Let me tell you a story about a military that was supposedly one of the best in the world. This military had some of the best equipment: the heaviest and most modern tanks, next-generation aircraft, and advanced naval vessels. It had invested in modernization, and made what were considered some of Europe’s most sophisticated plans for conflict. Moreover, it had planned and trained specifically for a war it was about to fight, a war it seemed extremely well prepared for and that many, perhaps most, people believed it would win.
All of these descriptions could apply to the Russian army that invaded Ukraine last month. But I’m talking about the French army of the 1930s.
The US and the UK have officially brushed off providing Ukraine with actual security guarantees, that would have involved defending Ukraine in case of a renewed Russian attack.
Ukraine continues to insist that “security guarantees” are a legit offer.
Looking and looking at it and without the effing and jeffing afterwards from Smith it all looked like a stunt. Rock leaning forward and remarkably unfazed by the actual slap. An unexpected slap to the face is a deeply discombobulating thing and Rock didn't miss a beat.
The swearing and the feud suggests it was real but it didn't otherwise look it.
Guy can certainly take one. You'd be impressed no?
I was impressed.
imo perhaps the main distinguishing difference, for example, between recreational (ie white collar) boxers and professionals or amateurs is the way they respond to being hit. White collar types are almost always stopped in their tracks and perhaps the red mist might descend; proper boxers don't even notice aside perhaps from realising they have left an opening, or putting themselves there to take it in order to counter.
Punters generally don't get hit in the face and if they do it prompts a reaction which was unlike Rock's. Perhaps, as @Dura noted, he has been slapped plenty of times.
The first time I was punched in the face full on as a discrete event rather than as part of some kind of melee or where my adrenalin wasn't high was at a football match (by a policeman - don't ask) and, as designed, it had the desired effect.
Last time I was hit was when I was about 19, when I made some unseemly (if flattering) remark about a girl's breasts. She slapped me hard, it was probably justified
I remember the total shock, tho I recovered quite quickly
Taught me a lesson, probably the wrong lesson tho
I don't think I've ever been slapped but it "seems" like it would have an effect as you described.
People can be slapped, punched, kicked, all sorts and not feel or worry about a thing but that is usually when they are in the zone for it (mentally- either by necessity or voluntarily). The thing that struck me about Rock was that he was none of those things. Not ready for it, no adrenaline (perhaps save that of being on stage at the Oscars which might put you in some kind of zone, that said), and no reaction at all.
But as you linked, that backstage reaction looked 100% genuine.
His composure afterwards - despite being obviously shocked and stunned - was phenomenal. I think he leaned into Smith because he genuinely thought it was some kind of joke or prank, so the blow was even more astonishing
Given his history of being bullied as a kid, being bullied again, live, at the Oscars, in front of 40 million worldwide viewers, might be harrowing. Photos of him since show him looking haunted
Too time stressed - by doing trans with Cyclefree - to check on your stuff today.
Are you still pretending to be SHOCKED AND APPALLED by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars?
(that excellent Guardian article Cookie linked to could explain why, I think, if you are)
NEW Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP says long range artillery and armoured vehicles (although not tanks) will be supplied to Ukraine as a result of today's donor conference.
Looking and looking at it and without the effing and jeffing afterwards from Smith it all looked like a stunt. Rock leaning forward and remarkably unfazed by the actual slap. An unexpected slap to the face is a deeply discombobulating thing and Rock didn't miss a beat.
The swearing and the feud suggests it was real but it didn't otherwise look it.
Guy can certainly take one. You'd be impressed no?
I was impressed.
imo perhaps the main distinguishing difference, for example, between recreational (ie white collar) boxers and professionals or amateurs is the way they respond to being hit. White collar types are almost always stopped in their tracks and perhaps the red mist might descend; proper boxers don't even notice aside perhaps from realising they have left an opening, or putting themselves there to take it in order to counter.
Punters generally don't get hit in the face and if they do it prompts a reaction which was unlike Rock's. Perhaps, as @Dura noted, he has been slapped plenty of times.
