xkcd

by **Steax** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:07 am UTC

Additionally,

Pruett said there have been racial tensions at the school in recent years and the high school principal worried the dress could have caused more, according to the AP.

I hate it when people do things like this. Recent years, it said. Surely the school authorities should have done something to fix the racial issues over a period of years. If it was tension over the last few weeks or months, I can find the story acceptable. But years? Doing stuff like this is just sweeping things under the rug at best.

... Though I do wonder how that flag and racial tensions have to do with one another.

by **addams** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:07 am UTC

Steax wrote:Additionally,

Pruett said there have been racial tensions at the school in recent years and the high school principal worried the dress could have caused more, according to the AP.

I hate it when people do things like this. Recent years, it said. Surely the school authorities should have done something to fix the racial issues over a period of years. If it was tension over the last few weeks or months, I can find the story acceptable. But years? Doing stuff like this is just sweeping things under the rug at best.

... Though I do wonder how that flag and racial tensions have to do with one another.

Really? Are you bating me?
You don't need racial differences, if, you have a Flag!

One simple recognisable symbol that is different from the 'other' guy's simple recognisable symbol. It is so funny to see the symbols change meaning.

The black kids could start wearing The (oh what is it called.) The Confederate Flag.

ech. Lots and lots of flags; Away from the school. Things like that can be so dangerous. Those people are people. They will Riot over such a thing.

Or; Maybe everyone will love the Flag. The Flag of the South. Kind of a proud thing; The South. It is. It is nice to have a regional flag.

Does it represent a place between two oceans or a place between two ears?

by **Felstaff** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:31 am UTC

Steax wrote:... Though I do wonder how that flag and racial tensions have to do with one another.

The word you seek is 'connotations'.

Turns out people associate things with other things, generally due to history and the like.

by **Steax** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:35 am UTC

Is the connection that strong? My lack of knowledge of how things are going in the US is showing. Last I was there, I never noticed any racial tie to that flag... I'm assuming it has to do with the whole they-were-once-slaves thing?

(And yes, I genuinely don't know. The "I do wonder" line was a real question.)

by **Felstaff** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:50 am UTC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederat ... ontroversy

In a nutshell: The KKK and Neo-Nazi groups use confederate flag imagery heavily. In the 1960s it became symbolic of the South's fight against ending segregation. It's... got quite a bit of iffy historical baggage associated with it.

by **Steax** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:59 am UTC

... Today I learned something new. Thank you.

by **firechicago** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 11:15 am UTC

Steax wrote:Is the connection that strong? My lack of knowledge of how things are going in the US is showing. Last I was there, I never noticed any racial tie to that flag... I'm assuming it has to do with the whole they-were-once-slaves thing?

(And yes, I genuinely don't know. The "I do wonder" line was a real question.)

The history of the Confederate flag is contentious, and there are lots of Southerners who want to use the flag as purely a symbol of regional pride, and pride in their history. The funny thing is that very very few of those southerners are black.

Or to put it another way: The U.S. fought a civil war a few generations ago over the question of whether human beings of African descent could really be considered "people" in a legal, moral and social sense. Are you surpised that African-Americans get a little bit upset when Whites want to wave the banner carried by the people who worked for centuries, both before and after 1865, to keep them from being full citizens of the country they were born in?

Would German Jews be totally ok with a group that said "We're not anti-semitic, we just wear swastikas to show that we're proud of our German heritage"?

EDIT: Ninja'd by Felstaff. Not sure if I should be slightly annoyed or feel vaguely honored.

by **JBJ** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 12:23 pm UTC

AvatarIII wrote:
ShortChelsea wrote:http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/25/11391743-tennessee-teen-i-was-banned-from-prom-over-confederate-flag-dress?lite

Not sure if it's humorous, but a girl was banned from her prom because her dress had a confederate flag on it.

what i don't get is why more people than just her were told to leave.

"He told us y'all have to leave because the dress is inappropriate," Edwards said.

I think I see the confusion here. In the South, y'all is singular. All y'all is plural.

by **ShortChelsea** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 1:08 pm UTC

JBJ wrote:
"He told us y'all have to leave because the dress is inappropriate," Edwards said.

I think I see the confusion here. In the South, y'all is singular. All y'all is plural.

You are correct.

Perkins last week blamed the ongoing Secret Service scandal on “open homosexuality in the military

Can I blame my bad grades on open homosexuality in the military? It seems like you can blame anything on open homosexuality in the military.

by **AvatarIII** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:40 pm UTC

JBJ wrote:
AvatarIII wrote:
ShortChelsea wrote:http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/25/11391743-tennessee-teen-i-was-banned-from-prom-over-confederate-flag-dress?lite

Not sure if it's humorous, but a girl was banned from her prom because her dress had a confederate flag on it.

what i don't get is why more people than just her were told to leave.

