In the context of the contextualization of monuments in Richmond and the further contextualization of the statue "Appomattox" in Alexandria I have decided to pre-emptively contextualize the ad for my trilogy, "Strike the Tent." If you wish, you can search the archive for it.pl
Governor Northam recommended “contextualization” in April.
Perhaps Governor Northam believes we should have a monument to victimhood; it would fit the cultural-marxist objectives and fits the context of today.
“For more than 400 years, we’ve consciously oppressed and celebrated painful parts of Virginia’s past at the expense of those who are haunted by it the most,” said Dr. Janice Underwood, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. “With these laws we are charting a new path for our Commonwealth—one that begins to tell a more complete story of who we are and honors our diversity as our greatest strength. I am very proud to be part of an administration that is committed to doing this work.”
I don’t see how it is equitable for a member of the Elite such as herself to remain silent while those lockdown orders of Governor Northam’s – her suppsoed supervisor – have destroyed small businesses – many owned by Black Virginians. Why aren’t members of the elite such as herself viewed in that context? By all means we must deflect blame from the elite leadership class and tear down the past, otherwise we might hold our politicians accountable for what they are doing in the present. Why have 5+ decades of affirmative action, H1B Visa employment and large scale immigration not brought equity to Black Americans? Perhaps members of the elite class like Governor Northan or Dr. Underwood can provide an explanation.
This November’s election will be a referendum on a comprehensive contextualization of everything in the light of “systemic racism.”
“Immigration is our strength” will take new meaning, at least in the local context. God help Virginia.
fred
IMO we are well past the point at which God will be interested in what is left of Virginia.
Contextualization yes. Twitter started contextualizing the President’s tweets a week ago with messages of its own – as of course we poor, impressionable readers cannot be trusted to provide the correct context on our own.
Should the Contextualists win this election we should expect all symbols & expressions of historical thoughtcrime to be expunged mercilessly. In time you certainly won’t be allowed to post offensive images, like the one heading this post. Those Deplorables not considered irredeemable will need to be re-educated to contextualize properly, so as to avoid another ‘accident’ like 2016. Perhaps their children can assist in identifying contextual flaws, it seemed to work for the Khmer Rouge.
But Progress is a fickle mistress. Control of the people’s collective memory will need to keep pace with the ever increasing litany of privilege & sin of which we were hitherto unaware – truths revealed to us by the high priests of Social Justice. Today’s progressives beware, for tomorrow you may be condemned as an antediluvian conservative.
Hyperbole, yes, but it seems impossible to understate what is at stake if this cultural nihilism is not stopped.
BTW I could not find your contextualized “Strike the Tent” ad, perhaps the search engine took my instruction out of context.
BA
Look under “Books.”
If the contextualists win in November, say goodbye to the American economy because legalized looting of American businesses will become the norm. Every business will be looted through mandatory “diversity”. “inclusion” and “gender equity” programs.
Even ten years ago I found it difficult to fire publicly gay or female non performing workers without getting charged with homophobia or misogyny. My solution at the time was instead to call it “retrenchment” and add a large cash sweetener for them to go quietly. I would imagine American businesses will be forced to do likewise.
There will also be social changes. Thanks to relaxed legal strictures on standards of proof for sex crimes and discrimination, I expect new standards of decorum to appear in which men will protect. their reputation and careers by distancing and strictly controlling interactions with women, socially and in the workplace. That means chaperones, etc. and the reinforcement of a class system.
I’m told something like this is already happening in larger Businesses; no one on one meetings, no business lunches or socializing after work and no mentoring of female staff by senior men. The same thing is going to be enforced in private life. For every Weinstein there are probably another hundred male casualties already.
We are in for a demonstration of just how badly behaved women and minorities can be in leadership roles.
Matt Christiansen has a great video today contextualizing “white privilege.” Rush Limbaugh and the Breakfast Club discuss (Charlemagne the God, who is now infamous for his Joe Biden interview). Rush very reasonably asks what white people can do to improve things… no surprise really that he gets a far lefty lingo non-answer.
Rush Limbaugh v the Breakfast Club – the Phantom of White Privilege https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWF3fMBuB84 (~13 min)
Another bit of contextualization here, which is mentioned in the video… the story of Tony Timpa from 2017.
