Patterico's Pontifications

10/25/2021

More Low-Hanging Fruit: MAGAland Mocks Alec Baldwin After Tragic Film Set Incident

Filed under: General — Dana @ 4:04 pm



[guest post by Dana]

This low-hanging fruit is an important reminder to non-MAGA Republicans: This is today’s Republican Party. MAGA Republicans know that these attacks will play well with their base. And that’s precisely the point.

As you are certainly aware by now, actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun (or perhaps real gun) on the set of his new movie after he had been told that it was a “cold gun” (no live rounds), subsequently killing the film’s director of photography and injuring the director. Pouncing on the horrific film set tragedy to score MAGA points, these t-shirts are currently being sold on Donald Trump Jr.’s website:

Untitled

And then there’s this from Rep. Lauren Boebert, who tweeted just hours after the announcement of the incident:

J.D. Vance, currently an Ohio candidate for the US Senate, also jumped on the bandwagon. (The capitulation of Vance to Trumpism has been especially disappointing.)

So, you get the picture. In the name of payback and scoring political points, MAGA Republicans are roundly attacking a celebrity who accidentally shot and killed an individual all because he is fiercely anti-Trump and equally fierce in his advocacy for gun control.

Once upon a time, there would have been an outcry against those exploiting a tragedy like this for their own gain, or their tribe’s gain. Instead, such an incident would have elicited sympathy for all parties involved. But those days are long gone. Social media has made it incredibly easy to shed civility and basic good manners. In the name of politics (and vengeance on behalf of one’s tribe), compassion is now for losers. When tragedy strikes, an obligatory pounce by one or the other side of the aisle is commonplace. Does anyone even cringe at the vulgarity? Polarization and tribal allegiances have begotten a cheapened people, a crass people, and a people who believe that common decency is to be mocked. And the worst part of it all is the bleating attempt to justify such behavior. I think the word I’m looking for is reprehensible.

–Dana

Boston Celtics Enes Kanter Continues His Courageous Campaign Against Brutal Oppression

Filed under: General — Dana @ 9:22 am



[guest post by Dana]

A little follow-up to the Weekend Open Thread and Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter. Kanter shows no signs of letting up on his justified attacks on China’s President Xi Jinping. On the contrary… If you recall, last week the NBA player tweeted on behalf of the oppressed Tibetan people, addressing his tweet to Brutal dictator Xi Jinping:

Tweets specifically protesting the genocide of the Uyghur people followed. He addressed these to the Heartless Dictator of China while name-checking Muslim leaders in the region for their complicity:

Kanter then implored the public to spread the word about the persecution of the Uyghurs while posting photos of his #FreedomShoes:

Yesterday, Kanter threw down the gauntlet:

More about Kanter’s #FreedomShoes:

Enes Kanter continued his campaign of criticism against China and its president Xi Jinping on Sunday when he wore another controversial pair of shoes, this time with the words “Free China” emblazoned on them, while on the bench for the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets in Texas.

It is the third time in the past week Kanter, who did not play in the game, wore shoes featuring an anti-China message. The shoes have been created in conjunction with Shanghai-born, Australia-based dissident cartoonist Badiucao, who had a show in Hong Kong cancelled in 2018.

The first pair, worn on Wednesday, featured a message which read “Free Tibet”. The second, worn on Friday, read “Free Uyghur”. The latest pair featured an image of Kanter holding the head of cartoon character Winnie the Pooh…

Likeness of Winnie the Pooh being compared to Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly banned in China…

The shoes also featured the iconic “Tank Man” scene with the tops of the tanks replaced by Winnie the Pooh heads.

While there has still been no official comment from the NBA regarding Kanter’s tweets, Celtics management voiced support for Kanter’s right to free speech, if not support for his specific campaigns:

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens on Friday voiced his support for center Enes Kanter, whose comments in support of Tibetan freedom on Wednesday led to Celtics games being removed from the Chinese streaming service, Tencent.

“My conversation with Enes was real short and sweet,” Stevens said during his weekly appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub, “and that is we’re always going to support any of our players and their right to freedom of speech and expression. And I think in my experience with the Celtics and the NBA, that’s the way it’s been and that’s the way it’ll continue to be.”

In bitter irony, China just marked its 50th anniversary as a member of the United Nations with President Xi Jinping declaring that China will ‘be a builder of world peace’.

–Dana


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