"He told us y'all have to leave because the dress is inappropriate," Edwards said.

I think I see the confusion here. In the South, y'all is singular. All y'all is plural.

and "us" too? I consider "us" a plural of "me".

by **philsov** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:52 pm UTC

In the South, y'all is singular. All y'all is plural.

If you say so, I've always used it as:

You - singular
Y'all - plural
All y'all - plural, when talking to some people and including their group without addressing the group directly.

In the case of the dress, I think the principle was more referring to: "Both you and your date need to leave", because it's better to remove them both than separate the couple. Or either she, the principle, or I fail at colloquialisms.

by **mike-l** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:03 pm UTC

It's also a quote of a quote of a quote, it may not be what the principal said.

by **Gear** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:21 pm UTC

ShortChelsea wrote:
Perkins last week blamed the ongoing Secret Service scandal on “open homosexuality in the military

Can I blame my bad grades on open homosexuality in the military? It seems like you can blame anything on open homosexuality in the military.

Of course. You were so stressed out and worried about the security of your nation* due to the horrific state of our military that you got an ulcer and had to go to the hospital, which prevented you from finishing your essay, causing your teacher to fail you.

Bulletproof.

Really.

Promise.

by **JBJ** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:35 pm UTC

AvatarIII wrote:and "us" too? I consider "us" a plural of "me".

Sorry... wasn't being serious. Just poking fun at the use of y'all.*

To echo philsov, the principal was probably referring to her and her date. Also probably not that her date had to leave, but would have been a dick move on his part to say 'see ya' and make her leave by herself.

* I was born and raised in a part of Florida where the South and the North/Midwest are pretty well intermixed. I can hear "Y'all", "Fixin-to", "You-Betcha", and "Dontchya-know" from a single person. Tea is available in both sweet and unsweet forms. Pop, soda, and coke are used interchangeably.

by **Weeks** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:56 pm UTC

philsov wrote:If you say so, I've always used it as:

You - singular
Y'all - plural

All of you's

by **pseudoidiot** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:58 pm UTC

The two yutes.

by **Nylonathatep** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:24 pm UTC

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/25 ... d3425fdad1

Dental hygiene is no laughing matter, whether you’re a human… or a hippopotamus. However, a sparkling smile – or a sparkling yawn – is often worth enduring a little discomfort under the dentist’s drill, or in this case, a 30cm file.

Happy the hippo, a resident of Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia, had his tusks filed by a keeper earlier this week. Although it’s hard to tell – Happy hides his feelings well – the smug expression after the procedure hides his satisfaction with the result.

by **Iulus Cofield** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 11:53 pm UTC

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/boring-meets-dull-in-international-partnership-between-towns-in-us-scotland-149058695.html

PORTLAND, Ore. - Boring: Meet Dull.
That's what happened when two small towns, one in the U.S. state of Oregon and the other in Scotland, decided to get together and become sister communities.

by **addams** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:23 am UTC

Iulus Cofield wrote:http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/boring-meets-dull-in-international-partnership-between-towns-in-us-scotland-149058695.html
PORTLAND, Ore. - Boring: Meet Dull.
That's what happened when two small towns, one in the U.S. state of Oregon and the other in Scotland, decided to get together and become sister communities.

That is funny to me. Because, I have been to both places and I liked 'em.

Boring, Oregon. Not far down the road are Drain and Curtain.
(Never mind.)

Back to the Prom Queen that said, "Ya' All."

I have to listen carefully to that accent.
She may have meant herself, only.
She may have meant herself and her dress.
She may have meant herself and her dress and her accompanying group.

I wonder what she will make next?

by **buddy431** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 12:26 am UTC

The makers of Nutella pay $3 million in settlement to two class action lawsuits alleging that they advertised their product as healthier than it really was. Specifically, they said that spreading it on toast is a healthy way to start off kids in the morning.

they have the same amount of calories, fat, and sugar as a three musketeers bar first thing in the morning

I love Nutella, but the stuff isn't exactly good for you.

by **addams** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 6:40 am UTC

buddy431 wrote:The makers of Nutella pay $3 million in settlement to two class action lawsuits alleging that they advertised their product as healthier than it really was. Specifically, they said that spreading it on toast is a healthy way to start off kids in the morning.

they have the same amount of calories, fat, and sugar as a three musketeers bar first thing in the morning

I love Nutella, but the stuff isn't exactly good for you.

