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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Afternoon Open Thread

Afternoon Open Thread

by Zandar|  March 11, 20121:30 pm| 41 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Melissa Harris-Perry weighs in on Black People Hugging Is Worse Than Sauron.

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Also, in college basketball Kentucky and Vanderbilt are going at it in the SEC title game, while North Carolina and Florida State are battling it out in the ACC championship.  Ohio State and Michigan State take the floor a bit later this afternoon in the Big Ten title game too.

Open thread, have at it.

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41Comments

  1. 1.

    capt

    March 11, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    Face it, hugging is totally terrifying no matter who is doing the hugging.

  2. 2.

    c u n d gulag

    March 11, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    GOP POV:
    It wasn’t a hug – it was a “Terrorist Chest Bump!”

  3. 3.

    Anonymous At Work

    March 11, 2012 at 1:34 pm

    Say what you will about Vandy, but you’d hate your team to play them in any round of the NCAA. They get to nailing 3-pointers and your team is in trouble.

  4. 4.

    wobblybits

    March 11, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Go Vandy! (I say this not only as a current grad student there but also as a proud TA that has taught a few of these young men.)

  5. 5.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    March 11, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    Of course holding hands with a member of the Saudi Royal Family is perfectly acceptable since they are on our side and would never surreptitiously support terrorism.

    How ’bout them NM Lobos? Drew Gordon, baby!

  6. 6.

    Bostondreams

    March 11, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    I know it’s the bitterness talking, but there is something fishy to me about the Gators only getting to the line twice yesterday. Sigh. Go Gators.

  7. 7.

    rob!

    March 11, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    MHP showed my artwork of Margaret Cho during her segment on the show, what a nice surprise!

  8. 8.

    suzanne

    March 11, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    I had the following thought yesterday: in 2008, the GOP mocked Obama for being effete and out-of-touch for discussing arugula at Whole Foods. So in the following election, they nominate a chump who owns multiple mansions, whose wife drives “a couple of Cadillacs”, and doesn’t think that having two hundred and fifty MILLION dollars makes her family wealthy.

    I seriously have no idea how these people’s minds work.

  9. 9.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    March 11, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    Hey Zandar, Paul in KY sort of nominated you to propose/organize a Cincinnati area Balloon Juice meet up. I’ll help make suggestions based on where people can get to easily based on their original location.

  10. 10.

    john b

    March 11, 2012 at 1:47 pm

    nc state should be in the acc final. got screwed by the refs half a dozen times in the last ten minutes of the game vs UNC yesterday. #notbitter

  11. 11.

    Clark Stooksbury

    March 11, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    And check out Space Traders if you get a chance.

  12. 12.

    Martin

    March 11, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    @suzanne: Why wait for the following election. In that very same election they nominated a guy who didn’t know how many houses he owned and admitted he’d never used the internet.

  13. 13.

    Bostondreams

    March 11, 2012 at 1:50 pm

    Agreed, John B. And now those freaking Seminoles are blowing out UNC. Wonderful. As if FSU fans needed anything else to be annoying about. #tebowwho?

  14. 14.

    Steve

    March 11, 2012 at 1:50 pm

    Michigan State vs. Ohio State should be a great rubber match. The winner may get a #1 seed. Here is a great story about MSU star Draymond Green and his mom’s tough love.

  15. 15.

    Martin

    March 11, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    This should be fun. Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem have an op-ed up calling for the FCC to boot Rush Limbaugh off the air.

    How can the GOP resist coming to Rush’s defense now?

  16. 16.

    Raven

    March 11, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    @Bostondreams: Tebow went Florida, not FSU.

  17. 17.

    Dean Booth

    March 11, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    Remember that time Bill Cowher kissed a black man? Outrageous!

  18. 18.

    Halcyan

    March 11, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    @c u n d gulag:

    GOPFox News POV:
    It wasn’t a hug – it was a “Terrorist Chest Bump!”

    FTFY

  19. 19.

    Roger Moore

    March 11, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    @suzanne:

    I seriously have no idea how these people’s minds work.

    They’re basically tribal. If you’re a member of the tribe, the only thing that matters is going against tribal norms, and then only if it’s a major violation and you don’t say you’re sorry. Just being an obnoxious asshole isn’t a serious offense. If you’re not part of the tribe, you’re presumed wrong no matter what you do. The only possible exception is if you agree with what the tribe wants, which proves the self-evident correctness of the tribal belief system.

  20. 20.

    Mark B

    March 11, 2012 at 2:15 pm

    One of the biggest things that pisses off the righties is someone pointing out that the US is still a racist society. For them, racism was over in the 60s, and now the uppity blacks are just running up the score with things like affirmative action and scholarships.

  21. 21.

    chris

    March 11, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    @john b: You got it man..#pissedwolfpacker

  22. 22.

    Cacti

    March 11, 2012 at 2:23 pm

    Coloreds are only allowed to hug on a football field, or a COLLEGE basketball court (NBA is too blackity-black).

  23. 23.

    gene108

    March 11, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    @john b:

    I got so sick of ACC officiating, I’m not watching the ACC Tourney Finals.

    I hope FSU mops the floor with those candy-ass baby-blue-wearing mofos.

    Still want to punch something after yesterday…doing the second best thing I guess….some much needed cleaning of the homestead…

    Not as gratifying as punching something though…

  24. 24.