The first time I was punched in the face full on as a discrete event rather than as part of some kind of melee or where my adrenalin wasn't high was at a football match (by a policeman - don't ask) and, as designed, it had the desired effect.
Last time I was hit was when I was about 19, when I made some unseemly (if flattering) remark about a girl's breasts. She slapped me hard, it was probably justified
I remember the total shock, tho I recovered quite quickly
Taught me a lesson, probably the wrong lesson tho
I don't think I've ever been slapped but it "seems" like it would have an effect as you described.
People can be slapped, punched, kicked, all sorts and not feel or worry about a thing but that is usually when they are in the zone for it (mentally- either by necessity or voluntarily). The thing that struck me about Rock was that he was none of those things. Not ready for it, no adrenaline (perhaps save that of being on stage at the Oscars which might put you in some kind of zone, that said), and no reaction at all.
But as you linked, that backstage reaction looked 100% genuine.
His composure afterwards - despite being obviously shocked and stunned - was phenomenal. I think he leaned into Smith because he genuinely thought it was some kind of joke or prank, so the blow was even more astonishing
Given his history of being bullied as a kid, being bullied again, live, at the Oscars, in front of 40 million worldwide viewers, might be harrowing. Photos of him since show him looking haunted
Too time stressed - by doing trans with Cyclefree - to check on your stuff today.
Are you still pretending to be SHOCKED AND APPALLED by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars?
(that excellent Guardian article Cookie linked to could explain why, I think, if you are)
The Will Smith thing looks worse and worse in retrospect. His whole career tainted. It will probably be his epitaph. Madness
Why??
People will forget it in a week or still defend him on the basis "I'd be mad if someone insulted my partner" type nonsense. Mel Gibson still gets work, and many others.
More embarrassing is the phony apology from him and the hand wringing from the Academy about it. The truth lies in the action - if you're important enough you can assault people and people wont even care in the moment, let alone later. Even Guido reader polls knew better on this issue.
‘Fuck me. So If you’re white and you think Will Smith is a cock for punching someone then you’re anti black. Fuck off the Guardian, you socially-regressive, race-baiting rag.’
Well when you start from Thomas the Tank Engine is a tyrannical totalitarian nightmare full of classism, sexism, anti-environmentalism bordering on racism, this is where you end up....
I am not making this is up, the Guardian have published more than one article claiming this.
Have you read them?
Yes, they're bloody children's stories...
And that insulates them from critical analysis how? Come on, this stuff is fun! This is what you kill-joy righties never really get; this kind of critique is what passes for entertainment on the left. A good night out over a beer is incomplete without taking down some beloved children’s author or other with a spot of Marxist dialectic.
Looking and looking at it and without the effing and jeffing afterwards from Smith it all looked like a stunt. Rock leaning forward and remarkably unfazed by the actual slap. An unexpected slap to the face is a deeply discombobulating thing and Rock didn't miss a beat.
The swearing and the feud suggests it was real but it didn't otherwise look it.
Guy can certainly take one. You'd be impressed no?
I was impressed.
imo perhaps the main distinguishing difference, for example, between recreational (ie white collar) boxers and professionals or amateurs is the way they respond to being hit. White collar types are almost always stopped in their tracks and perhaps the red mist might descend; proper boxers don't even notice aside perhaps from realising they have left an opening, or putting themselves there to take it in order to counter.
Punters generally don't get hit in the face and if they do it prompts a reaction which was unlike Rock's. Perhaps, as @Dura noted, he has been slapped plenty of times.
The first time I was punched in the face full on as a discrete event rather than as part of some kind of melee or where my adrenalin wasn't high was at a football match (by a policeman - don't ask) and, as designed, it had the desired effect.
Last time I was hit was when I was about 19, when I made some unseemly (if flattering) remark about a girl's breasts. She slapped me hard, it was probably justified
I remember the total shock, tho I recovered quite quickly
Taught me a lesson, probably the wrong lesson tho
I don't think I've ever been slapped but it "seems" like it would have an effect as you described.
