Gyroscopic Investing

I'm not Asian, no. I'm afraid I'm not seeing it: Kung fu is the name of a Chinese fighting style, as far as I know. How does a play on words like that mean that he's denigrating Chinese people?

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:40 pm Xan, is your screenname Xan because you are Asian?

I always read it similar to Xmas.

The Kung Flu brouhaha is just another example of leftists being so uptight that they can't even laugh at a simple joke. It's just a funny pun. No harm, no foul. But today everything has to be weaponized to score points. Oh well, if leftists can't laugh at anything, they are the ones missing out. They are truly the Puritans of our times, looking for witches to burn under every bush.

stuper1 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:47 pm The Kung Flu brouhaha is just another example of leftists being so uptight that they can't even laugh at a simple joke. It's just a funny pun. No harm, no foul. But today everything has to be weaponized to score points. Oh well, if leftists can't laugh at anything, they are the ones missing out. They are truly the Puritans of our times, looking for witches to burn under every bush.

That's a pretty good pun itself. Poor old GW who only knew how to fly a supersonic fighter jet, dumb guy that he was.

The impression I got from Trump's "Kung flu" pun and other edgy comments from his Tulsa rally is that he was doing more than just trying to make his audience laugh. I think he was implicitly making a broader point about free speech.

The more Trump exercises his free speech with controversial and "offensive" comments, the more he draws a clear line between his camp (free speech) and the leftist camp (cancel culture and suppression of free speech). As the rallies and debates continue, people will see increasingly clearly which side values free speech and which side abhors it.

Xan wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:44 pm I'm not Asian, no. I'm afraid I'm not seeing it: Kung fu is the name of a Chinese fighting style, as far as I know. How does a play on words like that mean that he's denigrating Chinese people?

I don't think the term is about denigrating Chinese people, and anyway why is it that labeling the virus with its origin is such an issue? Should we apologize to Spain for naming the 1918 flu the "Spanish influenza"? Or to Egypt for "West Nile virus"? Or to DRC for "Ebola"? It's the name of a river. And, I don't know anyone who is stupid enough to blame Chinese people for a naturally-occurring virus. It would be like blaming the citizens of New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina.

The issue here is that...ugh, it is in EXTREMELY poor taste to make a joke about something that's killed a lot of people in order to get a laugh from the audience. I guess that these days, "in poor taste" and "racist" are now considered to be equivalent terms.

WiseOne wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 6:20 pm

Xan wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:44 pm I'm not Asian, no. I'm afraid I'm not seeing it: Kung fu is the name of a Chinese fighting style, as far as I know. How does a play on words like that mean that he's denigrating Chinese people?

I don't think the term is about denigrating Chinese people, and anyway why is it that labeling the virus with its origin is such an issue? Should we apologize to Spain for naming the 1918 flu the "Spanish influenza"? Or to Egypt for "West Nile virus"? Or to DRC for "Ebola"? It's the name of a river. And, I don't know anyone who is stupid enough to blame Chinese people for a naturally-occurring virus. It would be like blaming the citizens of New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina.

The issue here is that...ugh, it is in EXTREMELY poor taste to make a joke about something that's killed a lot of people in order to get a laugh from the audience. I guess that these days, "in poor taste" and "racist" are now considered to be equivalent terms.

If everything is racist, then nothing is racist.
Similarly, if the most innocent remark or action can get you fired or otherwise harmed, why would anyone try to avoid being insensitive?

Mountaineer wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:59 pm

stuper1 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:47 pm The Kung Flu brouhaha is just another example of leftists being so uptight that they can't even laugh at a simple joke. It's just a funny pun. No harm, no foul. But today everything has to be weaponized to score points. Oh well, if leftists can't laugh at anything, they are the ones missing out. They are truly the Puritans of our times, looking for witches to burn under every bush.

That's a pretty good pun itself. Poor old GW who only knew how to fly a supersonic fighter jet, dumb guy that he was.

Because he did do that, I never thought he was dumb. Just not a hard worker. Classic example of an entitled son.

Vinny

Wow, please, for the heck of it, find an Asian coworker or friend and ask if they are offended by the term Kung Flu.

It would be fine for a stand up comic as a bit, especially if they are Asian, but the best response here is WiseOne’s. At a minimum, he continues to be unable to show empathy.

But also, WiseOne, saying Chinese virus or Wuhan virus, I am fine with. But find me a city or region in China called Kung. I don’t think you can.

Exercising free speech, ok, sure. Thank God the virus didn’t originate in Niger.

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 9:28 pm Wow, please, for the heck of it, find an Asian coworker or friend and ask if they are offended by the term Kung Flu.

