A Spirited 15 Rounds ...

[the.dreamfinder]

Shouldn't that be "extremism posing as centrism is a lie"?

Sure, but the folks who declare themselves centrists don’t understand that and think they’re smarter than everybody else.

 

[brb1006]

TCI Votes in Favor of Disney's Offer for Fox Assets
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...?utm_source=google&utm_medium=bd&cmpId=google

 

[Pixieish]

TCI Votes in Favor of Disney's Offer for Fox Assets
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...?utm_source=google&utm_medium=bd&cmpId=google

I wonder if those tweets had come out in a month if it would have been a non-issue and Disney would have ignored them.

 

[Mat Cauthon]

I stopped watching the news on TV and in video form years ago. I find it easier to see biased statements in print. And yes - we're so divided, and the news outlets are owned by so few companies now that we're seeing the extreme from everyone. I really wish FB had a division specifically for blocking blogs dressed up as real news because that's where most people seem to fall prey to the worst of both sides. (My own mother included.)

I gave up Facebook 5 years ago. For all the good it has done shrinking the world it has done an equal amount of harm in my personal opinion.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

 

[bhg469]

Hardwick's story was very strange. People seemed to want to crucify him when it seems that the only thing he was guilty of was being a really really huge jerk to his girlfriend. I would never treat anyone that way, especially my wife, but wow, that was a reaction i didn't expect him to get.

 

[Rodan75]

The “middle” is a moving area effected by the extremist poles. The Hitler Youth were told and spouted out a position that concentration/labor camps were a reasonable, middle ground solution to the Jewish question. I don’t think I need to remind folks what they really did.

Centrism is a lie.

Interesting statement with a good example. For me, centrist or moderate means that I have an individual point of view and that I can choose a more liberal or conservative opinion on a issue by issue basis. And that I don’t have to pick a team and tie myself in knots to justify illogical choices. And that I believe most issues can have a satisfying solution thru negotiations and compromise.

As others have said more eloquently, the more folks are forced to pick teams, the more extreme these positions get.

 

[Rodan75]

Hardwick's story was very strange. People seemed to want to crucify him when it seems that the only thing he was guilty of was being a really really huge jerk to his girlfriend. I would never treat anyone that way, especially my wife, but wow, that was a reaction i didn't expect him to get.

I agree. This was always an odd one. The professional punishment for valid/invalid personal behavior that did not involve the workplace was weird.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Hardwick's story was very strange. People seemed to want to crucify him when it seems that the only thing he was guilty of was being a really really huge jerk to his girlfriend. I would never treat anyone that way, especially my wife, but wow, that was a reaction i didn't expect him to get.

I agree. This was always an odd one. The professional punishment for valid/invalid personal behavior that did not involve the workplace was weird.

What exactly would AMC be investigating, right? Someone can be a pos in their private life and be fine at work. I don’t see how AMC could fire him. They could certainly choose not to renew his contract, but termination for something unrelated to work is questionable.

That said, the essay did mention that she was “starfished” by Hardwick; rape, in other words. That’s on her to bring charges, not AMC.

 

[Pixieish]

What exactly would AMC be investigating, right? Someone can be a pos in their private life and be fine at work. I don’t see how AMC could fire him. They could certainly choose not to renew his contract, but termination for something unrelated to work is questionable.

That said, the essay did mention that she was “starfished” by Hardwick; rape, in other words. That’s on her to bring charges, not AMC.

So I had to Google that (yeah, I don't get out as much as I used to) and saw what it is, but apparently "starfish" is also a tool for students. They need to change that name.

 

[Pixieish]

What exactly would AMC be investigating, right? Someone can be a pos in their private life and be fine at work. I don’t see how AMC could fire him. They could certainly choose not to renew his contract, but termination for something unrelated to work is questionable.

That said, the essay did mention that she was “starfished” by Hardwick; rape, in other words. That’s on her to bring charges, not AMC.

And I really wish Disney would step back and reassess. This is just ridiculous.

 

[Pixieish]

The petition has broken through the 300,000 mark.

 

[Pixieish]

Hardwick's story was very strange. People seemed to want to crucify him when it seems that the only thing he was guilty of was being a really really huge jerk to his girlfriend. I would never treat anyone that way, especially my wife, but wow, that was a reaction i didn't expect him to get.

I agree. This was always an odd one. The professional punishment for valid/invalid personal behavior that did not involve the workplace was weird.

I have many mixed opinions about this.

EDIT: I'm not excusing the way he treated her. I've been a victim of partner abuse myself.

 

[Rodan75]

I have many mixed opinions about this.

I think that is fair. He can be a jerk and a horrible person, but if he did nothing illegal, if the behavior wasn’t work based and if doesn’t impact his ability to get ratings, then they really shouldn’t fire him for it. I don’t think this situation is over though.

This situation may have done irreparable harm to his image and his ability to generate ratings. He relied on being an ‘every nerd’. His behaviors betray that. There are plenty of relatable pop culture nerds waiting to take his place.

 

[AEfx]

The “middle” is a moving area effected by the extremist poles. The Hitler Youth were told and spouted out a position that concentration/labor camps were a reasonable, middle ground solution to the Jewish question. I don’t think I need to remind folks what they really did.

Centrism is a lie.

Couldn't disagree more that it is a "lie". I think the "middle" is where most people actually are, it just is that it is a lot sexier to focus on the extremes.

