is disastrous and plays right into the hands of our enemies.

We mustnt listen to those cynical voices who call for divorce they are not our better angels. On the contrary, will have to work hard to hold hands across the Atlantic, and use the Internet and the airplane to stay connected. Lets do everything possible to the ameliorate tensions between us and thereby ensure that the flag of Israel remains with only one, unified, Star of David.

Yishai Fleisher is the international spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron.

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Two Jewish nations, one flag - The Jerusalem Post mobile website

by Michael Daly

Affordable housing or preservation? Workforce housing or grand estates? People or animals? Senior housing or clean water? Preservation or sustainability?

It has been (cynically) said that todays home buyer is tomorrows environmentalist. As the belgian block is being laid, the privets are being planted and the gates are being installed, theyre at town hall crying No More Development! Its Too Crowded! We Have To Protect The Water/Pond/Scenic Vistas/Salamanders! They become NIMBYs.

Its human nature for people to protect their turf and their investments. Rather than say the politically incorrect truth, such as Im afraid that the project will bring people that I dont like here, the traffic/pond/water quality/salamander excuse is used. Granted, its incumbent upon communities to choose sites for affordable housing wisely, where residents have access to shopping and public transportation. Realistically, every site will be in someones back yard.

With our aging and dwindling population and unaffordable housing costs on Long Island, the East End is on a course for becoming one big retirement community. Fewer young people living here will result in fewer children and students, and schools and businesses closing. Were on an unsustainable course.

What is a Sustainable Community? The Institute for Sustainable Communities says:

A sustainable community is one that is economically, environmentally, and socially healthy and resilient. It meets challenges through integrated solutions rather than through fragmented approaches that meet one of those goals at the expense of the others. And it takes a long-term perspective one thats focused on both the present and future, well beyond the next budget or election cycle.

It includes things such as:

Inspiring, effective, and responsive leadership

Conservation of water, land, energy, and nonrenewable resources

Safe and healthy housing accessible to all

The basic human rights of all community members are respected and defended against injustices including exploitation and psychological and physical harm

Meaningful employment opportunities for all citizens

Looks like we have some work to do!

A reader of my last months Be A YIMBY column recently wrote, saying I started expediting permits around 10 years ago. I have been beaten and bloodied by NIMBYs ever sincethe projects I have worked on have been held up for as many as seven years The most frustrating element in these altercations has always been the fact that the existing zoning often allowed the uses when the projects began. The NIMBYs filibustered and steamrolled boards into making changes in the code. Those changeswere then used to further undermine commercial development.

Guys and gals, we have the technology available to create housing communities with safer water treatment. Its not new development that is polluting our waters, its the old developments with outdated septic systems placed at the shoreline, where they were always placed in years gone by. Thats whats causing the brown tide and algae blooms around our bays and ponds. Recent county and township initiatives to support replacing outdated septic systems, along with strict requirements for new development wastewater treatment will certainly help.

Want clean air? Then lets create housing in our villages and hamlets, where workers dont have to drive 30+ miles to get to work, so they can stop polluting the air and burning all those fossil fuels. Well have less traffic, too! When was the last time you tried to travel east in the morning or west in the afternoon?

And lets not sit around waiting for our politicians to do this needed work. Many men and women who stand up and run for office in hope of making our community a better place end up sitting at the dais, getting screamed at, threatened and intimidated by the self-serving NIMBYs that come to protect their own little world. I just witnessed it myself at the June 13 Southampton Town Council Meeting on the PDD Extension for the Sandy Hollow Affordable Housing Project. The behavior of the neighbors to this development was disgraceful.

Change starts at the grassroots. We must go to village and town hall and demand decisions creating sustainable communities are made. If necessary, shame the NIMBYs and show support for our elected officials to make decisions in support of the greater public good. Then be prepared to share the burden by saying Yes, In My Back Yard. Lets go!

Michael Daly is an East Ender and regular contributor to The East End Beacon on community issues that he cares deeply about. He can be reached at 631.525.6000 or by email at mfdaly1@gmail.com.

