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Bette Midler not a WV fan (1 Viewer)

eoMMan said:
Looks like WV IS the least educated US state...

Link
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WV is not among the ten worst states for high school graduation. But WV is worst overall, suggesting the metrics put a higher value on a college degree than maybe many West Virginians. It's unclear if they factor in trade schools. I'm not sure I would consider someone who graduates high school and then becomes an electrician "less educated" than someone with a PhD in Gender Studies serving Starbucks with 100k student loan debt.

 
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Is it just me or are there multiple threads in the PSF around the theme of "What do you think of Celebrity X's dumb comments?"

Also, Joe, what exactly is the purpose of a thread like this? I mean, she said something offensive and insulted an entire state. What is there to say?

When Trump left office (and, more importantly, when he got kicked off Twitter), I made a conscious decision to really try to avoid finding things online to get outraged about. I can't say I've been totally successful, but to the extent that I have, I would say it has significantly lowered my cortisol levels and improved my mental well-being. 

So if anyone wants to get upset about Midler or Elon Musk or something they heard on The View, you are certainly entitled to do so, but I would recommend taking a step back and asking yourself whether any of this actually affects you. (It also might be a good idea to consider who benefits from keeping you in a perpetual state of outrage).

 
ignatiusjreilly said:
Is it just me or are there multiple threads in the PSF around the theme of "What do you think of Celebrity X's dumb comments?"
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Yes, and I'm also guilty of doing that. I don't know, sometimes it bespeaks a strain of thought about a particular issue that is coming from either the left/right. 

I've seen a lot of Manchin hate and calls to reevaluate how much power we give a sitting senator, etc. There have been theoretical online discussions about how much influence states should have in the legislature, etc.

Her quote is a microcosm, a foppish and stupid comment that brings up more serious issues people are feeling. It's not a crime to delve deeper into where it comes from.

Not that your solution is wrong, nor your point about outrage. But consider that she might sum up a mode of thought. 

 
The General said:
I don’t think “Beaches” going to be playing to big crowds in Charleston. 
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I just had the first experience with being annoyed the laughing emoji is gone. 🤣

I really really do not understand why anyone cares what mostly washed up  celebrities post on social media. Or what any random person posts for that matter. When Bette Midler's Twitter feed becomes something I can devote mental energy to, I probably need to find a hobby or something.

 
rockaction said:
Yes, and I'm also guilty of doing that. I don't know, sometimes it bespeaks a strain of thought about a particular issue that is coming from either the left/right. 

I've seen a lot of Manchin hate and calls to reevaluate how much power we give a sitting senator, etc. There have been theoretical online discussions about how much influence states should have in the legislature, etc.

Her quote is a microcosm, a foppish and stupid comment that brings up more serious issues people are feeling. It's not a crime to delve deeper into where it comes from.

Not that your solution is wrong, nor your point about outrage. But consider that she might sum up a mode of thought. 
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Maybe, but that kind of feels like a post-hoc rationalization. If Mette Bidler said these things, would anyone be trying to place it in a larger context?

I'm definitely not in the "shut up and dribble" camp; I think there are plenty of athletes and celebrities who are thoughtful, intelligent and have educated themselves on the issues, and I think it's admirable if people like that use their platform to raise awareness of an issue that might otherwise be ignored. But there are also lots of celebrities who say dumb things, and I don't see any reason to pay them any more attention than we do to other people who say dumb things ... like, say, @dutch (just teasing, GB)

 
ignatiusjreilly said:
Is it just me or are there multiple threads in the PSF around the theme of "What do you think of Celebrity X's dumb comments?"

Also, Joe, what exactly is the purpose of a thread like this? I mean, she said something offensive and insulted an entire state. What is there to say?

When Trump left office (and, more importantly, when he got kicked off Twitter), I made a conscious decision to really try to avoid finding things online to get outraged about. I can't say I've been totally successful, but to the extent that I have, I would say it has significantly lowered my cortisol levels and improved my mental well-being. 

