June 2, 2020

Journalism in the passive voice: "The statue Forward, on the Capitol grounds facing State Street, is covered in paint."

A caption under a disturbing photograph, in "Photos: Madison anti-police protests enter Day 3 with promise of more to come" (Wisconsin State Journal).

Another caption: "Several windows on State Street were freshly shattered early Tuesday morning."

It's as if windows shatter on their own and statues ooze paint from within.

The "Forward" statue is the most important public sculpture in Madison, I believe. It embodies the state's motto and it is situated at the top of State Street in front of the Capitol. At the height of the anti-Scott-Walker protests in 2011, when there were huge crowds of protesters in and around the Capitol, the statue was appropriated for the protesters' expression, but only this much:

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That was when the inside of the Capitol was in this condition:

P1060772

I've also seen a pussy hat on Forward (during the Women's March in 2017) and the Guy Fawkes mask (during the Walker recall election in 2012):

Untitled

But what I'm seeing in the photograph is not a respectful appropriation of the statue as a speech prop. It's really hostile defacement and damage.

58 comments:

Wince said...

Jacob Gerlach, 28, front, cleans a window that had been freshly spray painted Monday night with his friend Seth Abner, 19.

There's that word "fresh" again.

JAORE said...

When bad things happen in the presence of the left there is no human causation.

When bad things happen in the presence of the right, the evil people are highlighted.

Journalism 101

Jaq said...

If you vote for the Democrat, they promise to stop. It’s all Trump’s fault. Same with Lincoln Memorial.

Jersey Fled said...

I can tell by the signs that they are white supremacists.

Still waiting for those Hawaiian shirts though. An authoritative source (Inga) told me that's how they identify themselves to each other.

Ken B said...

“hostile defacement and damage.”

Cheered on by the media, and at least part of the Democrat party, precisely for that reason.

Equipment Maintenance said...

"It's really hostile defacement and damage."

Hostile.

The light went on.

mezzrow said...

Offended yet? If not, stick around. Somebody will find something that pushes your button.

Apparently "white people" don't understand just how angry everyone else is at us. Particularly the "white allies" with masks. They hate us most of all.

Somebody wants some helter-skelter. Some say it's Soros. Some say it's Trump.

And the beat goes on...

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

those are all "white nationalists" protesting Walker. Not leftists at all. no no.

Sebastian said...

"It's really hostile defacement and damage"

What, no more cruel neutrality? You are observing, at long last, what the left is doing to your city and the country?

Defacement and damage: it's their MO. Now, keep that pattern in mind the next time you're tempted to parse a statement, or revert to neutrality, or give any prog the benefit of the doubt.

chickelit said...

Are Madison police on stand down orders? Are the Cap Times and and the Isthmus cheerleading this? It sure looks like it from a distance.

rcocean said...

Violence broke out. Windows were broken. Statues defaced. churches vandalized. Goods Stolen.

Passive voice = Don't name the actor, because they are leftists.

Todd said...

Yet more examples of that "agency issue". So maybe the statue covered its self with paint? Maybe the paint wanted to be on the statue and made it happen!

Or maybe, just maybe one or more vandals took it upon themselves to actively engage in the defacing of a public monument. Maybe. Who is to know for sure?

Rick said...

The "Forward" statue is the most important public sculpture in Madison, I believe.

Agreed. Pledging allegiance to a mass murdering ideology demonstrates complete moral bankruptcy. That understanding informs every judgement anyone makes about Madison.

Temujin said...

Perhaps you noticed the Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial?

As long as we stand by and watch, this will continue. It is time to smash heads as it seems that is the language they speak and understand. It's always best to communicate in a common language.

Birkel said...

As long as you dutifully vote for Democratics, this is what you get.
Introspection may be a lost art.

Bay Area Guy said...

"But what I'm seeing in the photograph is not a respectful appropriation of the statue as a speech prop. It's really hostile defacement and damage"

Althouse is very smart, very sweet, but sometimes very naive.

mesquito said...

Experts say that the passive voice and the indefinite plural are the most useful methods of journalistic mendacity.

Butkus51 said...

do tell

walter said...

From photo link:
"A group of young white women loot Shoo, a shoe store on State Street, around 1 a.m. Tuesday."
1) Might identify as African American
2) Gender is a construct.
3) They carry no loot. Could be searching for a bathroom.
4) Overheard: "Hurry up, Becky!"
More:
(shoo) Madison creates a warm and inviting atmosphere using up-cycled furniture and family tchotchkes. Browse our curated selection of beautiful and functional footwear and don’t miss the vintage re-sale shop hidden in the boutique's basement!!

Big Mike said...

Althouse is very smart, very sweet, but sometimes very naive.

@Althouse, shit starting to get real for you?

Jersey Fled said...

Bought some Smith and Wesson stock today.

whitney said...

It's very hard for people that had believed in Civic nationalism with their entire soul all their lives to realize that white people are going to be the hunted enemy and a hated minority in their own country and just a few years. Think about that for your grandchildren. They will be a hated minority

Inga said...