The East End Beacon is your guide to social and environmental issues, arts & culture on the East End of Long Island.

Originally posted here:
The Homestead: It's Not About Either/Or, It's About AND - East End Beacon

BRASILIA (Reuters) - The graft conviction Wednesday of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a front-runner for next year's presidential election, opens the door for an outsider to take power in Latin America's largest country, political experts said.

Lula, a giant on the Brazilian political scene who led Brazil from 2003 to 2011, has said he wants to run for president again next year. But if his nearly 10-year sentence is upheld on appeal, Lula, a founder of the leftist Workers Party, would be barred from seeking office again for eight years, beginning after any jail time is complete.

Lula, 71, is among a raft of Brazilian elites toppled by an epic corruption scandal that has battered the nation's economy, engulfed every major party and deepened public cynicism about politics. It's a toxic mix that has enraged voters, who are searching for someone to lead them out of the political and economic wilderness.

"Brazil is now as polarized as the U.S., it really has been for years," said Carlos Melo, a political scientist with Insper, a Sao Paulo business school. "But if Lula is absent it would unquestionably open the space for an outside, very emotional leader, a bit like U.S. President Trump."

Lula was convicted on Wednesday by Judge Sergio Moro, who found Lula guilty of accepting 3.7 million reais ($1.15 million) worth of bribes from engineering firm OAS SA [OAS.UL]. That is the amount prosecutors said the company spent refurbishing a beach apartment for Lula in return for his help winning contracts with state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro.

OAS was part of a supplier cartel that prosecutors said fleeced billions of dollars from Petrobras through inflated contracts, funneling some of the ill-gotten gains to politicians and political parties. Several OAS executives were jailed by Moro, the hard-charging judge overseeing the so-called Car Wash investigation, the largest-ever corruption probe in Brazils history.

Lula' lawyers said he is innocent. He will remain free while his attorneys appeal the ruling, which they have characterized as a political witch hunt. The appeals court is expected to take at least eight months to rule.

"This politically motivated judgment attacks Brazil's rule of law, democracy and Lula's basic human rights," Lula's defense team wrote in an emailed statement. "It is of immense concern to the Brazilian people and to the international community."

Despite his legal woes, the charismatic Lula remains Brazil's best-known politician and has retained a base of loyal supporters. As president, he channeled resources from a commodities boom into social programs that helped lift millions from poverty.

Recent surveys from the respected Datafolha polling institute show that in a second-round runoff next year, Lula would beat all contenders with the exception of the environmentalist and two-time presidential candidate Marina Silva, with whom he is in a technical tie.

But if Lula cannot run, and with roughly 20 percent of the electorate undecided on any candidate, the election is up for grabs.

While Silva has polled well, Melo and other political watchers doubt that the soft-spoken, environmental expert could win, in part because her campaigns have lacked the fiery speeches and dramatic flair needed to engage many voters.

The public's thirst for showmanship and anti-establishment candidates, Melo said, could give a boost to two outsiders: Ciro Gomes, a tough-talking former governor, federal minister and congressmen who is now with the Democratic Workers Party; and Joao Doria, a millionaire media mogul and former star of Brazil's version of "The Apprentice."

Gomes, despite his long career in politics, is a rough-and-tumble politician who could easily position himself as an anti-government candidate. Loud and politically incorrect, Gomes called unpopular President Michel Temer, himself facing a corruption charge, the "captain of the coup" that led to the impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff last year.

Doria, who had never held elected office before, stunned the political establishment last year when he won the mayorship of South America's largest city in the first round, capturing 53 percent of the vote. A member of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party, he is loved by the business community for his pro-market stance. And he has caught the public's attention with stunts such as donning a street sweeper's uniform and spending days cleaning roadways.

Shortly after the Lula verdict was made public Wednesday, Doria posted on Twitter that "Justice has been done."

"The most shameless man in Brazil was condemned to nine and a half years in prison," Doria continued. "Long live Brazil."

