Well, perhaps the most inconsequential, yet prevalent, stories in media right now concerns advertisements for blue jeans featuring an attractive young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. A passing reference was made to "blue jeans" in connection with "genes" and "eye color". This led to wild speculations concerning the coming of a Fourth Reich and so forth. You have seen some of this craziness.
But this advertisement did not happen in a vacuum. As Walter Kirn wrote recently:
Old news is more important than new news because new news is built on top of it. When you are renovating a structure you don't start with the roof but with the foundation.
Let's go back and get the old stories right. Otherwise nothing will be right, from here on out.
In my youth, I met my best friend's uncle, who taught English at Cal Tech. One of the things he did was writing dialog and music for their faculty musicals.
Yes, faculty musicals.
I remember a bit of a recording of a soliloque:
I am an old man
Sitting in my laboratory
My Bunsen has gone out . . .
Anyway, my friend's uncle wrote a piece entitled "Blue Genes" to celebrate some honor given to Watson and Crick.
So the "Blue Genes" play on words has been around for a while. But Hitler was not its source.
Incidentally, the quality of faculty artistic performances may have regressed since Cal Tech faculty members created and participated in musicals. (Start at 18 minutes)
Remember that protesters at Evergreen gave a black student of Bret Weinstein a hard time for studying science.
Are you "Possibly White"?
Bill Maher notes that identifying a gunman as "possibly white" mean that other activities may also associate you with being white. Maybe you could wear jeans:
“This phrase ‘possibly white’ has really caught on and people want to know: am I my possibly white?”
“So we put together some indications if you would like to hear.”
“If you find yourself nodding your head to the Wells Fargo hold music… You are possibly white.”
“If you’ve ever waited in line for an artisanal chocolate chip cookie… You are possibly white.”
“If you’re married to a black person in a Subaru ad… You are possibly white. You’re probably white.”
“If you take your mistress to see Coldplay… You are VERY, very possibly white.”
The Vision: Eliminate Whiteness in California Schools
Interview clip here is from 2017:
2024, Sacramento State: The Bold Vision of Dr. Luke Wood
The BHC, which is unique within the CSU system, will welcome in 70 students in the fall of 2024. Each will receive a $2,000 scholarship. They will take their general education courses together and have a large part of the library reserved for their use. Several faculty members will work exclusively with these students. “It is meant to increase Black excellence — and the recruitment and retention of Black students,” says Dean Boatamo Ati Musupyoe. “To offer students a structured curriculum, composed of small classes and a faculty with a proven record of teaching success, we’re creating an environment where Black students will feel welcome and included.”
Wood frames it this way: “Sacramento State is home to the largest population of Black and African American students in the Cal State system, and more than all of the UCs except two.” Yet it has consistently wrestled with low Black graduation rates, he says. With the creation of the Black Honors College, Wood hopes that the university will rapidly increase graduation rates and will provide Black students the resources they need to flourish.
The American Eagle Jeans commercial did not occur in a vacuum.
Quotes
Seeing certain newspapers go all-in on deceptive interpretations of the Russiagate evidence now emerging, I'm even beginning to doubt their restaurant reviews.
"In other words, they are no longer in the news business".
Hope you have something nice planned for this weekend. Laugh a little.
This is the Thread before the Gardening Thread.
Last week's thread, August 26, After Russiagate, where do you go for news?
Comments are closed so you won't ban yourself by trying to comment on a week-old thread. But don't try it anyway.