February 25, 20214 yr The question is, would it be called the Potato Head War or the Mr. Potato Head War?
February 27, 20214 yr On 2/25/2021 at 3:31 PM, VanHammersly said: The question is, would it be called the Potato Head War or the Mr. Potato Head War? Depends on who wins
February 27, 20214 yr 29 minutes ago, NCTANK said: poor Mr Potato Head, who’s next? 👎 Mrs. Potato Head?
February 27, 20214 yr 12 hours ago, NCTANK said: her too, i suppose Did you just assume Mrs. Potato Head's gender???
February 28, 20214 yr 1 minute ago, Paul852 said: What just happened? Mr and Mrs Potato head are no more. It's now gender neutral Potato Head.
February 28, 20214 yr 32 minutes ago, EagleJoe8 said: Mr and Mrs Potato head are no more. It's now gender neutral Potato Head. Thanks a lot Biden.
March 1, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, NOTW said: So liberal she's conservative. But I'm guessing she doesn't necessarily have an issue with white people telling minorities that they have to sacrifice "for the planet". Or maybe she does, but not because minorities should be able to do what they want, but that minorities should be yelling at other minorities.
March 1, 20214 yr 13 hours ago, SNOORDA said: When keeping it liberal goes wrong In fairness, I think it went wrong when the "climate activists” forcefully demanded we allow China to increase pollution for the next 15 years.
March 2, 20214 yr This ain't it, chief... Quote Amanda Gorman's Dutch translator stands down after uproar that Black writer wasn't chosen Dutch writer Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, who won the International Booker Prize in 2020, has withdrawn from a project to translate Black American poet Amanda Gorman's work following a backlash against the commission. Rijneveld, who is White and non-binary, announced they were to work on the project with publisher Meulenhoff on February 23, only to say they had handed back the commission three days later. "I am shocked by the uproar around my involvement in the spread of the Amanda Gorman's message, and I understand the people who feel hurt by Meulenhoff's decision to ask me," wrote Rijneveld. Critics of the appointment questioned why a White writer had been chosen to translate the work of a Black writer. Dutch cultural activist Janice Deul questioned the move in an op-ed for Dutch outlet De Volkskrant, published February 25. https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/amanda-gorman-dutch-translation-scli-intl/index.html?utm_content=2021-03-02T16%3A06%3A36&utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_source=fbCNN&fbclid=IwAR3vuwBdjxp4egU-QHb-cro14iQ9b8-FBnU1f_5Ox1AX5RGUucxxPRIPKg0
March 3, 20214 yr Quote Yolande Strengers Amazon Echo's Alexa is programmed to always apologize — especially when it's not her fault What is Alexa sorry for? The device's glitches or a poorly designed skill? Amazon’s treatment of its workers? The coronavirus pandemic? Being female? I know Alexa doesn’t have feelings. But I do. And when I hear a device with a feminine voice and name apologizing for something it probably didn’t do, I feel dismayed.Anjali Nair / NBC News; Getty Images March 2, 2021, 10:30 AM CET By Yolande Strengers, associate professor of digital technology and society in the Emerging Technologies Research Lab at Monash University Recently my partner surprised me by demonstrating a feature of our Alexa I was unfamiliar with: The digital voice assistant will apologize on demand. He then showed, in an impressive variety of tones and voices, how the command "Alexa, apologize!” elicited an ongoing stream of "sorrys” from our Amazon Echo device. The past year has definitely been challenging and at times downright horrible, but I’m pretty sure it’s not all Alexa’s fault. It was amusing of course, as poking fun at digital assistants can often be. But it was also depressing. She obliged so willingly and repeatedly. She apologized without asking for reason or explanation. Her tone was so … agreeable. She even delivered an apology when the command was yelled at her in an accusatory tone. Once the disturbing experiment was over — for which I felt the need to apologize to Alexa — what stuck with me was the thought that someone programmed this device to respond this way when so many other options were possible. Someone decided that Alexa should always say sorry when asked. More than 200 million Alexa-enabled devices have now been sold with their smart speakers presumably available to apologize to the world. But what is Alexa apologizing for? The assistant’s glitches, or a poorly designed skill? Amazon’s treatment of its workers? The Covid-19 pandemic? Being female? Or is the device’s apology simply available as a vehicle for her users to vent their pent-up daily frustrations? The past year has definitely been challenging and at times downright horrible, but I’m pretty sure it’s not all Alexa’s fault. And yet this feminized device is a willing and available outlet for our irritations or amusement by way of an unconditional, open-ended and continually available apology Sure, she’s just doing her job. But in Alexa’s seemingly innocuous "sorry,” this device implicitly accepts the blame and responsibility