People can be slapped, punched, kicked, all sorts and not feel or worry about a thing but that is usually when they are in the zone for it (mentally- either by necessity or voluntarily). The thing that struck me about Rock was that he was none of those things. Not ready for it, no adrenaline (perhaps save that of being on stage at the Oscars which might put you in some kind of zone, that said), and no reaction at all.
But as you linked, that backstage reaction looked 100% genuine.
His composure afterwards - despite being obviously shocked and stunned - was phenomenal. I think he leaned into Smith because he genuinely thought it was some kind of joke or prank, so the blow was even more astonishing
Given his history of being bullied as a kid, being bullied again, live, at the Oscars, in front of 40 million worldwide viewers, might be harrowing. Photos of him since show him looking haunted
Too time stressed - by doing trans with Cyclefree - to check on your stuff today.
Are you still pretending to be SHOCKED AND APPALLED by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars?
(that excellent Guardian article Cookie linked to could explain why, I think, if you are)
People aren't allowed to be shocked and appalled about witnessing a public assault that people have been very happy to justify?
Bullies piss me off, I don't see that it needs to be more complicated than that.
The headline on the main Russian tabloid is currently "Mariupol is not Ukraine", so when they say they won't go to Ukraine, they first need to define Ukraine.
The Russians are absolutely right that the conscripts won't go to Ukraine. We all know there really is no, nor ever was, a Ukraine.
Whatever they want to call it, sadly a large number of them will be going there but not coming back.
Looking and looking at it and without the effing and jeffing afterwards from Smith it all looked like a stunt. Rock leaning forward and remarkably unfazed by the actual slap. An unexpected slap to the face is a deeply discombobulating thing and Rock didn't miss a beat.
The swearing and the feud suggests it was real but it didn't otherwise look it.
Maybe CR has had a few slaps before. I remember with acute clarity the first time a fully grown man punched me in the face with serious intent when I was 18. It was so painful and shocking that it gave me dry heaves. Subsequent punchings over the years became gradually less traumatic until I didn't give a fuck.
Chris Rock was famously bullied and beaten as a child. He has a condition a bit like Asperger’s
Looking and looking at it and without the effing and jeffing afterwards from Smith it all looked like a stunt. Rock leaning forward and remarkably unfazed by the actual slap. An unexpected slap to the face is a deeply discombobulating thing and Rock didn't miss a beat.
The swearing and the feud suggests it was real but it didn't otherwise look it.
Guy can certainly take one. You'd be impressed no?
I was impressed.
imo perhaps the main distinguishing difference, for example, between recreational (ie white collar) boxers and professionals or amateurs is the way they respond to being hit. White collar types are almost always stopped in their tracks and perhaps the red mist might descend; proper boxers don't even notice aside perhaps from realising they have left an opening, or putting themselves there to take it in order to counter.
Punters generally don't get hit in the face and if they do it prompts a reaction which was unlike Rock's. Perhaps, as @Dura noted, he has been slapped plenty of times.
The first time I was punched in the face full on as a discrete event rather than as part of some kind of melee or where my adrenalin wasn't high was at a football match (by a policeman - don't ask) and, as designed, it had the desired effect.
Last time I was hit was when I was about 19, when I made some unseemly (if flattering) remark about a girl's breasts. She slapped me hard, it was probably justified
I remember the total shock, tho I recovered quite quickly
Taught me a lesson, probably the wrong lesson tho
I don't think I've ever been slapped but it "seems" like it would have an effect as you described.
People can be slapped, punched, kicked, all sorts and not feel or worry about a thing but that is usually when they are in the zone for it (mentally- either by necessity or voluntarily). The thing that struck me about Rock was that he was none of those things. Not ready for it, no adrenaline (perhaps save that of being on stage at the Oscars which might put you in some kind of zone, that said), and no reaction at all.
But as you linked, that backstage reaction looked 100% genuine.
