(June 19, 2017 at 6:47 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: anyone hear about the 'Slants' ruling today ?

on Fox News right now

(June 20, 2017 at 10:45 am)vorlon13 Wrote:

(June 19, 2017 at 6:47 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: anyone hear about the 'Slants' ruling today ?

on Fox News right now

LA Times update on this interesting and probably controversial ruling:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorial...story.html


excerpt:

In a reassuringly sweeping decision, the Supreme Court on Monday struck down a federal law prohibiting the registration of trademarks that may disparage individuals, institutions, beliefs or national symbols, or “bring them into contempt or disrepute.”
The 8-0 ruling was a victory for the Slants, an Asian American dance-rock band that chose its name as a way to redeem a word traditionally regarded as a racial slur, only to be blocked from trademarking its brand by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Congress barred the registration of disparaging trademarks in 1946, presumably to avoid giving the government’s imprimatur to offensive slogans.

Writing for the court, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote that the “disparagement clause” in trademark law “offends a bedrock 1st Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend.”
Alito’s opinion rightly makes clear that the 1st Amendment is violated not only when the government prevents or punishes speech, but when it conditions benefits — such as the economic advantages that flow from federal trademark registration — on the content of speech. We don’t want the government deciding what brands and slogans are too offensive to be trademarked any more than we want the government deciding which shows are too disrespectful to be televised or which political treatises are too radical to be published.

So then, based on this, we can expect to start seeing movie ratings disappear, based in part, on the fact that obscene language that might offend youngsters, would effectively prohibit the movie makers from gaining any profit to be had off of such movies. Also, this would apply to tv shows.

Expect the word "fuck" to be utilized to its maximum potential folks. Offended or not... here it comes.

(June 19, 2017 at 6:36 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: Before I tell this, it bears on the story that I was raised in a household where heavy emphasis was placed on social manners and personal politeness.  As a result, I tend to call men older than myself 'sir' or 'mister'.  Ok, that's enough to go on with.

I do most of the marketing at our house (only fair, as I do most of the cooking as well) and I was queued up at the local farmer's mart this morning, and started a conversation with the man behind me.  He was clearly senior to me, so - as noted above - I called him 'sir' a few times.  Very nice fella, we chatted about food and the weather, nothing heavy.

On a sudden, I heard someone from further back in the queue (almost) shout, 'I wish you'd stop that!'  I picked out the speaker and said, 'Stop what, exactly?'  And this piece of filth says, 'It makes me sick to hear a nigger called "sir".'

There was a collective gasp from everyone in earshot, and my new friend next to me  looked gut-punched.  Now, I want it clear that I had no intention of fighting this moron (aside from a fleeting vision of how he'd look with his features shuffled about), but I did suggest that he go elsewhere while he was still able to do so under his own power.  So - naturally - fuckface starts ranting about how society is crumbling, and 'mud people' and how the rights of white people are being eroded and on and on.

And then it happened:  everyone, and I mean everyone who heard the exchange started saying things like, 'Pay him no mind, SIR' and 'He's a fool, SIR' and 'Move to the front of the queue, SIR'.  Microbrain dropped his shopping on the floor and stomped out. I can't remember a time when I've been so disgusted and so elated in so short a time.  I hung about and walked my new mate to his car, just to be sure he'd be safe.

So, have any of you been witness to anything like this blatant, unapologetic racism?  I never even encountered behaviour like this in NI, where the national pastime is despising other people.

Boru

addendum:  My new friend's name is George.  He's 63, a retired house painter, a widower, and is coming to the house for supper at the weekend.

Wow, that idiot really is lucky he didn't get his ass kicked. I think you had the right response. 

Not only do I hate violence, but responding with violence only gives those sick fucks what they want.

I always walk away or try to talk my way out of fights. Even if I knew how to fight, it is never worth it, especially with idiots like that.

ruling applies to the government


We could someday have a Secretary of Felching in the president's cabinet someday . . .

