I think most of us can agree that racism is the worst. But profiting off a tragedy in the name of tolerance and justice is another story. Colorlines has come under attack due to their story questioning some of the practices of FKH8. The company, which is for-profit, released a video that has gone viral that essentially was an advertisement for the company’s T-shirt emblazoned with “Racism is not over. But I’m over racism.”:
The video features a group of unnamed black kids, purportedly from Ferguson, reciting parts of a script that’s clearly been written by adults. A script that will make you think race is solely a black and white issue, by the way. Even if the children are from Ferguson, it’s unclear if or how they’ve been compensated. [See above statement #1—Ed] Either way, the idea that these kids are from Ferguson is paraded for consumption.
After being repeatedly attacked by FKH8 who demanded an apology, as well as calling the website homophobic and race baiters, Colorlines then clarified the article with editor notes like the one above. The site then came further under attack by others who feel that they threw Aura Bogado, the write of the piece, under the bus in their mea culpa. But the fact remains, even if FKH8 does donate $5 of every T-shirt to a charity, they’re still profiting off of sadness.
Team Blackness also discussed Condoleeza Rice as the next NFL commisioner, that Kanye West actually does care about disabled people, and school districts receiving free military gear from the Pentagon.
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srv
Will Urban Outfitters offer the t-shirt with blood stains?
Violet
So if Congress is looking into stopping that program that gives military equipment to local police departments, they’re going to give it to school districts instead? Big improvement. Huge. School security guards in military gear treating our school kids like they’re the enemy? Can’t see any problem with that. None at all.
Ahasuerus
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that this post is double-posted on the front page? Elon, if you’re reading this, you might want to do some pruning.
Belafon
FKH8 is for-profit, the NFL is nonprofit.
Belafon
If yo click back from the second version of this post, you end up on the page titled “Everybody Live for the Music Go-Round”. If you click forward from that page, you get to the first version of this post, and you can’t see the second one.
(Posted in both because it’s fun.)
Violet
Is this actually being discussed?
scav
@Violet: Because when sensitive, timely, nuanced and logical action based on intelligence received is required, one’s mind invariably drags up Condeleeza.
TooManyJens
@Violet: Apparently: http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201409/roger-goodell-nfl-condoleezza-rice-nfl
Roger Moore
@Belafon:
FWIW, “The NFL” that is non-profit is only the league office. 31 of the 32 teams are for profit; the Packers are the lone exception. Since most of the money passes straight through the NFL and to the teams, the implication that they’re dodging taxes is incorrect.
Belafon
@Roger Moore: Thanks. I figured it only applied to the entity that Goodell works for, not to the teams.
catclub
@Roger Moore:
Except that $33M salary to Roger Goodell. Other execs? How does a non-profit justify that?
Why do they waste that much money on him if otherwise it comes to the owners?
And What happens to Coke when they do “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing/Buy the world a Coke”? Not a damn thing.
catclub
@scav:
Of course, if SHE could encourage visions of a mushroom cloud with bits of all the owners in it, I could come around.
Roger Moore
@Belafon:
I’m just annoyed because I’ve seen that claim a bunch recently and I think it’s incredibly misleading. I want to knock it down and point out the truth any time I get a chance with the hope that people will stop using it. I’ll admit, it sucks that the company that employs Goodell is a non-profit, but that’s a far cry from the implication that the whole kit and caboodle isn’t paying taxes.
Violet
@TooManyJens:
From your link:
(Bolding mine) “Performed extremely well?” Seriously? I guess if the NFL wants someone who protects the powerful and will support and cover up crimes, I guess they could do worse than Condi Rice.
Dog On Porch
If Condeleeza Rice is named NFL commissioner, I’m through with the game the very instant I hear that news, and I mean for good, no looking back.
Violet
@TooManyJens: That link also has Condoleezza Rice in a Browns jersey, which reminded me that I saw a Snickers commercial with Johnny Manziel. It was the type of commercial where the person “isn’t themselves and needs a Snickers”. Some other Browns player told him to eat the Snickers “because you’re Johnny Football.” The guy’s played, what 30 seconds in the NFL and he’s already in a commercial? If anything, that commercial makes me less likely to want to eat a Snickers. He’s just gross.
rikyrah
this is who they are, Elon. how many times do I have to say this?