His composure afterwards - despite being obviously shocked and stunned - was phenomenal. I think he leaned into Smith because he genuinely thought it was some kind of joke or prank, so the blow was even more astonishing
Given his history of being bullied as a kid, being bullied again, live, at the Oscars, in front of 40 million worldwide viewers, might be harrowing. Photos of him since show him looking haunted
Too time stressed - by doing trans with Cyclefree - to check on your stuff today.
Are you still pretending to be SHOCKED AND APPALLED by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars?
(that excellent Guardian article Cookie linked to could explain why, I think, if you are)
People aren't allowed to be shocked and appalled about witnessing a public assault that people have been very happy to justify?
Bullies piss me off, I don't see that it needs to be more complicated than that.
Agreed. But there are genuine takes and phony takes.
Looking and looking at it and without the effing and jeffing afterwards from Smith it all looked like a stunt. Rock leaning forward and remarkably unfazed by the actual slap. An unexpected slap to the face is a deeply discombobulating thing and Rock didn't miss a beat.
The swearing and the feud suggests it was real but it didn't otherwise look it.
Guy can certainly take one. You'd be impressed no?
I was impressed.
imo perhaps the main distinguishing difference, for example, between recreational (ie white collar) boxers and professionals or amateurs is the way they respond to being hit. White collar types are almost always stopped in their tracks and perhaps the red mist might descend; proper boxers don't even notice aside perhaps from realising they have left an opening, or putting themselves there to take it in order to counter.
Punters generally don't get hit in the face and if they do it prompts a reaction which was unlike Rock's. Perhaps, as @Dura noted, he has been slapped plenty of times.
The first time I was punched in the face full on as a discrete event rather than as part of some kind of melee or where my adrenalin wasn't high was at a football match (by a policeman - don't ask) and, as designed, it had the desired effect.
Last time I was hit was when I was about 19, when I made some unseemly (if flattering) remark about a girl's breasts. She slapped me hard, it was probably justified
I remember the total shock, tho I recovered quite quickly
Taught me a lesson, probably the wrong lesson tho
I don't think I've ever been slapped but it "seems" like it would have an effect as you described.
People can be slapped, punched, kicked, all sorts and not feel or worry about a thing but that is usually when they are in the zone for it (mentally- either by necessity or voluntarily). The thing that struck me about Rock was that he was none of those things. Not ready for it, no adrenaline (perhaps save that of being on stage at the Oscars which might put you in some kind of zone, that said), and no reaction at all.
But as you linked, that backstage reaction looked 100% genuine.
His composure afterwards - despite being obviously shocked and stunned - was phenomenal. I think he leaned into Smith because he genuinely thought it was some kind of joke or prank, so the blow was even more astonishing
Given his history of being bullied as a kid, being bullied again, live, at the Oscars, in front of 40 million worldwide viewers, might be harrowing. Photos of him since show him looking haunted
I agree completely. He was assaulted and humiliated (which is often the point with such a bullying incident - not that it hurts, so much as that you won't dare respond), and has to put up with people excusing it all (he may even want to just get past it himself), but kept on with the show.
As others have pointed out, to make it worse, no one approached Rock to see if he was OK. The guy has just been publicly assaulted, and everyone simply sat there. So he got on with the job.
Then Rock had to watch his assailant come up and take his Oscar, make a self pitying speech (without apologising to Rock) and then receive a standing ovation. That's quite fucked up
It also turns out that the Academy made no attempt to eject Smith (as someone suggested downthread - the Academy lied about this later to conceal their incompetence). There was, apparently, a furious debate about Smith's continued presence, but in the end the only thing that happened was some senior dude went up to Smith and asked him if HE was alright to carry on
What a sordid mess
Not a big deal in the wider scheme but it does not shine a fine light on celebrity culture, despite all the efforts they have supposedly made
One suspects noone approached Rock to see if he was ok because Will Smith is the bigger star. Hollywood is a very hierarchical place.
We've swapped overall takes a few times so can we instead look at this specific point of Female Spaces?