    Hal

    March 11, 2012 at 2:49 pm

    @suzanne:

    I had the following thought yesterday: in 2008, the GOP mocked Obama for being effete and out-of-touch for discussing arugula at Whole Foods. So in the following election, they nominate a chump who owns multiple mansions, whose wife drives “a couple of Cadillacs”, and doesn’t think that having two hundred and fifty MILLION dollars makes her family wealthy.

    Of course they nominated Romney. In 2008 all we heard was how Obama wasn’t experienced enough and that’s why we needed a long term career politician like McCain. Behind the scenes, there was the will America vote for a black man question being thrown around.

    Then Obama wins the nom, and immediately they go for a woman who was Governor for less than two years and for whom they argued her small town mayorship was all the training she needed. When that fails they look to Bobbi Jindal. Dark skin, funny name, and smart, too! Now we are in the massively rich candidate who learning to like grits, y’all, and who is a real American, unlike that Obama fellow.

  25. 25.

    quannlace

    March 11, 2012 at 2:54 pm

    Gah, I still cringe at that photo of Bush and McCain in big ‘lets-kiss-and-make-up’ kind of clinch. You know, after Bush’s campaign tried to trash McCain.

  26. 26.

    Bostondreams

    March 11, 2012 at 2:57 pm

    Raven, I know. Just pretending Gators can’t be annoying about him. I was there for the Spurrier coaching years AND Tebow. The height of our obnoxiousness.

  27. 27.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    March 11, 2012 at 3:03 pm

    @Steve: Go Bucks! I think the Washington Huskies fans are in churches, mosques, synagogues, sacrificing goats, chickens and Coogs to appease the B-Ball gods to cut them slack and let them in the Tournament.

  28. 28.

    Yutsano

    March 11, 2012 at 3:05 pm

    @Mr Stagger Lee: The Buffs won the tourney. But the bubble can be quite the fickle mistress.

  29. 29.

    Southern Beale

    March 11, 2012 at 3:06 pm

    Although we live in Nashville and just a stone’s throw from Vanderbilt University, we are UK fans (hubby is an undergrad and grad alumni) so we are trying desperately to cheer for the Wildcats but DAMN IT’S HARD when they are playing like shit.

  30. 30.

    MariedeGourany

    March 11, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    Now if they had a picture of Elenor Roosevelt hugging Barack Obama their heads would really explodify.

  31. 31.

    4jkb4ia

    March 11, 2012 at 3:18 pm

    Now we get to ask if Xavier has done enough to get in (lost A-10 title game).

    Very pleased that Vandy won, although it’s symbolic. Kentucky is the Yankees of college basketball.

    Come on, selection committee, call St. Louis U’s name. You’ve got to. I was thinking that Rick Majerus is the perfect illustration of “Far all the years” this year.

  32. 32.

    Redshift

    March 11, 2012 at 3:18 pm

    It’s impressive how twisted some conservative minds have always been. Calling for Eleanor Roosevelt to be tried for treason and deported — deported to where? They might be some grain of sense there if someone were accused of associating improperly with people from an enemy country, but African-Americans? What, were they proposing she be deported to Africa or something?

    (And if a reactionary today proposed that African-Americans be “deported” to Africa, Pat Buchanan would talk about how lucky they were to get a round-trip ticket…)

  33. 33.

    Steve

    March 11, 2012 at 3:19 pm

    @Mr Stagger Lee: I hasten to point out that buckeye trees, unlike their statuesque compatriots to the north, are not the right height. At all.

  34. 34.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    March 11, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    @Yutsano: If U-Dub is out, they have no one to blame but themselves. I think the laughter will be the loudest at South Dakota State(Summit League Champs). That was embarrassing enough.

  35. 35.

    Zandar

    March 11, 2012 at 3:24 pm

    Well now, the Duke fan is not sad to see either UNC or UK lose. Have fun, boys.

  36. 36.

    Yutsano

    March 11, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    @Mr Stagger Lee: Heh. Go Jackrabbits!

  37. 37.

    catclub

    March 11, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    @Mark B: Yep, over in the 1860’s according to the Wise One from Wasilla. Class distinctions also died then. Only to be re-animated by the sockulust others in the White House.

  38. 38.

    ThresherK

    March 11, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    @Cacti

    But hugging, itself, is so….soccer! Doesn’t it make it immediately suspect?

    I always thought the expression of manly solidarity and congratulations on the football field (regardless of anyone’s skin color) is, rather, the patting on the bottom. The shiny-spandex-covered bottom.

  39. 39.

    jake the snake

    March 11, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    I must have been living better than I thought. Duke, Kansas, UNC, and Kentucky all lose. Pretty good weekend of college hoops, even though Louisville won.

  40. 40.

    4jkb4ia

    March 11, 2012 at 11:32 pm

    Well, anyone who cares about this now knows that SLU is going to play for the right to lose to Michigan State, but it will be fun as long as it lasts.

  41. 41.

    SBJules

    March 11, 2012 at 11:47 pm

    UCSB’s women’s basketball team won the Big West tournament yesterday & will be going to the dance. We’ll find out where tomorrow. The Gauchos have been in the NCAA tournament often, but this is the first year for our new coach, Carlene Mitchell who was the long time assistant to C. Vivian Springer at Rutgers. Go Gauchos!!

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