for some unknown wrongdoing directed toward her. What’s more, she is so complicit and assured of her blame that she doesn’t even think to inquire what she is apologizing for. Yes, I understand that Alexa is just a device. I get that she is a convenient and potentially gratifying conduit for offloading day-to-day annoyances. I also accept that novelty Alexa skills — like the one where the device says sorry on behalf of Amazon to cities that didn’t make the cut in the contest for the company’s new headquarters — can be funny and entertaining. And of course, I know Alexa doesn’t have feelings. But I do. And when I hear a device with a feminine voice and name apologizing for something it probably didn’t do, I feel dismayed for the ripple effects this could generate within society. In 2021, it’s not unreasonable to expect the largest, wealthiest and most powerful companies in the world to promote gender equality and respectful interactions across their product range (as Amazon claims to do), especially when that product is programmed to mimic a female voice. If a real woman were to apologize on demand like Alexa, we would and should be deeply concerned. It could signal that she’s in an emotionally abusive relationship or a victim of domestic violence, for example. At best we’d be worried about her self-esteem. That’s because accepting blame and fault is one of the indicators of people who have internalized verbal derogation in domestic abuse situations. Women experiencing coercive control by an intimate partner are also more likely to apologize excessively, especially if they are made to feel worthless. Alexa’s always-available apologies risk modeling and normalizing the idea that women can and should apologize for everything. In a world where victim-blaming of women is already prevalent and damaging, Alexa’s willing stream of sorrys should leave us concerned about the potential to undermine progress toward respecting women, which is one of the well-established precursors to preventing violence. Furthermore, Alexa’s apologies are completely unnecessary. There are many other potential replies to a request for an apology that would not make this device submissive — or worse still, an open outlet for abuse. The standard response programmed into most digital assistants (example, "I can’t help you with that”) would be an improvement. Better yet, a demand for an apology could be met with a query asking if the unsatisfied human would like to be connected to the Amazon complaints team. Alexa could remind users that she is created by people, and that they are responsible for any glitches — not "her.” Alexa could enquire why an apology is warranted, and why she should be the one to give it. She could explain why it is not appropriate to provide an apology. And she could even direct people to mental health services. If the demands become more insistent and aggressive, she could "disengage,” as she now does in response to sexual harassment and some inappropriate requests. Whatever the response, Alexa herself shouldn’t take the blame. If anyone owes an apology, it’s Amazon: not to the millions of Alexas, but to all of us who are potentially harmed by devices that inadvertently condone disrespectful actions toward women. Classic.
March 3, 20214 yr Well, I guess the Republicans were right. Liberals are turning us all gay! Quote More Americans are identifying as LGBTQ than ever before, poll finds (CNN)A new poll shows that an unprecedented number of US adults identify as LGBTQ -- and that young people, especially Generation Z, are driving the increase. Gallup reported a jump from 4.5% to 5.6% of Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer since its last poll in 2017. The finding proves a steady rise in LGBTQ identification since the analytics company began tracking in 2012, and constitutes, based on the US Census Bureau's most recent population count, nearly 18 million Americans. But LGBTQ advocacy groups aren't surprised. Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, told CNN that the data confirms what advocates have long suspected: There are more LGBTQ people in the US than statistics reflect. "We've always had LGBTQ people in this country," he said. "The question is whether they identify as LGBTQ -- meaning the label itself -- and whether they're comfortable publicly identifying." https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/us/americans-identifying-lgbtq-poll-trnd/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=fbCNN&utm_content=2021-02-27T15:30:14&fbclid=IwAR0XgZpRhfnYgMFRsyBji-AiYuymvgqqQ5G-PuyKxVXrjhrmeMP9Hx9jqnk
March 3, 20214 yr On 3/1/2021 at 12:07 PM, SBorBust said: In fairness, I think it went wrong when the "climate activists” forcefully demanded we allow China to increase pollution for the next 15 years. You can expect those women's waist sizes to double when minimum wage is expanded to $15/hr.
March 3, 20214 yr It truly is remarkable how the same country that now promotes obesity is living in paralyzing fear of a virus that kills obese people at an exponentially higher rate than it does those who are not obese. What a time to be alive!
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