I know we just throw Nazi comparisons around so casually today it is disturbing (just a few years ago it was considered anti-semetic to do so, but we have forgotten that), but intellectually, using the most extreme example in recent human history to illustrate the modern concept is not really fair or accurate.

I do agree that the middle certainly moves, forced by the extremes pushing from the sides. But the idea that there are really only two extremes and everyone in the middle is just "fence straddling" is a really convenient, and completely inaccurate, way of each extreme side living in their "our way or the highway", "you are either us or them", "adopt our mob ideology of the moment or you are a Nazi/heathen" world and convincing themselves that, like a new religion, they are the only ones who are actually "right".

 

[AEfx]

I have many mixed opinions about this.

EDIT: I'm not excusing the way he treated her. I've been a victim of partner abuse myself.

The key is, "how the story you read said he treated her".

Much more came out over the past few weeks, which is why AMC specified that they had done a "thorough investigation". Given that some of it (pages and pages of text messages with the accuser begging him not to break up with her, and many statements that contradict the story she wrote) made it to the public, who knows how much more information Hardwick was able to provide in his defense in private. Like Johnny Depp, he also had previous partners come out in his defense as well.

I am not saying that in retrospect she didn't feel the way she says she did now, but this is why we don't decide guilt/innocence based on one person's interpretation of events in an well-edited, carefully written narrative you are writing for a specific purpose of making an argument.

There was so much shade around this situation from the start, based on how it was done in the first place - I'm glad that AMC made the right decision, and didn't just "cut all ties" instantly, which you really can't take back (a la Disney).

 

[Pixieish]

I think that is fair. He can be a jerk and a horrible person, but if he did nothing illegal, if the behavior wasn’t work based and if doesn’t impact his ability to get ratings, then they really shouldn’t fire him for it. I don’t think this situation is over though.

This situation may have done irreparable harm to his image and his ability to generate ratings. He relied on being an ‘every nerd’. His behaviors betray that. There are plenty of relatable pop culture nerds waiting to take his place.

Absolutely agree. As I said, I've been a victim of partner abuse myself (and isolated to the point that my own mother wanted me to ignore the abuse because she didn't believe it was abuse - she thought I was being dramatic), so I know the feelings she speaks about as well as a few she didn't mention. What he - and those who aided him - did was absolutely horrible and is equivalent not only to sexual and emotional abuse, but intimidation, bullying and harassment as well.

But here's where my mixed feelings come in...closure can be gained anonymously. I really don't buy the "for your sake" bit at the end, and that gives the whole thing a bit of a revenge twang. If she really was concerned about him at all (I'm not saying she should be in any way, shape or form), she could have elminated the identifying details and still retained the importance of telling her story. In choosing to publish her essay publicly and with her name on it, she's guaranteed that she's going to be immersed in dealing with it again for at least a short time, and I don't feel that's healthy, nor beneficial, because I agree with her in that she could face backlash from her essay as well.

EDIT: just acknowledging that her essay is really all I've read on the matter, so this was written based on that.

 

[Pixieish]

The key is, "how the story you read said he treated her".

Much more came out over the past few weeks, which is why AMC specified that they had done a "thorough investigation". Given that some of it (pages and pages of text messages with the accuser begging him not to break up with her, and many statements that contradict the story she wrote) made it to the public, who knows how much more information Hardwick was able to provide in his defense in private. Like Johnny Depp, he also had previous partners come out in his defense as well.

There was so much shade around this situation from the start, based on how it was done in the first place - I'm glad that AMC made the right decision, and didn't just "cut all ties" instantly, which you really can't take back (a la Disney).

Absolutely - if you read what I was writing when you commented, I feel very much that there's a revenge element here - and that's without even reading anything else.

 

[AEfx]

I wonder what the chances are that it will go that far...people aren't exactly prone to giving up the status quo even when its proven to be disasterous.

Thing is, I don't know how it is going to be stopped. I mean, look at both the Democrat and the Republican party in 2016. Both were split wide open - on the Republican side, you had the Never Trumpers/Trump Supporters, on the Democratic side, you famously have what went down between Hillary and Bernie (which our Russian friends exposed).

The parties are both in shambles, while Republicans will undoubtedly know who their next candidate is, the Democrats haven't even started (and we are only 2 years out). The same thing will happen to Republicans when they don't have an incumbent. In a national election, I have a hard time seeing how either party is going to be able to sustain getting behind a single cannidate, given all the new litmus tests that we have come to expect.

 

[Pixieish]

The key is, "how the story you read said he treated her".

Much more came out over the past few weeks, which is why AMC specified that they had done a "thorough investigation". Given that some of it (pages and pages of text messages with the accuser begging him not to break up with her, and many statements that contradict the story she wrote) made it to the public, who knows how much more information Hardwick was able to provide in his defense in private. Like Johnny Depp, he also had previous partners come out in his defense as well.

I am not saying that in retrospect she didn't feel the way she says she did now, but this is why we don't decide guilt/innocence based on one person's interpretation of events in an well-edited, carefully written narrative you are writing for a specific purpose of making an argument.

There was so much shade around this situation from the start, based on how it was done in the first place - I'm glad that AMC made the right decision, and didn't just "cut all ties" instantly, which you really can't take back (a la Disney).

See, this really, REALLY bothers me. False accusations and blowing details out of proportion is as harmful as the abuse is to begin with.

EDIT: I'm tired today, lol. That should end with "especially for victims who are afraid to come forward."