Althouse: "It’s also interesting because I’m actually black, but you assumed otherwise."

March 19, 2015

"It’s also interesting because I’m actually black, but you assumed otherwise."

Great instant recovery by Nancy Giles there, but that was hilarious.

21 comments:

Lem Vibe Bandit said...: "Stay black" Spike Lee; 3/19/15, 5:03 PM
Birches said...: I posted that in your Celebrity Branding Authority thread. Hilarious.

I think it goes hand in hand with this Seinfeld episode.

Watch the whole thing.; 3/19/15, 5:11 PM
jr565 said...: Starbucks should watch this and then fire all the corp execs who thought it was a good idea to have dialogues about race at a Starbucks.; 3/19/15, 5:16 PM
traditionalguy said...: The black coffee cafe has a surprize cafe au lait standing there.; 3/19/15, 5:47 PM
Curious George said...: Well, to be fair, he's "Madison Black."; 3/19/15, 5:59 PM
David said...: The amazing thing is that Nancy Giles is actually white. And the moderator is a Little Green Man.; 3/19/15, 6:16 PM
Moneyrunner said...: Can we have that conversation on race now? I'm in the mood, so shut up and listen.; 3/19/15, 6:54 PM
D. B. Light said...: Is anyone still paying attention to these tedious "dialogues" on race and gender?; 3/19/15, 7:44 PM
Phil 314 said...: I'm Spartacus.; 3/19/15, 8:16 PM
wildswan said...: I'm gonna say "well, I'm actually black and raised in China" if any barista initiates a conversation and then see what they do with it.

I should bring up the fact that abortion is wiping out the blacks in America and black lives matter - my real opinion - but I don't go to Starbucks for thoughtful discussion, I just want coffee.; 3/19/15, 8:44 PM
madAsHell said...: He's only black in Louisiana, and he might have a hard time proving it there as well.; 3/19/15, 8:48 PM
clint said...: If we really take the "one drop" rule seriously, are any of us actually white?; 3/19/15, 9:39 PM
JAORE said...: Right you are, Clint. Scientists tell us evolution is the truth. We wouldn't want to be a hill billy, religious nut-job and deny that now, would we? And scientists further tell us that the earliest humans evolved in Africa and spread from there, right? So we are all (in the US) African-American, right?

I may so indicate in the next census. Racial problem solved.; 3/19/15, 10:01 PM
CatherineM said...: Also the conversation reminds me of some dumb ones I have been a part of where the bleeding heart told me, "perhaps he needed the money more than you do..." And "you can afford to pay...you should pay..." (Actually I did need the money and I was going into debt, but thanks for counting the money you assume I have).; 3/19/15, 10:30 PM
Fen said...: "And scientists further tell us that the earliest humans evolved in Africa and spread from there, right?"

Not exactly, there are competing theories that claim we are not all "out of Africa". And its looking like the "out of Africa" theory was PCBS pop-science to avoid uncomfortable questions about race.; 3/20/15, 5:24 AM
Fen said...: Is anyone still paying attention to these tedious "dialogues" on race and gender?

I tried. But whenever I engaged in "an honest discussion" about race and gender, my liberal friends became shrieking lunatics. Especially the feminists.; 3/20/15, 5:26 AM
Rusty said...: Dale Light said...
Is anyone still paying attention to these tedious "dialogues" on race and gender?

Not really. You muight say I'm suffering from 'black grievence overload'.; 3/20/15, 6:07 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: I got married this weekend. I would like to post a picture of my groomsmen, but I don't know if I can embed one. Two of the four were black. I consider them among the best friends a guy could have. My Best Man was white, and could be mistaken for my brother by someone who didn't know our last names. My other groomsman was also white, but he's an annoying human being who I picked for the job because he's given me a helping hand in the past in unexpected ways. It was a gesture of gratitude.

I don't need to have a conversation about race with Greg or Naku. They know who I am and where I stand. They know that I treat people with respect, but also that if I'm walking down the street in Chicago at night, I'm going to be more wary of a black dude following me than a white dude, unless we're talking a black dude in a tuxedo versus a white dude in a marked-up hoodie with chains and bling. They would also tell me this wariness is a sign of wisdom, not racism, and that they would exercise the same caution, nevermind the shared skin tone.

They're also the ones who gently advised me never to drive down MLK Blvd. In ANY city.; 3/20/15, 8:06 AM
Mitch H. said...: Not exactly, there are competing theories that claim we are not all "out of Africa". And its looking like the "out of Africa" theory was PCBS pop-science to avoid uncomfortable questions about race.

I'm all about uncomfortable questions about race, but the most recent evidence I've read suggests, both from linguistic analysis and genetic drift, that yes, we're all out of Africa, discounting the rounding-error share of Neanderthal and Denisovan genes in European, Asian, and Melanesian gene pools.; 3/20/15, 9:39 AM
D. B. Light said...: There are two excellent blogs dealing with evolutionary genomics. One is "Dienekes", the other is by Razib Kahn [just fired by the New York Times]. John Hawks is also a good source, although he doesn't post much lately. All have links to other sources. They will keep you up to date on the latest theories and evidence.; 3/20/15, 10:18 AM
Fernandinande said...: Dale Light said...
There are two excellent blogs dealing with evolutionary genomics. One is "Dienekes", the other is by Razib Kahn [just fired by the New York Times].

Khan's blog

There's also the Cochran/Harpending blog - which says of Khan:
"Having the Times look upon you with favor is a dubious honor in the first place, something like having a leper ask you out on a date – so a quick hire-and-fire is optimal. Something for the CV, but you never had to actually hang out with the slimebags."

And Peter Frost
"Western Europe, State Formation, and Genetic Pacification" (With Harpending)

And Steve Hsu's Information Processing, though his is more about the genetics of cognition, among many other things. "Eight thousand years of natural selection in Europe"; 3/20/15, 11:18 AM