Our DIY family, politics, and scott2000

[boji]

I think the best game is to find a way to be able to play the set of all games without losing anything of real importance along the way.

Hope you'll keep playing this one WB

Someone's mailbox is still full, so everyone gets to read my sagacious bs.  :

 

[80hinhiding]

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[JohnRoberts]

Brad left, and then he passed away.  Two things that sucked.

Yes, I stayed in contact with him on Facebook for years after he left, and he was still working on creative outside the box audio designs.

Last design of his that I recall was a crazy low noise fet(?) MC preamp where he had to design a companion low noise PS for it to deliver a combined low noise floor due to the circuits poor inherent PSRR.

But that's how Brad rolled. RIP

JR 

 

[iturnknobs]

Great sentiment initially behind this post. I've had some responses from in the brewery from Scott2000 which don't agree with my opinions, but whatever. What I can say is:
    I started building almost all my own gear(outside of digital) in 2013 and GDIY was my escape... then I found the brewery. GDIY was(I thought) the one place without all the BS. While I thought the online, intense opinion spewing was previously unnecessary, 2016 happened. Society openly approved a leader who supports racism, social inequality, sexism, etc. and continues to do what we all know is wrong most of the time. There are more Confederate Flags and Q-Anon stickers on vehicles in my neighborhood than ever before. People outwardly say Trump finally replaced the n****t president around me. I support no one that supports these ideas or the people who spread them. To the post writer: Do not have confidence that things will change in 2020. People know their beliefs are wrong and will receive societal pushback if spoken outwardly. There are SO MANY Trump supporters who know it's wrong, but will still vote for him(while keeping it to themselves). Scott2000's comments and participation have seemed "center-leaning" which is exactly what we don't need going forward... I mean the collective "we" and not the racist/capitalist "we". "We" must be as nasty as the right. Sorry Michelle, "They go low, we go high" is just causing US to be taken advantage of... no offense meant Scott2000. This is not a polite game anymore.

 

[DerEber]

I feel strongly that people should be able to talk about whatever they want so I've never said anything but if we're all going to be open and honest, I think the political discussion here has become a big negative. For me E is a thing to do when you want to get away from the noise. So to come here and see people raging about politics is a real drag. I can't help but wonder if people are tuning out because of it.

I live in Europe an whenever I'm wondering about topics from US-news, be it health incurance, Tump, Covid, Blacklives matters etc., I come here and read some of the discussions.  ;D
This forum connects us in more than just electronics and is btw. one of the greatest I know.
So I rather tune in not out.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Great sentiment initially behind this post. I've had some responses from in the brewery from Scott2000 which don't agree with my opinions, but whatever. What I can say is:
    I started building almost all my own gear(outside of digital) in 2013 and GDIY was my escape... then I found the brewery. GDIY was(I thought) the one place without all the BS. While I thought the online, intense opinion spewing was previously unnecessary, 2016 happened. Society openly approved a leader who supports racism, social inequality, sexism, etc. and continues to do what we all know is wrong most of the time. There are more Confederate Flags and Q-Anon stickers on vehicles in my neighborhood than ever before. People outwardly say Trump finally replaced the n****t president around me. I support no one that supports these ideas or the people who spread them. To the post writer: Do not have confidence that things will change in 2020. People know their beliefs are wrong and will receive societal pushback if spoken outwardly. There are SO MANY Trump supporters who know it's wrong, but will still vote for him(while keeping it to themselves). Scott2000's comments and participation have seemed "center-leaning" which is exactly what we don't need going forward... I mean the collective "we" and not the racist/capitalist "we". "We" must be as nasty as the right. Sorry Michelle, "They go low, we go high" is just causing US to be taken advantage of... no offense meant Scott2000. This is not a polite game anymore.

Opinions vary and I won't arm wrestle you about yours even though I don't agree.  I will make a couple observations.

The worst racists I ever encountered were in a bar in Cambridge, MA back in the 60s. I've lived in the deep south for decades and despite some ugly history it is nothing like the Hollywood stereotypes. Our governor just removed the confederate battle flag from our (MS) state flag because of way that symbol has been reframed by the social justice warriors as racist (the history is a lot more complex than that).