The latest Datafolha polls shows Gomes and Doria in a technical tie in a second-round presidential vote next year.

A right-wing, law-and-order candidate, congressman Jair Bolsonaro, of the Social Christian Party, also has polled well, taking 15 percent of a simulated first-round vote in the Datafolha survey, putting him behind only Lula.

But political watchers caution his appeal is likely to wane as opponents dig into his trove of anti-gay, pro-dictatorship utterances. Bolsonaro is facing a trial before Brazil's Supreme Court for inciting violence after he told a female congresswoman on the floor of the lower house that he "would not rape her because she would not be worthy of it."

Sergio Praca, a political scientist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a leading Brazilian University, said he sees the Lula conviction as giving all politicians a deep scare rather than any one candidate a bounce.

"This conviction is a black mark on Brazil's history. But it is a great moment in the fight against impunity," Praca said.

"The Brazilian voter will no longer accept a presidential candidate who is not clean, and that is a real evolution in our democracy," he added. "In this trying moment, that is the positive outlook we have to hold onto."

Editing by Marla Dickerson

Continue reading here:
In Brazil, Lula conviction opens field for 2018 presidential race - Reuters

YouTube feminist Laci Green, who enjoys a popular following of over 1.5 million subscribers, has become persona non grata among the social justice crowd for daring to question feminist orthodoxy and for dating a man on the other side of the political aisle. Recently, Green has taken to publicly questioning her previously held beliefs about gender and the sex binary, which has earned her the scorn of feminists who are accusing her of bigotry.

To a mainstream audience, the spats that happen on Twitter may seem like pointless drama but given the broad reach of all the personalities involved, these arguments have a trickle-down effect that affect millions of the viewers who watch their videos and listen to what they say.

Recently, Green took issue with a Vogue magazine infographic describing females as non-prostate owners.

This is what Im talking about when I say I cant even use basic biology terms in sex ed anymore, commented Green, adding that terms like male and female are now politically incorrect and not inclusive.

Female and male are not identities or genders, she continued. There are biological sexes and refer to someones literal body parts (for reproduction).

Its basic biology that anyone will learn in high school.

In a separate tweet, Green highlighted opinions she held that are considered controversial in 2017. She described same sex attraction as gay.

While many other users on Twitter expressed their support for her views, an equal number of feminists especially male feminists were upset by what she wrote.

Following her comments, Green was attacked for being a TERF or trans exclusionary radical feminist, which describes a fringe section of feminists who exclude transgender people from the discourse. Others accused her of homophobia and biphobia, for stating the obvious that same sex attraction is gay.

Many implied that she only held her beliefs because of who she was dating, and not because she was capable of thinking for herself.

Another popular YouTuber, Daniel Hardcastle, who once described Feminist Frequency as trash, weighed in on the situation by aligning himself with Greens detractors and cried about ableism when he was called out on it.

Its curious to see where the lines will be drawn in the ongoing discussion on political correctness and the language of sex and gender as more young people rise to prominence within the media.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter.

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YouTube Star Attacked Following Comments About Gender - The Daily Caller

Album Review: Jay-Z Makes You His Therapist on the Confessional 4:44 Student Edge Describing himself with psychoanalytical language like emotionally available, and amending his comments when he's politically incorrect, the unretired and very apologetic Jay uses his comeback record to respond to wife Beyonc's adultery ... and more »

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Album Review: Jay-Z Makes You His Therapist on the Confessional 4:44 - Student Edge

TORONTO Speaking into a working microphone (this time), and to a rabid, yet supportive crowd (as always), Conor McGregor came to Canada on Wednesday and spent his afternoon ridiculing Floyd Mayweather in nearly every imaginable way with profanity, politically incorrect comments and, mostly, biting humor.

Mayweather may have every advantage in their Aug. 26 boxing match in Las Vegas, but on this wild, free-wheeling, four-city, three-country promotional tour, its McGregors game they are playing. Mayweather is one hell of a promoter, but McGregor is a showman for the ages.

The problem is it probably wont help him come fight night.