It would be fine for a stand up comic as a bit, especially if they are Asian, but the best response here is WiseOne’s. At a minimum, he continues to be unable to show empathy.

But also, WiseOne, saying Chinese virus or Wuhan virus, I am fine with. But find me a city or region in China called Kung. I don’t think you can.

Exercising free speech, ok, sure. Thank God the virus didn’t originate in Niger.

We're so far apart on this I think there must be something one of us (probably me) doesn't know. Is the phrase "Kung fu" itself offensive somehow?

I'm not arguing that it's in good taste to play the virus for laughs. Certainly with WiseOne on that one. But I'm also with her on not seeing how there's any form of racial denigration.

Xan wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 9:51 pm

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 9:28 pm Wow, please, for the heck of it, find an Asian coworker or friend and ask if they are offended by the term Kung Flu.

It would be fine for a stand up comic as a bit, especially if they are Asian, but the best response here is WiseOne’s. At a minimum, he continues to be unable to show empathy.

But also, WiseOne, saying Chinese virus or Wuhan virus, I am fine with. But find me a city or region in China called Kung. I don’t think you can.

Exercising free speech, ok, sure. Thank God the virus didn’t originate in Niger.

We're so far apart on this I think there must be something one of us (probably me) doesn't know. Is the phrase "Kung fu" itself offensive somehow?

I'm not arguing that it's in good taste to play the virus for laughs. Certainly with WiseOne on that one. But I'm also with her on not seeing how there's any form of racial denigration.

Would it help make it more offensive if he was on stage squinting his eyes and saying it in a mock Chinese accent?

Maybe read through this: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2 ... bba8781f59

The objection seems to be that it calls attention to the virus being from China, which you've already said you're okay with. The rest of it involves assuming that kung fu also comes from China, which... it does, does it not?

I guess an equivalent would be if there were a virus from Ireland that caused colonitis and it were referred to as "leprecholonitis". Not in great taste. Racist against the Irish? That's pretty dubious.

Simonjester wrote: has anybody heard the term kung flu before the corona virus?
according to the article this is some kind of common slur?? it sounds to me like about the most made up childish taunt i have ever heard.. like "oh shit we accused someone of being racist for saying this ... quick make up some history to fit the narrative"

i didn't grow up around anything like any of this so i suppose i could have missed out.. please correct me if i am wrong..

Exactly. It is a childish taunt by the President of the United States of America.

By the way, I said it was bigoted. Someone along the way changed it to racist. Is bigoted better and acceptable?

And, tech, seems it wasn't a joke...oh, yeah, he's just stating the obvious, smaller testing would show less cases. He doesn't really want less testing. Sure.

BTW, I am enjoying this back and forth, really I am. Keeps me thinking and honest.

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 10:21 pm

Simonjester wrote: right its a childish taunt by the US president... that he is being called racist for making.. the article you posted seemed to be justifying it as racist, because it has a history of being used that way.. i am having doubts the childish taunt ever existed before the flu from china arrived..

Exactly. It is a childish taunt by the President of the United States of America.

By the way, I said it was bigoted. Someone along the way changed it to racist. Is bigoted better and acceptable?

And, tech, seems it wasn't a joke...oh, yeah, he's just stating the obvious, smaller testing would show less cases. He doesn't really want less testing. Sure.

He stated a fact. What's wrong with that?

Obama administration used 'racist' pun 'kung flu' in multiple official campaigns

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/20 ... al-campai/

Different context, but still...

flyingpylon wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:23 am Obama administration used 'racist' pun 'kung flu' in multiple official campaigns

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/20 ... al-campai/

Different context, but still...

But Obama is black so he can't be racist!
Isn't that the current paradigm?

Simonjester wrote:
wow.. so the horrific kung flu racist slur was invented by, and first used by the left? ... say it ain't so..

Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:54 am

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 10:21 pm

Simonjester wrote: it sounds to me like about the most made up childish taunt i have ever heard..

Exactly. It is a childish taunt by the President of the United States of America.

By the way, I said it was bigoted. Someone along the way changed it to racist. Is bigoted better and acceptable?

And, tech, seems it wasn't a joke...oh, yeah, he's just stating the obvious, smaller testing would show less cases. He doesn't really want less testing. Sure.

He stated a fact. What's wrong with that?

He also could have thrown in the earth is a sphere, just another fact, right? So we are able to take everything he says literally? Never jokes? Or I have to have my magic decoder ring to figure each out?

Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:29 am

flyingpylon wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:23 am Obama administration used 'racist' pun 'kung flu' in multiple official campaigns

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/20 ... al-campai/

Different context, but still...