Who did this? Any number of people who want to discredit the peaceful protests that go on during the daylight hours.

n.n said...

Some civility. Mostly bullshit. And a statue expressing "unity" through self-defacement.

wendybar said...

Welcome to Progressivism...where destruction is okay because it "forwards" the agenda!!!

tommyesq said...

Looked at the photos at the link. Whitest BLM protest ever.

n.n said...

the passive voice and the indefinite plural are the most useful methods of journalistic mendacity

Obfuscation, diversity, and close associations with legal deniability a la NYT style guide.

Bruce Hayden said...

Why are all these young white people protesting the police? Why do they hate the police? If hey were Black it might be reasonable. Biased policing is completely rational on the part of the police, because, despite their much higher arrest rate, their rate, as a demographic group, of committing crimes is even higher. But these are mostly middle class white kids, who are much more likely to be treated well by the police.

I think the answer is probably that they are only interested in destroying the present society, and the police are one of the more visible aspects of the governments protecting it. Why do they hate our present society to such an extent that they feel morally justified in destroying it? Some, of course, because they found themselves suckered into high five and even six digit, Undischargable debt from their college educations that didn’t land them the cushy jobs they expected (should have gone STEM, of course, which tends to pay much better). But when the kids of prominent politicians join in, such as DeBlazio’s and Walsh’s kids, there is something more going on. By virtue of their parentage, they will always have an easy time finding good jobs, and making good livings. Why the nihilism of these anarchistic brats? I don’t really understand it. My kid, only a couple years older, if that, and most of their friends turned out just fine

Fernandinande said...

On Monday, hundreds of Facebook employees took part in a "virtual walkout" in a rare show of opposition within the company.

They want censorship.

buwaya said...

Spain is about to restore tourist travel.
If you can afford it spend the duration of these troubles somewhere sane, and charming.

But DONT watch CNN.

Fernandinande said...

There's that word "fresh" again.

Here's Freshly Squeezed with bass clarinet.

Michael said...

These people are what they are, despite the best efforts of our media, academic, and governmental elite to pretend otherwise. The latter are "passive" far beyond the grammatical sense.

Drago said...

Looks like the lefties/dems/LLR-lefties shot about 5 or 6 police officers across the country last night.

Inga explained this was all due to a twitter account of some random person who claimed something.

Inga is "smart" that way.

Narr said...

Defacement and damage?

Narr
Well shut my mouth!

MadTownGuy said...

chickelit said...
"Are Madison police on stand down orders? Are the Cap Times and and the Isthmus cheerleading this? It sure looks like it from a distance."

From NBC15's May 31 report on the protests:

"Reflecting on the events overnight, acting Madison Police Chief Vic Wahl called it "a remarkably challenging event for our officers."

“At about 4:30 in the afternoon the main crowd ended the gathering. We actually were about to send our people home and thought that the event was done for the day. As some of our officers began returning to the City County Building, a small group of about 150 people that had broken off from the larger group started following the officers, harassing them," Wahl said. "The officers did not engage, went into the building and that point is when the behavior of that small group began to escalate."

In the Sunday morning press conference, Wahl said the damage began from there and affected businesses across the city, and said some members of that smaller group were armed with large sticks.

Wahl said he is grateful none of the officers were seriously injured. He said there will be a robust staffing level Sunday night as another curfew is in place.
"

ga6 said...

passive voice? does Madison boost the nation's only passive rioters?

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Forward Must Fall

cubanbob said...

Althouse as a Madisonian this is what you get for voting Democrat. No Democrat nationally has actually without evasiveness condemned this violence. When you vote for Democrats in November, this is what you are voting for.

Kevin said...

The active voice is being put together on Madison Avenue.

Soon sneaker companies will be preaching morals wrapped in certitude that what we're seeing isn't a reaction to progressivism but that we just haven't really tried it yet.

The truth is the lowering of black unemployment did more to stop the killing of black men by police than all the white politicians quoting MLK and Malcolm X.

Fredrick said...

It is erasing the cultural history of the state and replacing it with the new reality. Rioters are winning.

Tomcc said...

Nothing promotes conciliation and understanding like rioting, looting and destruction of property.

Tomcc said...

Good news for Democrats/media companies; the fear that the pandemic is ending and the economy is showing signs of life can now be overwhelmed by fresh new evidence of societal destruction!

n.n said...

Forward is an unqualified direction. They merely marked the path that they will follow.

Rick said...

Inga said...
Who did this? Any number of people who want to discredit the peaceful protests that go on during the daylight hours.


Isn't it interesting the left wing commenters see their role as pushing the Dem talking points no matter how stupid and obviously false?

Tomcc said...

Also, someone please ask Greg Popovitch what he thinks of the president; I'm anxious to hear his opinion. (sarcasm inferred)

Kevin said...

Media: It's not your fault.

Looters: [Looters shrug]  No, we showed up to cause chaos.