O.K. That is funny. The kid LOOKS healthy. He's happy. Nutella!

by **Qaanol** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:13 am UTC

Dropbears are real.

Spoiler:

by **Steax** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:56 am UTC

And the photograph-taker intends to sue that website for not being given credit. (I see there's credit now - it might have been dealt with.)

by **Darryl** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:57 pm UTC

Felstaff wrote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_flag#Controversy

In a nutshell: The KKK and Neo-Nazi groups use confederate flag imagery heavily. In the 1960s it became symbolic of the South's fight against ending segregation. It's... got quite a bit of iffy historical baggage associated with it.

It actually goes back further than that. Here's a quote about the founding of the confederacy, from one of the men who founded it:

“Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.” -Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America

by **addams** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:13 pm UTC

eww. I, still, think the confederate flag could be taken by everybody. That old racist politician is long dead. How fucking dare he tell us what has meaning and what kind of meaning it has to us today from his dusty old grave?

I like the Arizona flag. Got myself in a bit of a fix. I lost my little Arizona flag. I found one that looked similar. Shoot. It was a Tibetan flag. I had a Chinese guy hanging out with me. That flag bothered him SO much. Finely he lost his cool. He wanted to talk about the politics of China and Tibet. Jeeze. I had it, because, it looked like the Arizona flag to me. People!!

The US is not longer fighting its civil war. That flag can mean anything that we want it to mean. The confederate flag and a rainbow Peace sign together. Some how the two can be fused.

That would make 'em think.

It would make a good hobby. "Nanner! We have your flag!"

by **Роберт** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:36 pm UTC

addams wrote:I like the Arizona flag. Got myself in a bit of a fix. I lost my little Arizona flag. I found one that looked similar. Shoot. It was a Tibetan flag. I had a Chinese guy hanging out with me. That flag bothered him SO much. Finely he lost his cool. He wanted to talk about the politics of China and Tibet. Jeeze. I had it, because, it looked like the Arizona flag to me. People!!

Okay, that's really funny. Thanks for sharing the little stories like this.

by **Felstaff** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:46 pm UTC

addams wrote: The confederate flag and a rainbow Peace sign together. Some how the two can be fused.

addams wrote: Finely he lost his cool.

by **philsov** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:58 pm UTC

buddy431 wrote:The makers of Nutella pay $3 million in settlement to two class action lawsuits alleging that they advertised their product as healthier than it really was. Specifically, they said that spreading it on toast is a healthy way to start off kids in the morning.

they have the same amount of calories, fat, and sugar as a three musketeers bar first thing in the morning

I love Nutella, but the stuff isn't exactly good for you.

Compared with peanut butter, nutella isn't that much worse.

And let's not kid ourselves -- there is now whole grain lucky charms. Probably similar breakfast cereals too. Normalizing for calories there is an identical level of sugar, but nutella trades out the non-sugar carbs for fat and protein. Just about anything can be wrangled in as "part of a healthy breakfast"...

by **addams** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:17 pm UTC

Felstaff wrote:
addams wrote: The confederate flag and a rainbow Peace sign together. Some how the two can be fused.

addams wrote: Finely he lost his cool.

Thank you! That would make 'em think.
How skillful you are.

Yes. I like the flag. It has color. It is simple and pretty.
It means anything we want it to mean. It is pretty. That is what it means.

by **jestingrabbit** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:45 pm UTC

philsov wrote:Just about anything can be wrangled in as "part of a healthy breakfast"...

Sure, but you shouldn't get to say "X is part of a complete breakfast" if X is an entirely superfluous part of a complete breakfast ie if the breakfast is still complete without X.

by **Chen** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:49 pm UTC

jestingrabbit wrote:Sure, but you shouldn't get to say "X is part of a complete breakfast" if X is an entirely superfluous part of a complete breakfast ie if the breakfast is still complete without X.

Except "complete breakfast" is pretty damn vague to begin with. Who decides what a "complete breakfast" is?

by **eran_rathan** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:06 pm UTC

Felstaff wrote:
addams wrote: The confederate flag and a rainbow Peace sign together. Some how the two can be fused.

wow.

This seems to me to be something that BHG would have, after altering a city's schedule to have the Gay Pride parade at the same time as the KKK rally.

by **addams** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:29 pm UTC

eran_rathan wrote:
Felstaff wrote:
addams wrote: The confederate flag and a rainbow Peace sign together. Some how the two can be fused.

wow.

This seems to me to be something that BHG would have, after altering a city's schedule to have the Gay Pride parade at the same time as the KKK rally.