But Obama is black so he can't be racist!
Isn't that the current paradigm?

I saw that in my quick research as well. Not good, but it was who knows how many levels removed from Obama himself. We'll never know if Obama would have quashed it if he knew about it, or didn't and got a chuckle as well. In any event this is the main guy using the term now.

The TDS runs deep... on BOTH sides.

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:01 am

Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:29 am

flyingpylon wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:23 am Obama administration used 'racist' pun 'kung flu' in multiple official campaigns

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/20 ... al-campai/

Different context, but still...

But Obama is black so he can't be racist!
Isn't that the current paradigm?

I saw that in my quick research as well. Not good, but it was who knows how many levels removed from Obama himself. We'll never know if Obama would have quashed it if he knew about it, or didn't and got a chuckle as well. In any event this is the main guy using the term now.

The TDS runs deep... on BOTH sides.

Well now I'm utterly baffled. What can possibly by wrong with a public interest campaign that encourages getting a flu shot by saying "be a kung flu fighter"? This version is absent any accusation of being the source of the disease and is purely a pun.

Is it now bad form to even mention anything that comes from other-than-Western-European culture? By default it's derogatory? This is sounding like that Babylon Bee item about the purge of non-whites from marketing and cartoons.

What if the poster said "wrestle the flu to the ground" and featured a Greco-Roman Olympian getting the better of a cartoon germ? Is that offensive to Greeks?

Xan wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:59 am

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:01 am

Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:29 am

flyingpylon wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:23 am Obama administration used 'racist' pun 'kung flu' in multiple official campaigns

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/20 ... al-campai/

Different context, but still...

But Obama is black so he can't be racist!
Isn't that the current paradigm?

I saw that in my quick research as well. Not good, but it was who knows how many levels removed from Obama himself. We'll never know if Obama would have quashed it if he knew about it, or didn't and got a chuckle as well. In any event this is the main guy using the term now.

The TDS runs deep... on BOTH sides.

Well now I'm utterly baffled. What can possibly by wrong with a public interest campaign that encourages getting a flu shot by saying "be a kung flu fighter"? This version is absent any accusation of being the source of the disease and is purely a pun.

Is it now bad form to even mention anything that comes from other-than-Western-European culture? By default it's derogatory? This is sounding like that Babylon Bee item about the purge of non-whites from marketing and cartoons.

What if the poster said "wrestle the flu to the ground" and featured a Greco-Roman Olympian getting the better of a cartoon germ? Is that offensive to Greeks?

That depends entirely on what the Democrat party and their militia want, which can change by the minute.
The only constant is their attempt to destroy western civilization.

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:01 am

Libertarian666 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:29 am

flyingpylon wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:23 am Obama administration used 'racist' pun 'kung flu' in multiple official campaigns

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/20 ... al-campai/

Different context, but still...

But Obama is black so he can't be racist!
Isn't that the current paradigm?

I saw that in my quick research as well. Not good, but it was who knows how many levels removed from Obama himself. We'll never know if Obama would have quashed it if he knew about it, or didn't and got a chuckle as well. In any event this is the main guy using the term now.

The TDS runs deep... on BOTH sides.

I'm impressed by your ability to rationalize away anything that causes you cognitive dissonance.

Times change. Mainly for the better.

--Mentally challenged vs retard?
--Gay vs. faggot?
--Chink? Jap? Wetback? Spic? Dago? N-word?

I am am 100% European ancestry white male. Any of these terms at some point in our history were acceptable. I would like to think we are evolving, vs. restricting my freedom of speech.

But, go right ahead and use those terms in your own personal circles if you are comfortable with them. I really don't care.

It comes back down to it is the President saying these things.

Same back at you, tech. That you don't see it in yourself is interesting.

The "euphemism treadmill" is a different debate. Seriously, look it up, it's fascinating. "idiot", "imbecile", and "moron" were all created as value-free clinical terms for people of low IQ. Then those got charged with meaning and were replaced by "retarded". Then "special". Same thing over and over. I don't know that there's any solving that one.

I think we're now getting to the meat of it: are you equating the use of the phrase "kung fu" with an ethnic slur? That's what I've been trying to get at earlier when I'm asking whether there's some use of the phrase that I'm unaware of.

Why are "kung fu" (a term for a Chinese fighting style as far as I'm aware) and "Chink" (a derogatory term for a person of Chinese descent) the same in any way at all? In what way is using the phrase "kung fu" being negative towards Chinese people?

There’s bigotry anywhere one wants to find it. If it can’t be found, just redefine it. Lather, rinse, repeat.