[Looters avert their eyes to the floor] 

Media: Look at me.

[Looters lock eyes with Media] 

Media: It's not your fault.

Looters: [Looters nod]  Really. We brought bricks.

Media: No. It's not your fault.

Looters: We all got new TV’s.

Media: No, no, you don't. It's not your fault.

[Media moves closer to Looters] 

Media: Hmm?

Looters: Last night we beat up a cop.

[Looters stands up, trying to keep distance] 

Media: It's not your fault.

Looters: Alright.

Media: It's not your fault.

[Looters closes their eyes, fighting for control] 

Media: It's not your fault.

Looters: Don't fuck with me.

[Looters attack CNN Center] 

Looters: Don't fuck with me, Media, not you!

Media: It's not your fault. It's not your fault.

[Looters break into sobs. They hug] 

Media: Fuck Trump, ok?

tcrosse said...

Headline in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal:"Cases of vandalism mar Strip, downtown protests". These used to be caused by vandals, but none are now in evidence.

Automatic_Wing said...

It is erasing the cultural history of the state and replacing it with the new reality. Rioters are winning.

Correct. They're determined to erase the evil, racist past and start over from The Year Zero. Utopia awaits.

Mr. Forward said...

Let's start a reward fund to catch the vandal responsible.

Kai Akker said...

"Why do they hate our present society to such an extent?" --Bruce Hayden

Bruce, I for one appreciate your trying to apply logic to this. Hatred has no logic, though -- that is part of its nature. That's the best I can offer, at any rate. Some white people are just deeply misguided and think black-on-everything else violence is caused by root causes, like Goldman Sachs or Donald Trump. They have been brainwashed by dismal American public education for 12 to 16 years.

As a whole, it's seems to me mostly just a reflection of the extremes our society has hit in such a short time -- economic boom to depression; Obama to Trump; China-great-opportunity to CCP Coronavirus lockdown. The left is dying politically on a large scale and it causes panic; they won't go away easily. Then, for the easily swayed, why not loot if government will let them.

MartyH said...

Step 1: Declare a curfew.

Step 2: If rioting starts, make as many arrests as you safely can of any curfew violations.

Step 3: Charge all arrestees with aiding and abetting all crimes looters committed. Five, ten, 100 counts. Robbery, assault, arson.

Take away the rioters’ cover and the riots will end.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Bruce Hayden said...

But when the kids of prominent politicians join in, such as DeBlazio’s and Walsh’s kids, there is something more going on. By virtue of their parentage, they will always have an easy time finding good jobs, and making good livings. Why the nihilism of these anarchistic brats? I don’t really understand it. My kid, only a couple years older, if that, and most of their friends turned out just fine

Bruce, I think this may answer your question.

Bilwick said...

Regarding whether the Madison police are on stand-down orders: I don't know, but if Madison is governed by "liberal" bubbleheads, they very well may be. New York's Mayor Lindsay, the very model of the bubblehead "liberals," garnered much praise from the MSM for how "peaceful" NYC was compared to other cities being torn by race riots. If the reports were true (and a veritable horde of NYC cops on active duty at the time would swear to it), "Hizzoner" sent down the word that the cops were to "look the other way" and do nothing if they observed looting and anything short of murder. This led to a notorious NY DAILY NEWS photo of jubilant "roving bands of Negro youths" (in Michael O'Donaghue's classic phrase) looting a store while near-by cops were pretending not to notice. Tough noogies if your store were one of those pillaged and/or burned. Surrender is not true peace.

Banjo said...

In the jungle and around watering holes weakness is an invitation to attack. The same is true of cities with Democrats in charge. The snowflakes think they are invulnerable because they have been sheltered all their lives. Their parents are to blame for this, the owo will weep and say Why? in anguish when the blood of their lambkins runs in the streets.

Danno said...

After Whole Foods flees Madison for other than Amazon deliveries, Meadehouse will likely have to shop for last minute things at Dollar General.

Banjo said...

From today's State Journal: At issue Tuesday was who, exactly, continues to engage in lawlessness and why, especially as local elected officials almost uniformly express solidarity with protesters and most protesters decry the violence.

In a statement, Dane County executive Joe Parisi said “as a white American, it’s on me to recognize that white people are responsible for racism" and asserted that the violence Downtown and in scattered areas throughout Madison was "being committed by predominately white groups."

The dog that didn't bark is the key to this. Never mind the doctor, is there a Sherlock Holmes in the house?

chickelit said...

In a statement, Dane County executive Joe Parisi said “as a white American, it’s on me to recognize that white people are responsible for racism" and asserted that the violence Downtown and in scattered areas throughout Madison was "being committed by predominately white groups."

Joe "Pepo" Parisi has "evolved" from when I knew him back in the '70s in high school. He's evolved, but not for the better. But, he keeps his job. Yet, I'm not surprised -- he was never his own man -- even back then.

chickelit said...

"Reasonable looting" vs. "unreasonable looting" is the left's newest dilemma. Watch them spin circles.