First rule of Armed Robbery -- Hold on to the gun. (HT: Wittingshire)
Pryor Postmortem -- Stanley Crouch examines the impact of comedian Richard Pryor and avoids the typical hagiographic gloss:
Pryor reached for anything that would make white America uncomfortable and would prop up a smug belief among black Americans that they were always "more cool" and more ready to "face life" than the members of majority culture.
Along the way, Pryor made too many people feel that the N word was open currency and was more accurate than any other word used to describe or address a black person.
In the dung piles of pimp and gangster rap we hear from slime meisters like Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, the worst of Pryor's influence has been turned into an aspect of the new minstrelsy in which millions of dollars are made by "normalizing" demeaning imagery and misogyny.
As usual Crouch's criticism is spot-on. Still, I have to take exception to his reference to Pryor as a "man of comic genius." I've listed to almost all of Pryor's comedy albums and the painful truth is that he just wasn't that funny. In fact, I suspect that the bulk of his fame rests on the fact that many white people love to hear black comics use the N-word. I don't know why people find it so endearing but I suspect that the thrill of hearing that forbidden word is the basis not only for many comedy careers but for the popularity of hardcore rap with middle-class white youths. (HT: Southern Appeal)
HypocriteFish -- 
Until it was noticed by a blogger, the official website of Washington State Democrats sold magnetic car stickers of the Christian fish symbol and cross emblazoned with the word "hypocrite" on a background of hellish flames. While I am certainly no fan of the Democratic Party, I don't think they should be judged by the actions of their supporters in Washington State. Having lived in Olympia, the state capital, I can attest that those poor souls are a special kind of loony that even Howard Dean can't match. (HT again to Southern Appeal, one of my favorite group blogs.)
Quote of the Day -- From a comment thread on The Thinklings:
I say this as an unashamed fan of [N.T. Wright’s] writing, but it occurs to me that this is the standard response to anyone who disagrees with Wright — they don’t understand him.
It might be true, but shouldn’t we be somewhat concerned that so many scholars can’t seem to “get” what Wright is saying? I am beginning to suspect that the litmus test for whether one “understands” Wright on justification is whether one agrees with him or not.
This relates somewhat to my take on Barth. Isn’t one of the primary goals of theology to illuminate knowledge of God? Shouldn’t one of theology’s primary precepts be coherence?
If honest-to-goodness scholars with big brains and multiple degrees can’t be said to understand Barth and Wright, what hope do we regular Joes have?
An excellent point that Jared needs to flesh out in more detail. I find this is often true, especially with people who disagree with me: They just don't understand what I'm saying. If they did, how could they disagree?
Gen-X Nostalgia -- Bored with Solitaire and Minesweeper? Check out Intellectual Delinquent where you can play your favorite Atari 2600 games like Pong, Space Invaders, and Asteroids. Frogger and Duck Hunt are rather cheesy but PacMan and Tetris are as addictive as ever. (HT: Fraters Libertas)
You Better Be Good -- On his excellent new blog Cranach, Gene Ed Veith has a post on Santa Claus the heretic slapper and another on why Christmas does not, as commonly believed, have its roots in pagan holidays.
Carnival Watch -- Adam's Blog is taking submission for the Carnival of Christmas, a carnival which seeks to remember what about Christmas is worth honoring and celebrating. Also, Wealth Junkie is hosting the latest Carnival of Personal Finance.
Award Watch -- Over at Still Thinking, voting has begun for the 2005 Homeschool Blog Awards.
Something Rotten in Stockholm (Update 2) Opinio Juris has an English translation of the Swedish Supreme Court decision on Åke Green, the Swedish pastor who was charged with hate speech for preaching against homosexuality. Oddly enough, the Court viewed the Swedish constitution as imposing no impediment to his prosecution yet acquitted him based on what they thought the European Court of Human Rights would do if seized with the case.