Nah. This is something new!
I was thinking. Maybe, Felstaff created the flag for the 'other' America. I have heard, on the internet, that there are at least two Americas. (No. Not North and South; That is a geographic thing.)

1. The America that is based on a caring for one another and responsible citizenship in the world.

2. The America that is based on fear, anger and money.

This new flag could be one of many. The imagination sores like a sea gull.

by **quantumcat42** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:34 pm UTC

Felstaff wrote:
addams wrote: The confederate flag and a rainbow Peace sign together. Some how the two can be fused.

I've actually encountered a pickup truck with a confederate flag sticker in the back window and a gay pride vanity plate.

by **Lostdreams** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:44 pm UTC

Chen wrote:
jestingrabbit wrote:Sure, but you shouldn't get to say "X is part of a complete breakfast" if X is an entirely superfluous part of a complete breakfast ie if the breakfast is still complete without X.

Except "complete breakfast" is pretty damn vague to begin with. Who decides what a "complete breakfast" is?

Well it's right her.. oh.

A full breakfast on the other hand, that's all kinds of yum.

by **addams** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:48 pm UTC

quantumcat42 wrote:
Felstaff wrote:
addams wrote: The confederate flag and a rainbow Peace sign together. Some how the two can be fused.

I've actually encountered a pickup truck with a confederate flag sticker in the back window and a gay pride vanity plate.

Well, then; It is an idea who's time has come! Yeah! Tell the women.

by **Enokh** » Tue May 01, 2012 4:07 pm UTC

I have an overwhelming desire to make that flag a bumper sticker. As I live in Non-Norther Virginia, it'd be rather funny to have. (For those not familiar, this area has a LOT of people flying the 'rebel flag').

Edit: Also, I'd have to rather strongly disagree with the notion that you can just ignore the meaning of a flag because 'you can make a flag mean whatever you want it to mean'. I'm not going to run in to many accepting people if I fly the Nazi flag/swastika and then, when cornered, insist that it's just my "I Love Pokemon" flag.

by **Felstaff** » Tue May 01, 2012 5:17 pm UTC

Enokh wrote: if I fly the Nazi flag/swastika and then, when cornered, insist that it's just my "I Love Pokemon" flag.

Heilplume, I choose you!

by **addams** » Tue May 01, 2012 5:30 pm UTC

Enokh wrote:I have an overwhelming desire to make that flag a bumper sticker. As I live in Non-Norther Virginia, it'd be rather funny to have. (For those not familiar, this area has a LOT of people flying the 'rebel flag').

Edit: Also, I'd have to rather strongly disagree with the notion that you can just ignore the meaning of a flag because 'you can make a flag mean whatever you want it to mean'. I'm not going to run in to many accepting people if I fly the Nazi flag/swastika and then, when cornered, insist that it's just my "I Love Pokemon" flag.

That is true.
This is a whole new flag. What does it mean?
It really is new! Those primary colored flags are so 20th Century and before.
This one is all bright and subtle all at the same time. This is the first really great new flag of the 21st Century.

It would make a nice flag. It is up to the people that fly that thing to make it mean something wonderful. A flag that women can have. A flag that real men would be proud of. A flag that would catch the eye of children.

It is, just, a flag. Can ya' out flag Sarah Palin?

Ya' could if you can look her in the eye and say, "This is a real American flag."

Who had the balls for it? No one. Who could get near enough to her? Only people that already believe she is the only voice that Americans and the world should hear.

It is too late. Maybe, in another one or two hundred years. If, this planet has developed a more intelligent life form. Maybe.

Sure would be fun.

Of course; Now would not be a good time. (There never is a good time to begin to stand up to Powerful People.)

The moment you start seeing people gathered together unified by ideas of caring for one another and becoming citizens of a world community they will send in the fakes. People that will start petty arguments. People that will break things. You all know or should by now.

It is easy to find bad people and they will work for cheep if the job is creepy enough. I have seen it with my own eyes.

South Virgina is lovely this time of year. If, you have a color printer, then, you could be the only one with this flag.
The Homophobes might have a time with you. Maybe, you could get the naked girl mud flaps. Or; Make a sign that says, "My woman made me do it."

Women have made men do worse. Remember Macbeth?

Hey! There is no South Virgina! You people are broken East/West. Right?

by **Enokh** » Tue May 01, 2012 8:16 pm UTC

Yeah, there's West Virginia and Virginia. The northern part of Virginia, however, is basically just a suburb of D.C. and is a bit different from the rest of the state. Large swaths of Virginia feel very "south" (in the Confederacy sense), whereas Northern Virginia feels 'normal'.

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