[Ads-l] n-word update (UNCLASSIFIED)

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Tue Jun 23 19:16:01 UTC 2015 

Or a symbologist. Like Robert Langdon in "The Da Vinci Code"!

Those guys know the collective unconscious like you wouldn't believe.

JL

On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 3:10 PM, Mullins, Bill CIV (US) <
william.d.mullins18.civ at mail.mil> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill CIV (US)" <william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: n-word update (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
> If only he were a semiotician.  Then it would have been obvious.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 2:09 PM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: Re: n-word update (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >=20
> >=20
> > I just checked with a white lawyer friend of mine - a lifelong
> > Tennessean of rural background, a Democrat, a supporter of liberal
> > clauses, and a former history major.
> >=20
> > I asked if he'd ever thought the Tennessee state flag "resembled" the
> > CSA flag.
> >=20
> > He said, "I never thought about it before. I just remember thinking it
> > was an attractive design. ...Now that I do think of it...There's no
> > resemblance."
> >=20
> > But maybe he was in deep, deep denial. The more I stare fixedly, with
> > my mind blank, the more it starts to remind me of the *Nazi* flag...red
> > background, charged disk in the middle with white, same
> > shape...Strange....
> >=20
> > Jeez!  Alert the media!
> >=20
> > JL
> >=20
> > On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 2:33 PM, Mullins, Bill CIV (US) <
> > william.d.mullins18.civ at mail.mil> wrote:
> >=20
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Mullins, Bill CIV (US)"
> > <william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL>
> > > Subject:      Re: n-word update (UNCLASSIFIED)
> > >
> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > -
> > > ---------
> > >
> > > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > > Caveats: NONE
> > >
> > > The North Carolina Flag evokes the Texas Flag, not the Confederacy.
> > >
> > > All of the "connections" between the Tennessee flag and the
> > > Confederacy com=3D e from an article by Steven Knowlton, who is an Asst
> > > Professor at the Univ =3D of Memphis.  His BA (History) and MLIS (Lib
> > > Sciences) are from Michigan uni=3D versities, so he must be a Yankee
> > and
> > > and his arguments and conclusions are=3D
> > >   therefore SUSPECT. =3D20
> > >
> > > His argument boils down to "People in the South pined for the
> > Confederacy.
> > > =3D
> > >  Therefore similarities between the Tn flag and the Confederate
> > Battle
> > > Flag=3D  (white stars on a blue charge, red and blue design elements)
> > > evoke the Con=3D federate flag.  QED."
> > >
> > > Never mind that the elements in the TN flag which are common to the
> > > Confede=3D rate flag are also common to the U.S. Flag, and are in
> > > general good patriot=3D ic design elements which are common to many
> > > flags which have nothing to do =3D with, and predate, the Confederacy
> > > (see Betsy Ross designs, or French or Br=3D itish flags).
> > >
> > > Never mind that the guy who designed the TN flag wrote openly about
> > > what th=3D e design elements symbolized, and none of them had anything
> > > to do with the =3D Late Unpleasantness.  Never mind that he lived in
> > > East Tn, a pro-Union part=3D  of the state.  Never mind that
> > > contemporary news coverage of the new flag =3D never mentioned any
> > > connection to the Confederacy.
> > >
> > > Plus, Godwin's law applies to his article.  Nazi flags evoked
> > elements
> > > of e=3D arlier German flags, therefore TN flag evokes CSA.
> > > =3D20
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > > >Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 11:31 AM
> > > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > > Subject: Re: n-word update (UNCLASSIFIED)
> > > >=3D20
> > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > >---------------
> > > > --------
> > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > > > Subject:      Re: n-word update (UNCLASSIFIED)
> > > >
> > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------
> > -
> > > >--
> > > > --------
> > > >=3D20
> > > > If you think that's a reach, try North Carolina....
> > > >=3D20
> > > > Much of this argument strikes me as offensively patronizing. The
> > > >case  of South Carolina was egregious: the battle flag went up over
> > > >the State  House in 1961 as a protest against the Civil Rights
> > > >Movement. That was  back when Strom "Dixiecrat" Thurmond was a U.S.
> > > >Senator. Some years ago  an attempt was made to remove the flag,
> > > >which ended in the compromise  that it would not be flown over the
> > > >House, but must continue to be  flown in the grounds.
> > > >=3D20
> > > > Wikipedia doesn't seem to cover these events, so I'm relying in
> > CNN.
> > > >=3D20
> > > > That's an actual Confederate flag, not a design perhaps suggested
> > by
> > > >it  (or vaguely suggesting it). And regardless of the Civil War, it
> > > >was  placed there as an intentional affront to black people and the
> > > >federal  government.
> > > > Within living memory.
> > > >=3D20
> > > >=3D20
> > > > JL
> > > >=3D20
> > > > On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 11:01 AM, Mullins, Bill CIV (US) <
> > > >william.d.mullins18.civ at mail.mil> wrote:
> > > >=3D20
> > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > > > -----------------------
> > > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > > Poster:       "Mullins, Bill CIV (US)"
> > > > <william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL>
> > > > > Subject:      Re: n-word update (UNCLASSIFIED)
> > > > >
> > > > > -----------------------------------------------------------------
> > -
> > > > > ---
> > > > -
> > > > > ---------
> > > > >
> > > > > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > > > > Caveats: NONE
> > > > >
> > > > > >=3D3D20
> > > > > > Another topic of growing controversy is whether the flags of
> > > > > >seven Southern states should be replaced because of some
> > > > > >historical connection or visual resemblance to one or another
> > Confederate flag.
> > > > > > (The Mississippi flag actually includes the rebel flag in its
> > > > > >canton.)
> > > > > >=3D3D20
> > > > >
> > > > > I'm surprised that some of the flags have any connection to the
> > > > > Confederacy=3D3D .  I grew up in TN, and have always thought that
> > > > > the TN flag is well design=3D3D ed and attractive.  The arguments
> > > > > that is connected to the Confederacy coul=3D3D d be just as easily
> > > > > applied to say it is connected to the Republic.  I thin=3D3D k they
> > are reaching.
> > > > >
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> > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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> > > >=3D20
> > > >=3D20
> > > >=3D20
> > > > --
> > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > >truth."
> > > >=3D20
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> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >=20
> >=20
> >=20
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> >=20
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
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> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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