You argue that trans women who haven't had surgery should be excluded from women's toilets and changing rooms.
Questions on this if I may.
Would this be policed and if so how?
The transition process (as is) mandates living in your target gender for a time. If M/F, a key part of this is being able to navigate female spaces. How can you achieve this if you're prohibited from using them?
The transition process does not mandate how you must live as your acquired gender so there is absolutely no requirement to show that you are using loos etc.
But the answers are these: trust - challenge - expectations.
Let me clarify. Before the TRAs started demanding access as of right for any man who said he was a woman, there was a high degree of trust and expectations around women only spaces. People - both men and women - understood who they were for and why. And if the wrong person came in, they could expect to be challenged and had no defence.
Now they were not perfect. Doubtless transsexuals did use them and women might have been ok with that because it was obvious what they were and that this was a one off. And also that these were genuine. People understood that there were boundaries and why and respected them.
But the demands of TRAs to have no boundaries, to breach them, to demand as of right, to regard the idea of womens consent as somehow offensive has eroded that trust. So rather than have empathy for a transgender man seeking to transition, the reaction has been - we can't trust men to respect our need for boundaries so no, none of you can come in. The TRAs have done the cause of transgender people great harm because they have attacked the very idea of boundaries and consent.
Checking peoples' genitals is absurd but and was never needed before because women could trust men not breach the boundaries and know they did not belong in womens loos. And because women could rely on that they were ok to allow a few genuine transgender women in.
So now we have to rebuild that. Which is why I think you have to say clearly the expectation is that men do not seek to go into female spaces unless invited by women. If challenged, if women feel uncomfortable, they leave. And over time, then women can get comfortable with allowing those who are genuinely dysphoric to use women-only spaces by invitation.
But it has to start with men understanding the need for female boundaries and not seeking to demolish them or breach them. And I am afraid when I see the arguments and aggression from TRAs and attacks on women etc I see those who refuse to understand why women need boundaries, why it matters to them and why "no" means "no". I see - in short - precisely the sort of male entitlement and aggression which can lead to abuse.
And that is also why I do not want self-ID. I personally do not mind a genuine transwoman using a female loo. But if I cannot be certain that she is genuine - as I can't be with self-ID - then I don't want to take the risk and will say no to any man at all.
‘Tory MPs vote through care cap ‘catastrophe’ for poor Brits despite revolt’
…Those with assets including their home of £75,000 to £150,000 face the biggest hit, the study found.
Someone with around £110,000 in assets could lose 78% of their total wealth even after the cap is in place, while someone with £500,000 could use up only 17%.
People in Red Wall seats in North East, Yorkshire and the Midlands, where wealth tends to be lower, would “see the biggest erosion of their protection against large care costs, as a result of the proposed amendment”, the report warned.
Convenient this is flying under the radar. It’s almost as if the levelling up rhetoric is all bullshit. A lot of these people will have gone Tory, cos Brexit. I hope they realise the error of their ways.
Supposedly they will ignore the financial beating they are taking, the lack of levelling up monies being spent and the growing disparity between the north and dahn sarf because she-cocked deviants are coming for our wives and daughters.
Tories stirring up the culture war because it’s the only thing they have left?
Be interesting to see how they square that with having a trans MP in their ranks.
I think -- given his history -- you would do well to take anything said by Jamie with some caution.
He is possibly the most bonkers Welsh Tory MP for some time -- a real accolade considering the competition.
At one point during the pandemic, I contemplated buying a bunch of flag masks. Not USA or UK or any other big-name country. But smaller, less-flaunted lands such as San Marino and Seychelles.
BTW, Seychelles has one of the great flag designs of all time. Ditto Kalaallit Nunaat / Greenland.
Not knocking the classics, such as Union Jack, Stars & Stripes, tricolors, crosses, etc., etc.
My favorite, for more than just great design, is South Africa.
There was definitely a cover-up. It was probably a lab leak.