Tommy
@Dog On Porch: Right with you there.
Violet
@Tommy: @Dog On Porch: What is it about the NFL hiring Condi Rice that would make you decide that was the last straw? That would be worse than what they are now?
Jaybird
I can handle the concussions, the spousal abuse, the drug abuse, and the child abuse but if the NFL hires a Republican, I will stop watching.
Tommy
@Violet: I love football. I got rid of cable TV months ago and got an HD antenna just to get football. With that said It is hard for me to watch football because of many issues I have with the game. Putting Rice in a position of power would at least for me be the last straw.
Violet
@Tommy:
Why is that?
Tommy
@Violet: I don’t want any person of power from the Bush era to get a “good” job. It is just that simple.
Roger Moore
@catclub:
There’s a difference between a non-profit and a charity. I would have a hard time imagining a charity paying that much just because of how bad it would look, but a business association like the NFL might well be willing to pay CEO-class money for the guy who is basically the leader of the whole industry. If he can get a small increase in sponsorship compared to the next best guy, or cut a slightly better deal with the players, he’s paid for his salary and then some.
Dog On Porch
@Violet: Ray Rice (et.al) is not a war criminal.
scav
Speaking as an utter and never have been observer of NFL football, it just strikes me as stupid and cheap pandering. At that level of percentage $$$, they’re all likely to be totally Team R. But the “Hey, I know how to solve This! Drag Out a Black Woman for the Magic Fix!” is clichėed as window-dressing, especially as didn’t they just scrounge up an all-girl band for their committee on wimminz and chillinz issues or whatever it was? Fucking hell, Maybe they’ll actually listen, but have I any reason to believe they’re actually considering people based on solid, tested, expertise? At least some of the committee members seemed in the correct ballpark, but Condi? Who’s her NFL Cheyney to ‘lil Georgie impression?
Suzanne
@Dog On Porch: Seriously, THAT’S the final straw? Covering up the effects of concussions wasn’t it? Employing rapists and wife-beaters and child abusers wasn’t it? But hiring a Republican is the bridge too far?
Tribalism AHOY.
catclub
@Roger Moore:
He would sure like to have you on his compensation committee. The alternate case is that you can find dozens or hundreds of people who could do the same for much less money. Why not try them and save the money.
Violet
@Tommy: That seems disingenuous. Plenty of people who had power in the Bush administration have had “good” jobs post their White House gigs. Condi Rice has been on boards and returned to Stanford as a faculty member after her roles in the Bush administration, among other things. What is it about NFL commissioner that is so good of a job that is different from those other things? I still don’t understand why her appointment to NFL commissioner would be the last straw that would get you to stop watching NFL football.
Betty Cracker
Since we seem to be stuck with her as a national figure of some eminence forever and ever, I’d rather see CR as NFL commish than in a more consequential post.
Mandalay
@Dog On Porch:
I’ve come across this mindset before. You remind me of folks here who proclaim that they will never visit Florida again (or Arizona, etc.) because of the verdict in some court case, or what some state governor said or did.
Honestly, why would you allow Condoleezza Rice (or anyone else) to impact your life in that manner? I just don’t get it.
Dog On Porch
@Mandalay: I guess then that’s the difference between us. I hold grudges where people responsible for war crimes committed in my name (as a U.S. citizen) are concerned.
Violet
@Betty Cracker: I think it would be awesome because it’s a high profile position, especially now. It would bring up all the Bush era war criminal accusations and take them for a spin again. The juxtaposition of how Rice thought it was okay to treat human beings (torture) and how the NFL thinks it’s okay to treat their players–head injuries, no problem–and how they think it’s okay for their players to behave–abusing women and children, no problem would be fun to watch. “NFL Commissioner Condi Rice–‘Torture and abuse are okay with me!'”