So if anyone wants to get upset about Midler or Elon Musk or something they heard on The View, you are certainly entitled to do so, but I would recommend taking a step back and asking yourself whether any of this actually affects you. (It also might be a good idea to consider who benefits from keeping you in a perpetual state of outrage).
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I generally agree with this, especially when something stupid is said like in this case. 
But I draw a distinction between this sort of dumb statement and outright bigotry or racism. When Mel Gibson went on his anti-Semitic rant a few years back, I didn’t laugh it off. I decided then and there not go see any of his movies. When Donald Trump and Ihlan Omar (two birds of a feather IMO) make bigoted comments, I don’t laugh those off. 
Midler called a state illiterate and strung out. Insulting but I’m willing to laugh it off. 

 
I don't even really kid about draq queens or the propensity to be one or what it means anymore because I'm not sure how to address it without massively offending the easily offended T in LBGT. 

That's really true.

But Mette Bidler set itself up for a joke because of her history.  

 
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timschochet said:
I generally agree with this, especially when something stupid is said like in this case. 
But I draw a distinction between this sort of dumb statement and outright bigotry or racism. When Mel Gibson went on his anti-Semitic rant a few years back, I didn’t laugh it off. I decided then and there not go see any of his movies. When Donald Trump and Ihlan Omar (two birds of a feather IMO) make bigoted comments, I don’t laugh those off. 
Midler called a state illiterate and strung out. Insulting but I’m willing to laugh it off. 
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Fair enough. I would draw a distinction between "dumb" and "offensive". Dumb could just be someone popping off, whereas offensive implies that the remarks offered some kind of window into their worldview. I had a similar reaction to Gibson, but I also didn't spend a lot of time worrying about What It All Meant. I just concluded he was a bigot and I didn't really want to see his movies anymore. And if an actual policymaker is saying dumb or offensive things, I think that does matter. (I would also include Fox News, since what their hosts say on air ends up influencing a lot of people's thinking.)

 
rockaction said:
I don't even really kid about draq queens or the propensity to be one or what it means anymore because I'm not sure how to address it without massively offending the easily offended T in LBGT. 

That's really true. 
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The fact that you think drag queen = trans offends me.

OK, not really. But when I went to a drag show in Key West a couple years ago the emcee was very emphatic that they were men who dressed up as women to perform, nothing more.

 
ignatiusjreilly said:
The fact that you think drag queen = trans offends me.

OK, not really. But when I went to a drag show in Key West a couple years ago the emcee was very emphatic that they were men who dressed up as women to perform, nothing more.
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There's an overlap in the Venn diagram. I knew a bunch of them. Some were transitioning, even, making them real queens. 

Yasss queen. 

 
rockaction said:
There's an overlap in the Venn diagram. I knew a bunch of them. Some were transitioning, even, making them real queens. 

Yasss queen. 
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Oh, I'm sure there's a lot of overlap. I'm also guessing there aren't a lot of straight dudes in that crowd.

Did you ever see "Kinky Boots"? Never saw that movie, but I saw the Broadway production a few years back, and it wasn't until afterward that it occurred to me they use cross-dressing as a stand-in for homosexuality. They never actually say that Billy Porter's character is gay (even though it's Billy Freakin' Porter, so of course he is). Instead, his identity/outsider status is entirely tied up in the fact that he dresses in drag. I always assumed it was a way to sell a "tolerant" message to a mainstream Broadway audience that wants to think of itself as pro-gay without actually having to picture all the "yucky" stuff.

 
ignatiusjreilly said:
Oh, I'm sure there's a lot of overlap. I'm also guessing there aren't a lot of straight dudes in that crowd.

Did you ever see "Kinky Boots"? Never saw that movie, but I saw the Broadway production a few years back, and it wasn't until afterward that it occurred to me they use cross-dressing as a stand-in for homosexuality. They never actually say that Billy Porter's character is gay (even though it's Billy Freakin' Porter, so of course he is). Instead, his identity/outsider status is entirely tied up in the fact that he dresses in drag. I always assumed it was a way to sell a "tolerant" message to a mainstream Broadway audience that wants to think of itself as pro-gay without actually having to picture all the "yucky" stuff.
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No, I haven't seen "Kinky Boots." Your analysis sounds like it's certainly plausible, though trying to divine intent like that is often difficult. 