Cory Maye and Capital Punishment -- Radley Balko has a summary of the case of Cory Maye, a Mississippi man who is on death row for shooting a police officer who entered his house on a "no-knock" search warrant. While its difficult to judge the merits of the case based solely on blog post summaries, it appears that Maye is being unjustly imprisoned. The fact that he sits on death row is almost inconceivable. While I'm morally in favor of the death penalty, this is just another example of how the system for meeting out capital punishment system has become almost irreparably broken. (HT: In the Agora)
At a certain point in the near future, if the current oligarchy cannot be removed via the ballot, direct political action may become an urgent and compelling mission. It may then be necessary for many people in many walks of life to put their bodies on the line. For the moment, however, although pressing and profound questions have arisen about whether the current government is even legitimate, i.e., properly elected, there still remains a chance to remove this government peacefully in the 2008 election. (Or am I living in a dream world?)
I do think this regime's removal is the most urgent matter before the country today. . . . This is all terrible and rather fantastic to contemplate. But what assurances have we that it is not all quite plausible? Having discarded the principles that Jefferson & Co. espoused, the current regime seems capable of anything. I know that my imagination is a feverish instrument. But are we not living in feverish times, in times of the unthinkable?
Actually, this text is not from a group of wild-eyed theocrats but a post on the liberal but mainstream webmagazine Salon.com. But imagine the coverage this little outburst would have received had it been made by a Christian. (HT: Instapundit)
1
"Having discarded the principles that Jefferson & Co. espoused . . ."
I guess that would be slave ownership.
2
I guess that would be slave ownership.
Yes Terry, Jefferson lived in and participated in a culture that believed in slave ownership, as did Washington, Lincoln, Jackson, etc. Because of that we can safely ignore anything Jefferson ever said or did. So out goes the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Louisiana Purchase, the Revolutionary War, etc. Let's also ignore the fact the Jefferson's ideals led to the abolition of slavery (an institution that pre-dates Christianity or Judaism for that matter). Now that we've gotten rid of all those oppressive, dead white guys we can bravely march into our new world, unencumbered by any relics of the past. Year Zero, here we come.
3
ucfengr-
I was mocking Mr Tennis's overwrought attack on the current administration, not Jefferson.
If it wasn't slave ownership, which of Jefferson's principles do you think Mr. Tennis believes are important? His belief in state rights? Jefferson's notion that the US should be nation of farmers? Or maybe Mr. Tennis believes like Jefferson that freedom is inherent in individuals and can only by restricted, not given by, government?
Or do you suppose that Mr. Tennis remebered from his undergrad days that Jefferson was an atheist/deist and promoted the idea of seperation of church and state?
4
Joe, thanks for the link and quote.
Those remarks are built somewhat on a post I did a few months back at Mysterium Tremendum. It's called "Theological Obfuscation":
http://thinklings.org/jared/?p=663
5
Richard Pryor:
I thought Richard Pryor was moderately funny as a comedian. Not in the same category as Bill Cosby (at least as far as my personal funnybone is concerned), but he was OK. He was one of the first comedians who apparently believed that standing on stage and spewing verbal garbage was funny. Sadly, George Carlin also succumbed to that tic. As far as comedians in general go, Pryor couldn't hold a candle to masters like Bob Hope, Johnathan Winters, or (believe it or not) Shelley Berman. I actually thought he was a better actor than comedian, and his list of good B-movies is fairly long. May he rest in peace.
I also don't think that he is responsible for rap "music", which is a sad joke. It's astonishing to me that doggerel accompanied by elevator music has been elevated to an "art form", but in a culture where peeing in bottles and smearing oneself with chocolate is considered "art", I suppose nothing passes below the bar as long as it "shocks" some rube from Des Moines (I'm a rube from WV and I've been to Des Moines, so I know whereof I speak). Maybe that's why getting on stage and talking "dirty" gives such a thrill to the left - those rubes are getting their comeuppance and everybody knows the first amendment was written to protect the titty bars in colonial Boston.
