"... and that 'we have to allow for people to feel safe to say what they feel.' The mayor’s attempt at enforcing her idea of civility only prompted more shouting, after which she said: 'I’m not going to argue. If I hear any more clapping or disruption from the crowd, I will have to unfortunately have you all removed.' 'Do it now! Do it to me!' David Reed, 77, a Takoma Park resident, yelled, according to the city’s video recording of the meeting. More applause followed. 'You’re not the dictator of the council!' Paul Huebner, 75, a retired project manager, shouted. 'This is outrageous!'... The kerfuffle prompted a robust discussion among the lawmakers about civility and First Amendment rights that spilled into subsequent meetings and online discussions over the next two weeks...."
From
"A mayor ordered no clapping at a city meeting. Applause did not follow. The Takoma Park, Maryland, mayor’s order that people not clap during a public meeting led to insults and even a poll" (WaPo).
It's funny that the mayor used the word "democratic" to refer to responding to every person and every idea equally. It strikes me as the very opposite of democracy. In democracy, people choose, we express favoritism, and the person that gets the most support obtains power to impose it on others.
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39 comments:
You have to understand Takoma Park — thirty years ago I lived just a few miles north of them via New Hampshire Avenue. Even the insanely extreme lefties of Madison, Wisconsin, would regard the residents of Takoma Park as insanely extreme leftists
Would jazz hands be acceptable? How about finger-snaps?
Interesting comment, Big Mike. It's important to know what we're dealing with here.
On the other hand, the term 'democracy' these days seems to mean whatever the user of the word wants it to mean. It is a word abused all around the world. Not just in Takoma Park- though that Mayor's usage is among the more creative ways of forcing behavior through 'democracy' that I've seen recently.
"There will be no clapping in here. This is a debate room." It's kinda like our Presidential debates where people are given stern looks for clapping. Very unlike our SOTU addresses, where not clapping is regarded as a raised middle finger to the nation.
It's funny that the mayor used the word "democratic" to refer to responding to every person and every idea equally.
These days whatever the Democrats like is “democratic” and falls under the formulation of “our democracy”.
Shorter Democrats: You can’t express your preferences here! This is a city meeting!
In college we used to get these kinds of rules at meetings with the administration. They were bitter clingers to power, too…
Instead of trying to quash the reaction to your policies…
Big Mike is correct. Takoma Park has been called “The People’s Republic of Takoma Park” for a long time. It is a classic example of birds of a feather flocking together. In this case the birds are a species of loon.
I've heard enough recordings of live jazz performances from the 1950s and 1960s to wonder whether the applause is dubbed.
Yes it’s Bizarro Democracy not the real thing.
Of course, it is the opposite of democracy. They are afraid to call it what it really is: New Age Marxism.
An election - like an athletic contest - is a zero-sum game.
Maryland is almost as bad as Minnesota when it comes to Marxism.
She did not mention applause until after a smattering of people clapped for the first speaker.
The mayor should have taken the win. Clapping is analogous to the "Like" button. It's all positive. She needed everyone to get a participation trophy.
Dave Begley said...
“Maryland is almost as bad as Minnesota when it comes to Marxism.”
The modern day 3Ms?
"Even the insanely extreme lefties of Madison, Wisconsin, would regard the residents of Takoma Park as insanely extreme leftists"
Nope.
I looked up the mayor of Tacoma Park. She's exactly who you think she is.
"Big Mike is correct. Takoma Park has been called “The People’s Republic of Takoma Park” for a long time."
Madison beat them to it. People have been using that term for Madison since the 60's.
The country is full of these little tyrants, and they gravitate to positions of power. Maybe we shouldn't elect people who choose to run for office. We could vote for random people, but only if they don't want the job. You watch the election on TV and all of a sudden your picture pops up, and you find out you are mayor of Minneapolis. Woop! Woop!.
"we have to allow for people to feel safe to say what they feel."
This just shows how clever the Left is. They can censor and dictate how people behave and then claim its to make "People safe". Why don't CHristisans or Conservatives ever use this? "I don't like your mocking of Jesus, its making me feel unsafe".
Probably the most insane example of the Lefts use of this weapon is a Libtard physically attacked a Pro-life protestor on a College Campus screaming " You're making me afraid and unsafe". LOL.