As for the crowds, the drag scene I hung out in tended to be very gay or very bachelorette-esque. I'm personally straight and had to deter some advances, but no big deal. Everyone was always cool about it. Never experienced a real jerk doing that. And if so, I'd have heeded the advice of my friend who worked at the drag bar I went to: "Don't hang out at the beach if you hate the sand." 

 
timschochet said:
I generally agree with this, especially when something stupid is said like in this case. 
But I draw a distinction between this sort of dumb statement and outright bigotry or racism. When Mel Gibson went on his anti-Semitic rant a few years back, I didn’t laugh it off. I decided then and there not go see any of his movies. When Donald Trump and Ihlan Omar (two birds of a feather IMO) make bigoted comments, I don’t laugh those off. 
Midler called a state illiterate and strung out. Insulting but I’m willing to laugh it off. 
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Does Bette Midler even have any movies to boycott? Not to sound crass but it wouldn't shock me if she wasn't even alive anymore. I don't spend my time on TMZ so I generally don't know these things. 

 
timschochet said:
I generally agree with this, especially when something stupid is said like in this case. 
But I draw a distinction between this sort of dumb statement and outright bigotry or racism. When Mel Gibson went on his anti-Semitic rant a few years back, I didn’t laugh it off. I decided then and there not go see any of his movies. When Donald Trump and Ihlan Omar (two birds of a feather IMO) make bigoted comments, I don’t laugh those off. 
Midler called a state illiterate and strung out. Insulting but I’m willing to laugh it off. 
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And for you, it all boils down to WV being majority white. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be laughing , right ?

 
She seems unhinged…….. 

bettemidler

@BetteMidler

#DonaldTrump should be arrested for attempted murder. He tried to infect & kill #JoeBiden at the debate; by turning up too late to be tested, knowing full well he was positive; then screeched, sputtered, spit, and foamed at the mouth, hoping to infect Joe. He IS the devil.

this seems a bit much to me

 
HellToupee said:
Mocking the owner of the site is a very  bold move 
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I don't think that's mocking me. No worries.

But I think Bette Midler is much more than an "Elderly Liberal From Yesteryear"

She has 2 million followers on the platform where she posted

"He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out.”
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Bette Midler is revered by many people. She doesn't have nearly as many followers as a Lebron James. But this is not some random person saying this. She's way more than an "Elderly Liberal From Yesteryear".

I think we're kidding ourselves if don't think celebrities "not sticking to ___________" has an impact.

It's also not a huge deal. I just saw the tweet and was surprised she went there. 

It's obviously a much smaller thing, but it's in the same vein as Trumps awful "####hole countries" thing.

 
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And to the bigger point maybe of why it's important. And it has nothing to do with Bette Midler.

But it has my conservative friends being able to say, "Nice. This is what your side thinks of people like us". West Virginia isn't that far from Tennessee or Pennsylvania or Kentucky or lots of other other states. 

More to the point, it plays exactly into the narrative for the article I frequently link to that gives insight into why I think many people voted for Donald Trump. "How Half of America Lost Its Mind"  I think it's accurate in many areas. If Democrats want to further that divide, keep laughing off things like that.

 
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Joe Bryant said:
I think we're kidding ourselves if don't think celebrities "not sticking to ___________" has an impact.
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Any one individual tweet is no big deal.  I honestly didn't know that Bette Midler was still alive.  I don't care what she thinks about US industrial policy.  It's pretty easy to shrug this off.

The problem is that there are a ton of people out there spouting off in toxic terms about things they have no business commenting on.  That adds up to a social dynamic that's a much bigger issue than the behavior of any one particular person.  And then you have to add in the fact that our elected officials aren't operating on a much higher level.

My brave take is that in some ways we were better off as a society when we weren't all carrying around a magical device that lets us broadcast our most impulsive thoughts to the entire planet 24/7.  

 
Joe Bryant said:
And to the bigger point maybe of why it's important. And it has nothing to do with Bette Midler.

But it has my conservative friends being able to say, "Nice. This is what your side thinks of people like us". West Virginia isn't that far from Tennessee or Pennsylvania or Kentucky or lots of other other states. 
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Maybe that’s what is wrong with it. ;)
 

This is another example why I don’t fawn all over celebrities- most of them are just as flawed or more flawed than the rest of us and for me, none of them speak for me.

 
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