In America, bad manners have been elevated to a human right.
posted on 12.13.2005 9:10 AM6
"As far as comedians in general go, Pryor couldn't hold a candle to masters like Bob Hope"
Haahhahahahahahhahhahahh!!!!
George, you are HILARIOUS.
From the DVD of Pryor's TV show, there is an incredible skit which riffs on the Star Wars cantina scene. Check it out.
ucfengr
"Yes Terry, Jefferson lived in and participated in a culture that believed in slave ownership"
So did Bob Hope.
posted on 12.13.2005 9:50 AM7
Any comedian can tell you that using language that makes most of the audience at least a little uncomfortable hearing it is the easiest way to get a laugh. We are uncomfortable so we laugh.
Sadly, comedians who are up to making us laugh without taking this easy path are few and far between these days.
8
The funniest routine I ever heard Richard Pryor perform was as a little boy trying to explain to his mom how the lamp got broken. I was crying, literally, with laughter at the end of the routine that featured not a single dirty word. It shows Pryor could do it if he wanted to.
posted on 12.13.2005 12:01 PM9
I was mocking Mr Tennis's overwrought attack on the current administration, not Jefferson.
My apologies for misinterpreting your comments. It is not uncommon to see Jefferson, et al. dismissed because of their slave ownership without looking at the context of the time they lived in or the work that they accomplished.
posted on 12.13.2005 1:58 PM10
Regarding the "hypocrite fish" here in Wisconsin, Madison in particular I would say that that fish accurately describes the attitude of the lefties here in this area of Wisconsin. Even in the 80's when I went to the UW Madison the hostility shown to evangelicals was very evident to me as a stutdent. One group refered to us a "incipiant fascists" (the beginings of fascism). So I would see this as a more common sentiment of liberal democrats than some would want to admit.
posted on 12.13.2005 2:14 PM11
Grew up in Tacoma about 30 minutes north of Oly. I have a sister and brother in law who have worked for the Washington Democrat party for years. They're also Christian folk, active in their church. Not all WA Dems are out to lunch on faith issues (though I'd agree many are).
My two cents on the logo: When you call somebody on the carpet (in this case the WA Dems) for rhetoric that's over the top, you usually end up giving it more attention than it deserves. In this case, conservatives have probably done more to promote the hypocrite fish than condemn it, especially now that they know it ticks us off.
How many people actually visit the WA Dem website anyway? Would guess not nearly as many as visit Evangelical Outpost every day. And do WA Dems care what Christian "hypocrites" think anyway?
The harder you smack the tar baby*, the harder you get stuck.
What would have been better is if WA Dem Christians condemned it...
Cheers,
db
__________
*http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/books/disney/tarbaby46.html
posted on 12.13.2005 2:25 PM12
ucfengr
"It is not uncommon to see Jefferson, et al. dismissed because of their slave ownership without looking at the context of the time they lived in or the work that they accomplished."
Indeed!**
As for the work they did, a well-fed male adult Negro could pick almost two hectares of cotton in a single afternoon.
And it's true -- though seldom commented upon in these politically correct times -- that slaves in the late 18th century were generally a contended lot. Sheltered and fed and living communally much as they do today, the first Negro immigrants composed and performed many songs that eventually became American folk classics. The rare whippings were mostly for "show," with physical pain reserved only for the most feral transgressions, e.g., looking at a white woman.
**this comment dedicated to the great Richard Pryor
posted on 12.13.2005 2:48 PM13
Regarding Pryor
The autobiographical "Jo Jo Dancer your life is calling" showed what rot Pryor had to rise from, it couldn't have been easy. This is no defense to his later actions and in the movie you could tell that, on some level, Pryor is aware that his life is little more than a cautionary tale.
I thought he was funny, may he rest in peace.
posted on 12.13.2005 2:53 PM14
As for the work they did, a well-fed male adult Negro could pick almost two hectares of cotton in a single afternoon.