The Other Chuck
I did drop Dropbox after they hired Condi Rice to the board. Her connections to the national security state actually are kind of relevant in that regard. As for the NFL, I haven’t cared about football in over a decade.
Mandalay
@Dog On Porch:
Oh I can hold grudges with the best of them, but is this really a hill worth dying for?
I can understand that you probably wouldn’t want to donate to some charity if the appeal was being made by Rice, and I wouldn’t either. But to drop football from your life just because she might have some administrative position? That’s not really a stand on principle; that’s permitting Condoleezza Rice to control your behavior.
I guess I still don’t get it.
Kylroy
@Suzanne: You’re right, Suzanne. Everyone who follows football should be ashamed of themselves, and should stop watching or spending any money on it immediately. And surely reminding them of what awful, hypocritical people they are will cause them to repent immediately.
Keith G
That’s as American as our funeral industry…and Las Vegas.
catclub
@Mandalay:
Good question. IN my case, I no longer visit the Grand Canyon. Not exactly dying but I miss it.
I can imagine lots of good coming from no longer watching football. Again, not exactly dying.
But without needing the excuse of CR being commish of the thing.
OzarkHillbilly
@Violet:
Yep and I dropped my full ride scholarship to Stanford when that happened too.****
*** jus a joke, jus a joke, I have no dog in this fight, if someone feels CR is a bug too far, OK, if not, that’s OK too
Dog On Porch
@Mandalay: I got as far as “a hill worth dying for”. We’re talking football, for chrissakes. I stand by my remarks.
VincentN
I don’t understand the people who don’t understand why having Condoleeza Rice be the new NFL Commissioner might be the final straw. Yeah, it’s a bit arbitrary but all ‘last straws’ are arbitrary to some degree and it seems weird to argue with somebody over what is essentially an emotional response.
But here’s how it makes sense to me. Yeah, the NFL is having problems but it could take serious action to correct those problems and a person could justify still watching football on the ‘engagement vs. boycott’ theory.
That’s probably why many people who have problems with the Catholic Church or with America don’t just immediately leave. They think these institutions are worth saving and they see that there are still people trying to fix them and so are still holding onto hope.
But appointing Rice would be a clear sign that the NFL doesn’t plan to fix anything and it’ll be more of the same. So now there’s no longer an excuse to downplay the other problems.
BTW, I don’t watch football at all so accusations of ‘tribalism’ don’t apply here. I just find the arguments on this subject interesting to read.
Richard Bottoms
Hold on just a second.
The Lifetime Network built it’s original programming once upon a time around true stories, mostly stalkers and evil husbands, MSNBC, Nancy Grace, Geraldo Rivera, and too many made for TV movies to count about subjects from Columbine to OKC make money of of tragedy.
Since I never heard of Colorlines before today, I looked up their board. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess they are getting paid?
As far as I can see some smart people came up with a way to spread a message and put some money in poor people pockets are getting trashed by a well funded, possibly even useful organization whose entire existence owes itself to LGBT & race discrimination.
There seems to be three little areas black folks get to make money from: entertaining white folks, serving them or selling drugs.
Instead of dining these guys for being different you ought to thank them for finding a new way to protest and lift up a few people.
Suzanne
@Kylroy: Oh, honey. Have a nice cup of tea.
Dog On Porch
@VincentN: “But appointing Rice would be a clear sign that the NFL doesn’t plan to fix anything and it’ll be more of the same”.
Well, yeah, I’ll grant you that.
But, above all else, the woman is a war criminal. Or do you disagree? Because I can understand your reservations about my remarks if you do.
But if you do agree that she is a war criminal, I’m at loss to understand any reservations you might entertain.
Amir Khalid
I had a comment in this thread and now she is eated. WAAAAAAAAH!
another Holocene human
FuckHate (they used to spell it out) is your classic “raise awareness” organization. From what I recall it started about a decade ago with a couple of high school grads in Massachusetts who were fed up with the ethnic tribalism and the social pressure in high school to only hang with your ethnic group. The tshirts were the point because the Irish, etc gangs were very in your face with their message, tshirts, jewelry, tattoos. Graffiti.