BREAKING: my @VanityFair investigation into @EcoHealthNYC, @NIAIDNews transparency and debate over #COVID19 origins is live. Vanity Fair obtained over 100,000 internal EcoHealth Alliance documents including meeting minutes, internal emails, reports. vanityfair.com/news/2022/03/t… /1
Comments
Let me tell you a story about a military that was supposedly one of the best in the world. This military had some of the best equipment: the heaviest and most modern tanks, next-generation aircraft, and advanced naval vessels. It had invested in modernization, and made what were considered some of Europe’s most sophisticated plans for conflict. Moreover, it had planned and trained specifically for a war it was about to fight, a war it seemed extremely well prepared for and that many, perhaps most, people believed it would win.
All of these descriptions could apply to the Russian army that invaded Ukraine last month. But I’m talking about the French army of the 1930s.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/russia-ukraine-invasion-military-predictions/629418/
https://twitter.com/mrsorokaa/status/1509431265132519427
The US and the UK have officially brushed off providing Ukraine with actual security guarantees, that would have involved defending Ukraine in case of a renewed Russian attack.
Ukraine continues to insist that “security guarantees” are a legit offer.
This is going nowhere.
Are you still pretending to be SHOCKED AND APPALLED by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars?
(that excellent Guardian article Cookie linked to could explain why, I think, if you are)
https://twitter.com/shashj/status/1509565591358689286
Bullies piss me off, I don't see that it needs to be more complicated than that.
We called it.
But the answers are these: trust - challenge - expectations.
Let me clarify. Before the TRAs started demanding access as of right for any man who said he was a woman, there was a high degree of trust and expectations around women only spaces. People - both men and women - understood who they were for and why. And if the wrong person came in, they could expect to be challenged and had no defence.
Now they were not perfect. Doubtless transsexuals did use them and women might have been ok with that because it was obvious what they were and that this was a one off. And also that these were genuine. People understood that there were boundaries and why and respected them.
But the demands of TRAs to have no boundaries, to breach them, to demand as of right, to regard the idea of womens consent as somehow offensive has eroded that trust. So rather than have empathy for a transgender man seeking to transition, the reaction has been - we can't trust men to respect our need for boundaries so no, none of you can come in. The TRAs have done the cause of transgender people great harm because they have attacked the very idea of boundaries and consent.
Checking peoples' genitals is absurd but and was never needed before because women could trust men not breach the boundaries and know they did not belong in womens loos. And because women could rely on that they were ok to allow a few genuine transgender women in.
So now we have to rebuild that. Which is why I think you have to say clearly the expectation is that men do not seek to go into female spaces unless invited by women. If challenged, if women feel uncomfortable, they leave. And over time, then women can get comfortable with allowing those who are genuinely dysphoric to use women-only spaces by invitation.
But it has to start with men understanding the need for female boundaries and not seeking to demolish them or breach them. And I am afraid when I see the arguments and aggression from TRAs and attacks on women etc I see those who refuse to understand why women need boundaries, why it matters to them and why "no" means "no". I see - in short - precisely the sort of male entitlement and aggression which can lead to abuse.
And that is also why I do not want self-ID. I personally do not mind a genuine transwoman using a female loo. But if I cannot be certain that she is genuine - as I can't be with self-ID - then I don't want to take the risk and will say no to any man at all.
BTW, Seychelles has one of the great flag designs of all time. Ditto Kalaallit Nunaat / Greenland.
Not knocking the classics, such as Union Jack, Stars & Stripes, tricolors, crosses, etc., etc.
My favorite, for more than just great design, is South Africa.
BREAKING: my @VanityFair investigation into @EcoHealthNYC, @NIAIDNews transparency and debate over #COVID19 origins is live. Vanity Fair obtained over 100,000 internal EcoHealth Alliance documents including meeting minutes, internal emails, reports. vanityfair.com/news/2022/03/t… /1
https://twitter.com/katherineeban/status/1509578742577958923?s=21&t=_SNJM-c2cEPbdQpnxSn9fA