Despite gray skies and a light rain, over 10,000 rowdy fans descended on an outdoor, lake-front amphitheater here to watch McGregor strut around and mercilessly mock Mayweather.

He hit Mayweather on The Money Team casual attire He looks like a little break dancer Youre 40 years old, dress your age.

He hit Mayweather on the strip club he owns in Vegas Fifty strippers on his payroll. At least Rob Kardashian only had one.

He hit Mayweather on his less-educated background You cant read.

I dont read, Mayweather shot back later, quickly shifting to his ability to bank dollars as the worlds highest-paid athlete. I do numbers. I make money.

You owe money, McGregor interrupted, slamming Mayweather for his recent $22 million IRS lien, which will be handled with part of his earnings for the bout, which projects to be the richest prize fight in history.

The crowd soon started chanting, Pay Your Taxes.

Floyd Mayweather (L) and Conor McGregor yell at each other during their news conference on Wednesday in Toronto. (Getty)

Toronto in particular, and Canada in general, is an MMA stronghold. It is such a reliable market for the Ultimate Fighting Championship that the promotion routinely stages shows up here, including its first ever in a stadium, drawing 55,000-plus back in 2011.

As such, Mayweather never really stood a chance. This was a McGregor event. When McGregor hit, the crowd roared. When Mayweather countered, they booed.

There was a classic tell in McGregors comments, though, a sign that he was thinking about more than just selling $99.99 pay-per-views. McGregor isnt the greatest fighter, but he is a very clever and calculating one. So while he wants to show the people a good time, he also wants to rattle Mayweather, upset him enough to move him off his game and into an act of ill-advised fight-night rage.

The proof came when he mentioned his December 2015 bout against Jose Aldo, a man that was then on a 10-year unbeaten streak and considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.

They said the same thing then as they are saying now, McGregor crowed. They said I had no chance. They said Im in over my head. They said he kicks too hard. They said he had too many weapons.

It took me two whole seconds

Actually, 13 seconds, but the specifics dont matter. McGregor spent years not merely months in the buildup to the fight hammering and humiliating Aldo with his sharp tongue and vicious wit. He was so relentless on the soft-spoken Brazilian that when they squared off at the weigh-in, he noticed Aldos right hand, twitching. McGregor then, before the fight, predicted to the English-speaking media how it would end.

Hes ready to unload that right hand and I feel that could be the downfall for him, McGregor predicted. If he lets that right hand go, I will not be there I will create traps and dead spaces in the Octagon. I will walk him into that dead space. All of a sudden, he will be in danger.

Sure enough, Aldo, who should have sat back and tried to get McGregor to the ground, charged at the opening bell and threw a wild right that grazed McGregor. It also led Aldo into that predicted dead space, where a McGregor left ended the fight in an instant.

It was Mystic Mac at his finest. It also represents one of the few paths to victory he can attempt in a boxing match against the 49-0 Mayweather: Get him so mad that he tries to kill you and then counter with a knockout.

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Its hard to believe he can out-point Floyd Mayweather, UFC president Dana White said Wednesday. Its a fight, though. When guys are throwing punches, anything can happen.

Sure, unless Mayweather is cautious and simply ducks them all. Which is why the antagonize game isnt just worth a try, it may be the only try.

His head is too small, McGregor cracked, while questioning Mayweathers toughness and durability. One shot is all it will take. He hasnt fought a day in his life. Hes a runner. Hes boxings biggest [expletive].

Except there was Mayweather standing behind the amphitheater after the promotional show Wednesday, laughing at McGregors one-liners, brushing off any concerns about what got said and nodding approval at McGregors hustle.

If one of the goals here is to get under Mayweathers skin, it doesnt appear to be working.

Its about giving the people entertainment, Mayweather said calmly. People want to be entertained. And I think both press conferences [here and Tuesday in Los Angeles] have been unbelievable.