Maryland is totally dominated by libtards. I just read that the local MD police visited a man who had posted hyperbolic (But not physical threatening) attacks on the Maryland public Gas/Electric utility company. Guess he was upset at their price hikes and bad service.
The police were "concerned" and paid him a visit. And asked him to "Tone it down". Meanwhile, Baltimore is murder city and killers/thugs get let out with little or no bail.
In Stalin's Russia, no one dared to be the first to stop clapping.
RNB said...
"Would jazz hands be acceptable? How about finger-snaps?"
Up-twinkles.
@Curious George, when did Madison announce that it was a nuclear-free zone? For Takoma Park it was the early 1970s.
“It's funny that the mayor used the word "democratic" to refer to responding to every person and every idea equally. It strikes me as the very opposite of democracy. In democracy, people choose, we express favoritism, and the person that gets the most support obtains power to impose it on others.”
Not in direct democracy, the purest kind. Everyone votes on everything, there are no ‘representatives’ with special powers. Not very practical for a large group, but often used in Congress and Parliament, where it’s called a voice vote. This clapping thing seems equivalent.
Of course, “gender” may be up for grabs. Nevertheless, it is time to get specific with the craziness. E.g., “a female mayor,” “a female judge,” “a female professor,” etc. Males should be designated too, but it won’t be as edifying since the gender of lefty males really is up for grabs.
I guess the finger-snapping thing isn't catching on. The stupid morons didn't realize that they were effectively silencing the arthritis demographic.
The Matriarchy is Authoritarian.
“It strikes me as the very opposite of democracy. In democracy, people choose, we express favoritism, and the person that gets the most support obtains power to impose it on others.“
That is just boomer democracy. Not real democracy. No one gets to stand in front of the chalk board with a leather jacket and plaid shirt anymore.
It is the opposite of democracy. It's amazing how many government officials don't know the basics of their profession.
That would be like a play director not knowing what the word, "downstage," meant.
It seems a lot of people don't realize that Democracy means that the majority rules.
This is what progressive democrats do. They intentionally misuse words on the assumption that they can bull their way through it before anybody calls them on their sh*t. A tyrant demanding they get their way, and then calling it 'Our De-moc-ra-sah' is somebody that thinks they can stay a step ahead of the mob, and appoint themself its leader - because they've learned they can sometimes get away with it.
"There will be no clapping in here. This is a debate room."
"You can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"
I have no love for DMV libs, but I do see the need for a uniform rule banning applause, booing, cheering, Black Church interjections, etc. It keeps the agenda flowing. Also keeps from intimidating holders of unpopular opinions. And like any other rule these days, if you don’t apply it ruthlessly at all times, uou don’t get to apply it at all. CC, JSM
It's funny that the mayor used the word "democratic" to refer to responding to every person and every idea equally. It strikes me as the very opposite of democracy. In democracy, people choose, we express favoritism, and the person that gets the most support obtains power to impose it on others.
Bingo. That's what sane people mean when they mean "democratic"
But what the Left means when they say "democratic" or "democracy" or "our democracy" is "the Left wins, everyone else loses".
And since their ideas are all worthless shit that no one else supports, they decide to suppress all expressions of support, to try to con people into believing that the Left's shit ideas are more popular than they actually are
john mosby said...
I do see the need for a uniform rule banning applause, booing, cheering
You're misreading things, John. The situation wasn't that the Left was already banned from applauding, and they just extended it to the Right.
The situation was that no one was applauding for the Left's shit ideas, so the scumbag mayor decided to prevent people from applauding for statements that were actually popular
The city of Minneapolis and its people deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. The city was formally nominated for the prize in January by the progressive magazine The Nation, a move met with a “heck yes” by a longtime member of the editorial board at the city’s main newspaper known as "The Strib".
True, it would be unprecedented. No city has ever won. But, as the nominators wrote, these are unprecedented times and Minneapolis “has met and exceeded the committee’s standard of promoting ‘democracy and human rights and work aimed at creating a better organized and more peaceful world.’”
Bloomberg Opinion
The Peace Prize is a Progressive Participation Trophy.
gadfly said...
The city of Minneapolis and its people deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. The city was formally nominated for the prize in January by the progressive magazine The Nation...’”
Bloomberg Opinion
Yasser Arafat, Tawakkol Karman, Desmond Tutu, and Kofi Annan all approve. Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama had no comment.
yes the peace prize is basically base metals like pewter or chrome,
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