I did find their video coopting and tasteless. Why not just link back to your website at the end?
But they were always controversial and didn’t play well with others. I was shocked they were still around.
Kylroy
@Suzanne: If I summarize more of your arguments, will I get more free stuff?
Violet
@VincentN: What is interesting to me is pre-deciding what the last straw is. Appointing Condi Rice apparently is it. The league brushing head injuries under the table and not punishing abusers until pushed to do so (and with light punishment even then) and a whole host of other things is still not bad enough. But if they hire this one person, boy that’s the last straw!
If the NFL is so bad that you are already looking at the last straw, then maybe they’re just that bad. Why wait? The last straw is here already. Choose to see it.
Suzanne
@Violet: I would have more respect if they just said, “I watch NFL football even though the company is problematic because their actions don’t offend my conscience enough to give up something I like.” At least that’s honest.
WaterGirl
@Violet: I think you guys aren’t getting why C. Rice as commissioner might be the last straw.
Me? I’m not really a football person. I care about what happens to the Bears because someone I care about really cares about that, or because of Michael Sam or Richard Sherman, people I hear about because their are political implications. That’s why I like Dave Zirin so much – “where sports and politics collide”.
But I can imagine if you are a very political person and a football person that having a disgusting individual like C. Rice being made commissioner could be the last straw for you. That the NFL would appoint a right-wing neocon like her, who caused so much damage to our country… that they would appoint her could, I think, easily send someone over the edge.
Suzanne
@WaterGirl: I would hope, though, that if you were politically aware enough to be disgusted if C. Rice became NFL commissioner, you would also be sociopolitically aware enough to be a feminist, and would really try to be an ally to women and children. That’s the point I’m making, and I think that’s where Violet is going, too.
WaterGirl
@Suzanne: Am I understanding you correctly?
I’m supposed to support C. Rice as commissioner because she’s female, even though she is a completely disgusting right-wing neocon who should never be allowed in a position of authority over anything, ever again?
Suzanne
@WaterGirl: Uh, no, absolutely not. I would hope that an enlightened feminist person would have serious concerns about giving money and attention to an organization that covers up for rapists and wife-beaters and child abusers.
C. Rice can DIAF.
VincentN
@WaterGirl:
No, I don’t think that is what she’s saying at all. She’s saying that a feminist would have already disavowed the NFL for their actions regarding Ray Rice and other domestic abusers without even bringing C. Rice into it.
But knowing feminists who are also football fans who want to change the NFL for the better I don’t think the issue is quite that black and white.
@Dog On Porch:
No reservations on that score, I assure you.
Violet
@WaterGirl: What Suzanne said. If you’re already politically aware and know you’d be disgusted by Rice as commissioner, then I’d hope you’d already be disgusted by the NFL’s actions on a number of issues.
I’m fascinated by the statements that if Rice is appointed commissioner then that’s the last straw. It’s like they’re already looking at the last straw. They know what it is. And if the NFL crosses This Line, then boy oh boy, they’ll pay a price! When you’re already talking about the last straw and you even know what it is, you’re looking for an excuse not to leave. And your mind can continue to invent those.
@Suzanne: Agreed. That is what they’re saying but they’re not admitting it to themselves. The actions of the NFL aren’t bad enough to get them not to watch. Of course there’s the Last Straw. And unicorns too.
Dog On Porch
@Violet: My hierarchy of the crimes under discussion:
#1: War Crimes
#2 All other crimes under the sun
El Caganer
I don’t care if they make Dick Cheney the NFL commissioner. Why would anybody give a shit who the NFL commissioner is? Does that person have some sort of control over your lives? Jesus Christ.
Bobby Thomson
@Violet: so much for the draft Gillibrand movement.
Bobby Thomson
@Suzanne: not just a Republican. A war criminal responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Not the same ball park. Not even the same fuckin’ sport.
Bobby Thomson
@Mandalay: and don’t get me started with those dogooders at Nuremberg, amirite?