I mean, Im not upset with him, Mayweather continued. Its not like the guy has done something harsh to me. It has nothing to do with talking. Ive been world champion for 19 years. Ive never been overthrown. Its all about keeping my composure. Anytime I went out there and competed against the best guys in boxing, I kept my composure. I went out there and executed the gameplan Im the best in the business. We have to be sharp. We have to be smart.

Its worth pointing this out: At the two lengthy staredowns here, Floyd Mayweathers hand never twitched. And its unlikely it ever will.

Continued here:
Conor McGregor's only hope: Dial up the antics and get under Floyd Mayweather's skin - Yahoo Sports

Donald Trump Jr., son of President Donald Trump, frequently uses his prominence on Twitter and proximity to the White House to promote right-wing media trolls who defend his father and smear mainstream media.

Key voices in the incestuous right-wingalternative media ecosystemhave found an ally in the younger Trump, who often retweets and favorites tweets from the echo chambers loudest voices, and who isrumoredto serve as a White House source to at least one far-right personality. Like the far-right trolls he expresses admiration for, Trump spends his time on Twitterspreadingdebunked conspiracy theories,smearingmainstream media outlets,promotingbogus alt-right videos, andamplifyingmessages with white nationalist undertones. Trumps behavior, in effect, validates the larger alternative media ecosystem and attempts to bring the fringe worldview into the mainstream.

Mike Cernovich

Trump has repeatedly indicated an affinity for right-wing troll and Infowars contributor Mike Cernovich. Cernovich gained notoriety during the 2016 election for promotingfakeconspiracytheoriessuch as the Pizzagate narrative, accusing Democratic officials of operating a child sex trafficking ring in the basement of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria. Infowars Alex Jones told his audience that the presidents sons, especially Donald Jr.,are Cernovichs sourceson White House affairs. And earlier this year, Trump claimed that in a long gone time of unbiased journalism Cernovich would win the Pulitzer prize for hisfaux scandal storythat alleged Susan Rice, who served as national security adviser to then-President Barack Obama, was responsible for improper unmasking of Trump associates caught in surveillance of foreign officials.

Stefan Molyneux

The younger Trump alsofrequentlyretweetsStefan Molyneaux, a prominent far-right blogger whopromotesright-wing trolls and conspiracy theories about globalism. Trump closely follows Molyneaux, boosting many of his tweets and favoritingonethat featured a depiction of CNN reporter Andrew Kaczynski in a Nazi uniform.

Infowars Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson

Infowars top conspiracy peddlers, Paul Joseph Watson and Alex Jones, also have Trumps attention. During the 2016 election, Trumpshared an Infowars articlethat falsely accused Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton of wearing an earpiece during the first presidential debate. Trump has alsoliked tweetsfrom Watson and recentlyattacked CNNwhile Infowars was pushing a meme war against the network.

4chan

While he wassharing anti-CNN memes, Trump also favorited atweetfrom a Twitter account connected to the internet cesspool known as 4chans politically incorrect message board (/pol/). The tweet contained a list of companies that advertise on CNN and encouraged people to tweet at the companies and ask them to stop advertising on the network. Alongside far-right ideologies, the board often features anti-Semitic, racist, sexist, homophobic, and white nationalist content.

Jack Posobiec

Trump also promotes right-wing troll Jack Posobiec on Twitter. Posobiecspublicity stuntsandbogus talking pointshave duped mainstream media sources and public officials. On July 8, Trumpshared a videoPosobiec posted that depicted protesters setting fires in Germany in response to the G-20 summit. Posobiec is a media troll who got temporary White House credentials to attend the press briefings. He is responsible for peddling hacked emails that were likely sourced from Russia, spreading the Pizzagate conspiracy, and orchestrating smear campaigns against people who opposed the senior Trump.

Trumps affinity for these far-right media personalities and his active promotion of their half-baked theories about the days news validates the alternative media ecosystem to its audience and furthers the far-rights attempt to delegitimize longstanding journalistic institutions. By emulating and affirming these fringe figures, Trump furthers his fathersdisdain for the pressand stokes public distrust of legitimate news outlets.

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Donald Trump Jr. loves far-right internet trolls and they love him back - Salon