(June 19, 2017 at 6:47 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: anyone hear about the 'Slants' ruling today ?

Yes, but I am a bit torn on this.

It isn't really like a bunch of non Asians gave themselves that name. But being a Redskins fan, even given that I don't think it deserves a trademark, and if Washington changed it's name, I am at the point I could care less. It matters more to me that the NFL for decades has blackmailed cities to pay for stadiums then never end up completely paying for before moving and blackmailing another city.

I think someone should start a business or band and call it "Religitards" just to see the right wing idiots sue in a court.

and I can proceed with my own line of advanced technology Biblically inspired  genital stimulators

Coming soon to an adult book store near you:

Go Blow Jesus out in your Mankunt Manipulator©

vorlon tested, vorlon approved, vorlon guaranteed pleasurable or your money back

also available in Microban silicone for those with diseased apertures 

My Mom told me about this one incident she saw (and she's not the most politically correct of people admittedly, so if she points this out you know it's fucked). Anyways she was in the queue at the supermarket, and somehow (I can't remember the how) a black guy had been cut out of the queue on the next till, and he only had like a couple small things he wanted to buy. So my Mom suggested to the woman in front that they let him go first since he'd only be quick, and then got "No I'm not letting him go first, he's black!". I don't know what happened then, a lot of awkwardness I'm assuming.

There was also a strange incident that happened when I was a little kid. I was out at the park with my grandfather, who had just come back from Malta at the time, so he was especially tanned and dark, and he was dark usually. This woman flatly came up to us and asked what he was doing with me, and where my parents were. Truthfully it probably was an odd sight, seeing what looked like this "Middle Eastern" looking old man with a blue eyed (and blonde too, at that point) little white boy. I guess at the centre of it there was a twisted good intention, she saw what looked to her like a man talking to a kid he wasn't related to, but the way she charged in aggressively was so forceful, it wasn't nice or respectful at all. It actually scared me and made me cry, if I'm remembering right.

At the time the whole thing had confused me, because I think being so young I didn't know about "race" and how people see things. I don't think I even realised it was about how he looked then, she was just a mean angry lady, it was more something that dawned on me in hindsight and having spoken about it with my Dad.

A few months ago, here in liberal Ontario Canada, I was at the library and in the elevator with a bunch of other people. A fifty something year old lady comes up at the last second so we stopped the elevator for her, but she said she'll wait and made it clear that she wasn't using the elevator because there were a couple black ladies in there. I was there with my dad and he spoke up for them. I was pretty shocked and it took me a minute to grasp what had actually happened.

(June 21, 2017 at 12:28 am)Regina Wrote: My Mom told me about this one incident she saw (and she's not the most politically correct of people admittedly, so if she points this out you know it's fucked). Anyways she was in the queue at the supermarket, and somehow (I can't remember the how) a black guy had been cut out of the queue on the next till, and he only had like a couple small things he wanted to buy. So my Mom suggested to the woman in front that they let him go first since he'd only be quick, and then got "No I'm not letting him go first, he's black!". I don't know what happened then, a lot of awkwardness I'm assuming.

There was also a strange incident that happened when I was a little kid. I was out at the park with my grandfather, who had just come back from Malta at the time, so he was especially tanned and dark, and he was dark usually. This woman flatly came up to us and asked what he was doing with me, and where my parents were. Truthfully it probably was an odd sight, seeing what looked like this "Middle Eastern" looking old man with a blue eyed (and blonde too, at that point) little white boy. I guess at the centre of it there was a twisted good intention, she saw what looked to her like a man talking to a kid he wasn't related to, but the way she charged in aggressively was so forceful, it wasn't nice or respectful at all. It actually scared me and made me cry, if I'm remembering right.

At the time the whole thing had confused me, because I think being so young I didn't know about "race" and how people see things. I don't think I even realised it was about how he looked then, she was just a mean angry lady, it was more something that dawned on me in hindsight and having spoken about it with my Dad.

hmmmm . .  .


you as a bacha bazi ??