White Man Can’t Breathe https://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2020/06/02/white-man-cant-breathe-n2569897
“…about a man named Tony Timpa who cried for help more than 30 times as Dallas police officers pinned his neck to the ground. Before he died, Timpa shouted repeatedly, “You’re gonna kill me!”
walrus
Strict control of men’s interactions with women may not be limited to public spheres. The other day my ears suffered an assault while listening to the BBC World Service when a program entitled “Closing the Orgasm Gap” came on. At first I thought it must be a spoof of some kind. But no, the earnest young women presenters were genuinely aggrieved by the disgraceful inequity of the respective genders’ experience and were keen to redress the balance.
Will quotas be set? Will consent be based upon an ex post quantitative or qualitative assessment? Will Meg Ryan’s performance in When Harry Met Sally need to be assessed using some modified type of polygraph? I expect Dr Underwood is on the case anyhow.
“I’m told something like this is already happening in larger Businesses; no one on one meetings, no business lunches or socializing after work and no mentoring of female staff by senior men.”
Doubtful – such denial of opportunity is rightfully considered discrimination on basis of sex and would expose business to lawsuits. It’s not hard to mentor women professionally without harassing them.
As our Federal government grew and grew, northern Virginia became a suburb of Washington DC. With more than 3 million people, I believe it has ruined Virginia, politically speaking.
walrus,
“Even ten years ago I found it difficult to fire publicly gay or female non performing workers …”
We have been there for some time. I had the same problem three years ago. There was zero problem firing white males for far less significant violations of company policy.
” Every business will be looted through mandatory “diversity”. “inclusion” and “gender equity” programs.” If you happen to have an account on LinkedIn take a look at the signals from all the diversity officers at public and private companies. Or just check the public pronouncements, Amazon, Ford, Harmon, you name it. If you happen to get laid off take a look at Right Management’s statement, they are the US’s largest corporate outplacement company. Then look through some of the other recuritement firms and even SHRM’s public pronouncements on the protests. Do you think they are going to go overboard for a white male? How about anyone in “Talent Acquisition” at any public company? How many minority candidates anywhere near qualified for a job are they going to turn away?
Just as Experion, Transunion and Equifax will track your financial records and create a “credit score” (there are similar firms in other countries) there are certainly firms giving “social credit” scores, just like the Chinese are doing to their own citizens. Netflix (which gave former president Obama a multi-million dollar constract) tweeted recently:
“To be silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter. We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.” I didn’t hear that when police brutality killed Justine Diamond or anyone else.
https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/netflix-on-george-floyd-death-to-be-silent-is-to-be-complicit-6435370/
The left’s new hero of the left, George W. Bush, said before “you are either with us, or against us”. That is the attitude of the left today.
Everyone on the planet agreed the death of George Floyd was police abuse, the strategy of the left destroyed a unifying moment in order to divide people on racial lines and ensured none of the political and economic elite of the left were held accountable for their systemic destruction of black families and black opportunity. Remember when Trump excoriated the Congressman Conyers of Maryland over the corruption, crime and poverty in Baltimore?
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/27/trump-calls-baltimore-a-disgusting-rat-and-rodent-infested-mess-in-attack-on-rep-elijah-cummings.html
Trump, to his credit, created the lowest black unemployment in history and the economy was booming until the Chinese virus arrived with all the expert advice and council of the career professionals in government and academia advising policies that destroyed it. Which has been much discussed on this blog.
How are the elite in Baltimore; still democrats running the city? The majority of the people of color in poverty, lots of single mothers, drug use, crime? How dare anyone try to draw attention to the Elitism of the people running the city, systemic racism, – white only, is the problem. All the elite in media, academia and business tell us so. So does Jared. Which party has been responsible for policing in Minneapolis for fourty years? By all means blame Trump, blame white extremists, blame white anybody, but don’t blame the elite left for their policy failures.
Did you see Netflix condemn the orders of multiple governors sending Covid19 infected patients back to nursing homes? Those orders killed thousands, in Detroit most of those who died as a result were black. Nexflix was “silent and complicit”, but then Whitmer was a Democrat and a woman, so they weren’t going to call her out. Black owned busineses in Michigan and NY were destroyed by lockdown orders or looters? Why systemic racism did that, not political descisions of the Elite left. Blame the Boogaloo and Whitey Too, but don’t hold the politicians running those states and cities accountable and vote them out of office, don’t do that.
On a bright note, nobody is talking about the criminal misconduct of the FBI and DOJ in framing Flynn or Page or spying on a presidential candidate. We’ve got that go for us.