I recently re-watched "1984" the movie based on George Orwell's dystopian novel (coincidentally filmed in 1984) and there are some disturbing themes about erasing history, government surveillance, and controlling speech (thought?). The book is a good read but lacks the full frontal nudity.  :

===

Being able to have thoughtful civil discourse about issues that bother us is important. If we can't talk, physical violence is the next remedy. It seems that a number of people around the world are already well beyond talking.

I value that we can still hold civil conversations here even though we don't always agree. Like a family there will always be differences but at the end of the day we are still family.

JR

 

[Rocinante]

Brethren,
I avoid the brewery a lot these days.  I am heavily involved in civil rights and sometimes I just cant read the opinions on current events by members I highly respect as it pains me.  I have to deal with some really shitty people out in the world and I need a break.
And to Winston, Scott, Squarewave, and the others; I love reading your posts. Your experience and stories are great. I look forward to new threads on the drawing board that will contain your little gems of wisdom.

 

[rob_gould]

And to Winston, Scott, Squarewave, and the others; I love reading your posts. Your experience and stories are great. I look forward to new threads on the drawing board that will contain your little gems of wisdom.

I'd say the same about yours. Your recent post in the Minneapolis thread really struck home with me.

But I loved what you wrote a couple of years back about riding the rails in the USA - a subculture that's always fascinated me. It was a brief couple of posts, but so evocative.

That's an excellent example of why The Brewery should be more than just audio topics that don't fit in the other forums, imo.

 

[hodad]

The worst racists I ever encountered were in a bar in Cambridge, MA back in the 60s. I've lived in the deep south for decades and despite some ugly history it is nothing like the Hollywood stereotypes. Our governor just removed the confederate battle flag from our (MS) state flag because of way that symbol has been reframed by the social justice warriors as racist (the history is a lot more complex than that).

JR

The history is not really more complex than that.  I actually agree with you that stereotypes of racism in the South are crap, and that race relations in the South are not nearly as one-dimensional as outsiders might like to think.  I understand the resentment that comes from being prejudged by the same people who are condemning you for your alleged prejudice.

But slavery is slavery, and the type of slavery practiced in the American South was actually much more egregious than many forms of slavery practiced throughout history.  And the excuses I've read for Southern slavery ignore the very crucial fact that humans were owned by other humans--that pretty much makes it wrong full-stop, no?  Let the excuse-making stop before it's even started.

I've read a fair amount about the history of the incorporation of the Confederate battle flag into various state flags, and the erection of the various pro-Confederate statues and monuments in the South, and it's all flat-out racially motivated.  No reframing is really necessary--just an acknowledgement of the original framing, and the recognition that it was wrong. 

And don't forget that your state's constitution still has a fail-safe mechanism in it to prevent too many dark-skinned people from being voted into the legislature. 

I say this as a white male who has spent nearly his entire life in the South, and whose family has been in the southern US since the 1600s. 

 

[JohnRoberts]

The history is not really more complex than that.  I actually agree with you that stereotypes of racism in the South are crap, and that race relations in the South are not nearly as one-dimensional as outsiders might like to think.  I understand the resentment that comes from being prejudged by the same people who are condemning you for your alleged prejudice.

But slavery is slavery, and the type of slavery practiced in the American South was actually much more egregious than many forms of slavery practiced throughout history.  And the excuses I've read for Southern slavery ignore the very crucial fact that humans were owned by other humans--that pretty much makes it wrong full-stop, no?  Let the excuse-making stop before it's even started.

Damn... I am not excusing slavery, or the other bad things in our country's history.

How about stopping the slavery going on right now, instead trying to shame innocent people for the sins of their long dead fathers. (not my yankee father of course, but momma RIP was a southern belle.)

list of "whatabouts" to save you the trouble of labelling them as such.