Troll, Larry, very troll. Any other deceased, white dudes you'd like to dismiss because they lived in and were influenced by less enlightened times.
I imagine in a hundred years or so, the intellectually lazy great-grandchildren of Larry Lord will be busy dismissing MLK for some unenlightened view he held.
posted on 12.13.2005 3:18 PM15
I imagine in a hundred years or so, the intellectually lazy great-grandchildren of Larry Lord will be busy dismissing MLK for some unenlightened view he held/
Like how MLK cheated on his wife. Or how Ghandi beat his. Nobody is perfect, not even one. Myself included.
posted on 12.13.2005 4:14 PM16
Speaking of comedians who use the n-word anyone have a bad thing to say about Chris Rock? Hysterical IMO.
I was too young to remember much of anything Pryor did aside from that horrible Superman movie he was in. I will try to catch some of his work but I have say Bob Hope, IMO, was never very funny. I found his jokes stale, lame and stupid. He couldn't hold a candle to Groucho Marx or even Johnny Carson.
posted on 12.13.2005 4:17 PM17
I have say Bob Hope, IMO, was never very funny.
I agree. I just never got Bob Hope. Pryor could be insightful when he wanted to be and just plain absurd (in a good way), too. I especially liked one of his album covers: A bewildered-looking Pryror is tied to a stake, surrounded by hooded KKKers about to light the wood at his feet.
The album title: "Was It Something I Said?"
posted on 12.13.2005 4:40 PM18
Joe,
On christmas and pagan holidays. I do not believe that we can trust the research of Tighe (who Veith relies on) when it comes to Christmas.
Tighe has clearly missed the writings of Seneca the Younger which detail a week long mid december festival (saturnilia?) in making his claim that no winter solistice festival existed in rome (The quote was from ad 50).
Until this quote is dealt with, I don't think we should use veith/tighe's argument against the pagan origins of christmas.
On the other hand, I doubt we need to worry about any pagan origins of a winter solistice festival, as Christmas is about what people want it to be about. Forcing non-christian's to celebrate a Christian christmas is as silly as forcing me to celebrate hanukah.
posted on 12.13.2005 5:48 PM19
Ah, the fallacies of it all.
Regarding "Christmas is not pagan" Read this.
It is amazing how somebody can attempt to write about Christmas not being a pagan holiday and leave out all the juicy stuff about Mithras, or Saturnalia.
Really, why are these folks trying to eliminate paganism and atheism from the public square?
Don't they know that Thomas Paine was an atheist?
Don't they know that pagans made our country great?
posted on 12.13.2005 6:49 PM20
Mumon,
Mithras has nothing to do with it. I am suprised to see an educated person such as yourself imply otherwise.
21
the hypocrite fish...
I can readily admit that I am a hypocrite. "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Romans 7)
I teach one thing and do another. That I sin and still believe - that's a credit to God's grace, not any works that I can do.
If I can tell a couple of people that yes, I'm a hypocrite - there is sin in me, and still I preach that I should be sinless - all have sinned - but still I love God and I praise Him for His faithfullness - not mine.
posted on 12.14.2005 4:00 PM22
"this is just another example of how the system for meeting out capital punishment system has become almost irreparably broken"
You got that right.
posted on 12.14.2005 9:47 PM23
Regarding Christmas and pagan origins: while the winter solstice may have had nothing to do with the origins of Christmas (or with Saturnalia), and Saturnalia may have had nothing to do with the selection of December 25th as the date to honor Christmas, many of our Christmas customs indeed may find their origin in Saturnalia festival practices. I don’t believe that this can be ruled out entirely. And I don’t see a problem with not ruling it out entirely.
In some ways this apparent desire to rid Christmas of any shred of pagan origins seems similar to attempts to do the same with Halloween (and Easter). The influences remain, however, and can be either accepted or rejected upon their own merits. Some are transferrable (i.e., acceptable), I think, while others are not.