Questions for our American friends

[awboy33]

Originally Posted by Greenman

Perhaps you can help, live legend here
I'd like to know something which I hear started there
Now I'm no rapper, already its too late
but tell to me kind sirs where did 'drop the mic' originate?
(told you I couldn't rap) oh yes and why is it considered an insult or rude?

It became more of a cultural thing when Obama did it at the Washington Correspondents Dinner several years ago. I believe it originated with comedians who either ridiculed another comedian or heckler so bad that nothing more cold be said. Don Rickles did it in some of his shows way before Obama. Some people believe it started with the punk rock scene when the band was finished they would throw the mic down. I see this more as just part of being punk rock. Of course with it being punk rock, it could be their way of saying "f**k you" to the audience.

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

On local news broadcasts, none. On the network national news, a killer earthquake, hurricane, or tsunami will get mentioned. Maybe if a war breaks out, you might hear about it.

Local news is almost like haiku -- its an utterly predictable formula.

"Ain't it hot? Sure is hot. Later in the show, Dawn will tell you how hot it is, and show you a bit of her tits."

"Here are some brown people who did mayhem"

"Here's a fire. Its out [not out]"

"Mrs Laquinta's Fifth Grade class lost an iguana"

"Its gonna be hot tomorrow, don't leave your dog in the car. I have great tits, don't I?

[Rogerbh]

I am glad I am not the only one who notices Weather Women seem to have bigger tits than the average female TV newscaster.

Mention that around any women and I get evil stares to whacks to the face/etc.

[vinceprince]

Originally Posted by deepsepia

Local news is almost like haiku -- its an utterly predictable formula.

"Ain't it hot? Sure is hot. Later in the show, Dawn will tell you how hot it is, and show you a bit of her tits."

"Here are some brown people who did mayhem"

"Here's a fire. Its out [not out]"

"Mrs Laquinta's Fifth Grade class lost an iguana"

"Its gonna be hot tomorrow, don't leave your dog in the car. I have great tits, don't I?

So they don't bother with all the shootings then?

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by vinceprince

So they don't bother with all the shootings then?

That's the "brown people doing mayhem" part of the program . . . occasionally for variety they'll offer up some meth'd out white guys doing mayhem just to prove that they're not pandering exclusively to racism . . . which is true, they pander to every unworthy sentiment.

I live in a part of the country that's very white, so we have a shortage of swarthy crims, our local news tends more to pale scabby guys with neck tattoos, but yeah, here in the land of the abundantly armed local news can usually find some citizen who got in the way of some high speed lead. We also have a local cottage industry in serial killers: the Green River Killer and the most celebrated of them all Ted Bundy. So we do OK in the skells department.

If not, there's always the standby "the tragedy of teen prostitution" . . . though that's a little less flagrant than it was in years gone by.

There was a thing called "sweeps week", when the ratings agencies would audit local stations' viewership -- hard and expensive to do in the pre-internet television era. During this week, local news would reliably run their most lurid stories.

[palo5]

Can this be true?

Native American boy asks his papa "Where do we get our our names from, Papa?"

Papa replies "From our mothers, son. When your sister was born, your mom opened the teepee and the first thing she saw was two doves in the sky, so she named her Two Doves. And when your brother was born, the first thing she saw was a great big grizzly bear rearing up in the forest, so she called him Standing Bear. But what makes you ask the question, Shitting Dog?"

[cicciobuki]

Originally Posted by palo5

Can this be true?

Native American boy asks his papa "Where do we get our our names from, Papa?"

Papa replies "From our mothers, son. When your sister was born, your mom opened the teepee and the first thing she saw was two doves in the sky, so she named her Two Doves. And when your brother was born, the first thing she saw was a great big grizzly bear rearing up in the forest, so she called him Standing Bear. But what makes you ask the question, Shitting Dog?"

In the Belgian version of this old joke the boy is called Broken Condom.

[Rogerbh]

Actually, most of the local shootings - being brown on brown or black on black - are rarely mentioned.

If a white is involved, it usually gets some attention.

National news, they seem to mentioned the weekend death toll in Chicago once in awhile. Use to be in New York in decades past. And sometimes we get a Black lives matter killing - if it is by a cop.

Attacks on Americans overseas get mentioned every once in awhile. Attacks on European tourists outside the US rarely get air time.

Suicides, unless they are a celebrity or a teenager, don't get press attention.

The murders in Mexico almost never get in our press.

[diamelsx]

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

National news, they seem to mentioned the weekend death toll in Chicago once in awhile. Use to be in New York in decades past.

okay, this is the news coded way of discussing this.

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

Actually, most of the local shootings - being brown on brown or black on black - are rarely mentioned.

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

If a white is involved, it usually gets some attention.

this depends a lot on the social economic status of of either the victim or the perpetrator. If the victim is poor it sort of lowers the chances of that murder crime being covered.

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

And sometimes we get a Black lives matter killing - if it is by a cop.

being killed by government official are having that death being ruled Justified is going to be troubling.

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

Suicides, unless they are a celebrity or a teenager, don't get press attention.

I can agree with this. Now down south murder suicides will get covered especially if it's a relationship type situation

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

The murders in Mexico almost never get in our press.

I don't think they really want to discuss the role America's drug war has on those murders.

[Navvet]

Originally Posted by palo5

Can this be true?

Native American boy asks his papa "Where do we get our our names from, Papa?"

Papa replies "From our mothers, son. When your sister was born, your mom opened the teepee and the first thing she saw was two doves in the sky, so she named her Two Doves. And when your brother was born, the first thing she saw was a great big grizzly bear rearing up in the forest, so she called him Standing Bear. But what makes you ask the question, Shitting Dog?"

I heard the same joke, but the boy's name was Two Dogs Fucking.