1-What about modern sex trafficking?
2-How about forced labor from Chinese Uighars?
3-How about ISIS brides (Yazidi sex slaves)?
4-How about Taliban (human trafficking forced child labor)?
5- How about the sundry radical islamic groups in Africa routinely capturing young female students and forcing them to marry?
6- etc, etc

I've read a fair amount about the history of the incorporation of the Confederate battle flag into various state flags, and the erection of the various pro-Confederate statues and monuments in the South, and it's all flat-out racially motivated.  No reframing is really necessary--just an acknowledgement of the original framing, and the recognition that it was wrong. 

The civil war tore families apart and the aftermath, after the south was defeated was full of lots of bad behavior. No doubt putting up statues of confederate generals across the street from courthouses was red necks behaving badly. What no criticism of the carpet baggers, and more? The confederate statues are tame compared to the other misdeeds.

We fixed our flag, when will you fix Stone Mountain? 

And don't forget that your state's constitution still has a fail-safe mechanism in it to prevent too many dark-skinned people from being voted into the legislature. 

I didn't forget, but now I know.... I guess. (I've only lived here for 30+ years, but already know more about local history than I wish to repeat or reflect upon.)

I say this as a white male who has spent nearly his entire life in the South, and whose family has been in the southern US since the 1600s.

I am clearly not as woke as you, nor do I feel guilty for being white. I can only control what I do now, and sucking up to the social justice crowd for something I have no control over is not my idea of making the world better.

JR

PS:  As long as we are talking about "history", your favorite president calling the filibuster a "Jim Crow" relic (at the eulogy I didn't watch), probably refers to it being used by legislators to block civil rights legislation that did not have an overwhelming majority (yet). In hindsight we can all agree that civil rights reform was past due, but to conflate that with advocating senate rules changes is less than honest. Legislation should be hard to pass until and unless there is overwhelming public support. "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" movie is a bit cliched, but demonstrates the power of the filibuster.  Governing is hard and we need to be wary of the tyranny of crowds (including social media crowds). 

Of course opinions vary.

 

[john12ax7]

The Brewery should be more than just audio topics that don't fit in the other forums, imo.

I agree.  I enjoy and learn from the various side topics that get discussed.  The quality of discussion here is better than most places.

 

[hodad]

[

We fixed our flag, when will you fix Stone Mountain? 

I would love to see Stone Mountain fixed.  A recent proposal to stop cleaning the carving seemed like a good approach--let it rot away beneath the mossses & lichens. 
You fixed your flag(your word, so I assume you acknowledge it needed fixing), so why the backhanded slap at the people who helped push to make it happen?

I am clearly not as woke as you, nor do I feel guilty for being white. I can only control what I do now, and sucking up to the social justice crowd for something I have no control over is not my idea of making the world better.

I'll  infer there was sarcasm behind your use of the word "woke" (really, is there a chance you would use it otherwise?)
Which is fine. 
The problem with what many people (not you as far as I know) are doing now is that they're hanging on to these vestiges of the  antebellum South, the notion of the noble Lost Cause, ridiculous justifications for how slavery was really okay, the notion that these statues are about honoring their "heritage."    How do you think it feels for a Black southerner to walk daily past statues honoring the very people that enslaved their ancestors?  What is honorable about that heritage?  We as a nation (and it's truer in the South than most other places) have not moved past the Civil War.  And it's not just the statues.  It's also the statutes that infringe on Blacks' voting rights, it's redlining and de facto segregation in schools and housing, it's in the way that a lot of whites, regardless of what they may say, feel inside about the equality of Blacks in America--not just in the legal sense, but what do they feel as to the intelligence and character of Blacks? 

I'm not a perfect human being in this regard, but I strive to act better, be better, understand more, do better.  Unfortunately, there is a sizable minority in this country  who not only fail to recognize the racial issues in this country, they're actively working to make things worse. 

So, I'm not sure you're interested in being more "woke," but it's worthwhile to take some time to consider how (and why) the folks who fought to retain slavery in this region continue to be honored, and how the vestiges of slavery continue in our society and our institutions to this day. 

*****NOTE:  I accidentally posted before finishing & replaced original post with final text.