Joel
@Violet: They should have featured him trying to get pumped to do some lines in a bathroom stall.
Violet
@Dog On Porch: Don’t disagree with that. I just find it interesting that your willingness to watch the NFL is so on the edge that if they hired Condi Rice you’d be ready to dump them. Or am I misreading? If the NFL was an amazingly progressive place, with plenty of gay players, generous lifetime support for players with head injuries and no tolerance for players who abuse kids or women, that even then if they hired Condi Rice you’d stop watching?
Joel
@Violet: Bush.
VincentN
@Suzanne:
When it comes down to it people don’t want to give up things they like or find convenient. People who constantly complain on Facebook about Facebook’s privacy polices but continue to use it. People who don’t like the Church’s cover ups of child abuse but are still Catholic.
Perhaps you’re right that it means that while they may in fact care about privacy rights and domestic abuse and whatnot they don’t care enough to actually inconvenience themselves.
I just don’t find it productive to berate people for that. Not everyone can live up to their principles all the time. And trying to make people be “honest” or feel guilty won’t get the results you want, which is for them to stop watching football.
So since that’s the reality of it maybe you should suggest ways for people to have their cake and eat it too. Like a carbon tax but for football.
Joel
@Mandalay: I get it — I don’t agree with it necessarily — but I understand it.
The act of hiring Rice is basically proclaiming the NFL as being in alignment with the principles and policies of the Bush Administration. That’s a pretty loud statement, regardless of how implicitly true it may have already been (see: Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh hanging out in the owners’ boxes of various franchises).
Joel
@Suzanne: There is nothing weirder than the act of writing (talking) about people in the third person when they are present for the conversation.
As for last straws and the such, I would say, let’s keep context in mind. We’re on a forum whose title is synonymous with “hot air”. Sometimes people vent. For example, I’m pretty sure VIllago Delendo Est doesn’t actually want to decapitate the five thousand or so people he has declared fit for the tumbrels.
Violet
@Joel: Could you elaborate?
Edit: That’s weird. The comment I’m linking to in this comment doesn’t seem to exist anymore. And you did elaborate.
Suzanne
@VincentN: I think you’re right. And, in all honesty, I don’t give a shit about whether or not people watch football. What I want is a world in which women and children aren’t raped and beaten. (Talk about fucking war crimes.) I want an end to the patriarchy. I agree that good, ethical people can disagree on the tactics of how to achieve that, and I also think that no one can fight every battle. If football is your thing, whatever. But I think honesty is important. Some Catholics turned away from child rape, rather than address it. That is harmful. Even acknowledging that it happened and was horrible is helpful. But as soon as you bring up that some of our professional sports organizations cover for rapists and abusers, it’s radio silence from a whole lot of good people. SHIT, just write a letter to the commissioner. Just acknowledge that it’s not okay. Engagement is a valid tactic, but turning a blind eye to shit is not engagement, it’s willful ignorance. (Again, I am talking to people who don’t go to Walmart or Hobby Lobby or Chick-Fil-A.)
anon
Mostly about Condi Rice in this thread, but I want to say that I think FKH8 deserves their apology. Sorry that Colorlines is your preferred actors, but they were hasty and inaccurate. Also, I’m not really on board with the idea of profiting from tragedy is such a terrible thing when it is accompanied by 1. a good message 2. charity and 3. transparency (which despite Colorlines assertions seems to be very much in evidence). Until Colorlines apologizes, I’m done with them.
Dog On Porch
@Violet: “..your willingness to watch the NFL is so on the edge that if they hired Condi Rice you’d be ready to dump them. Or am I misreading”?
I played football as a kid, and loved playing it. I’m a lifelong fan of the NFL.
But were NFL owners to hire a war criminal as their commissioner?
Yes, definitely, I’d wash my hands of the NFL forever. It’s that simple.
Suzanne
@Dog On Porch: What’s the magic number of violent crimes against women and children NFL players would have to commit (and the front office covered up) for you to give it up? I’m curious.
Paul in KY
I would rather have Goodell as Commish than fucking scumbag Condi Rice.