Guns, race, religion, terror, wingnut thread

[Seth Milner]

Oh. He was "only" commenting on the appearance of the hostess at an upscale restaurant.
And the rest of the staff.

Well, that certainly explains why he thought she should have appreciated his evaluation of her.
I couldn't say what he thought; however most women outside of the scope of "that offends me" and political correctness mentalities generally appreciate being told how nice they look. Had Paul come across in an inappropriate or suggestive manner, then he would have deserved a tongue lashing. (not from you, Vrede)

Good to know he wasn't "flirting." Did he ever offer any reason at all why he thought that would be appropriate?
Are you really serious, or are you yanking my chain?

Too cheap to offer a tip for a better table? Thought he'd chat up the hostess for free? Just generally thinks he's God's gift to all women?
Like I said, he wasn't flirting; his wife was with him; my date with me.

You need better dinner partners, not different hostesses.
I'll stick with my choices; those who don't walk around with their noses in the air looking for something to offend them.

[O Really]

Good to know he wasn't "flirting." Did he ever offer any reason at all why he thought that would be appropriate?
Are you really serious, or are you yanking my chain?

Not yanking your chain at all. So he says something unnecessary and inappropriate, manages to offend the person controlling whether you all sit next to the kitchen or the restrooms, and it's her fault? If all tattoos are trashy, his wife should get one - she'd fit right in with him.

[Vrede too]

I wonder how many times she gets hit on a day?

[Seth Milner]

Good to know he wasn't "flirting." Did he ever offer any reason at all why he thought that would be appropriate?
Are you really serious, or are you yanking my chain?

Not yanking your chain at all. So he says something unnecessary and inappropriate,
Maybe unnecessary, but it wasn't inappropriate . . . except maybe in the mind of the oh so politically correct.

manages to offend the person controlling whether you all sit next to the kitchen or the restrooms, and it's her fault?
She couldn't help being on the rag, but being in a public venue, she could've controlled her easily offended self.

If all tattoos are trashy, his wife should get one - she'd fit right in with him.
I said look trashy . . . on women. Had you rather a man compliment your wife or tell you how damn ugly she is? The only trashy individuals are the ones who get their panties in a wad like you're doing, over silly shit like we're discussing.

I wonder how many times she gets hit on a day?
I'll give you the location; march your diplomatic ass in there and ask her.
Of course, "we" know she has nothing to worry about with you.

[O Really]

I said look trashy . . . on women. Had you rather a man compliment your wife or tell you how damn ugly she is?

The fact that you think those are the only choices sheds a little light on the problem here. But seriously, it isn't so much what is said as the context. If we go to a party and the host comes up and says "Lady O - you look fabulous!" then its an acceptable compliment. If it's a stranger in the grocery, then it's just plain weird. The host may also get a hug in return. The stranger, not so much.

[Vrede too]

... If we go to a party and the host comes up and says "Lady O - you look fabulous!" then its an acceptable compliment. If it's a stranger in the grocery, then it's just plain weird....

Mostly because he knows her name. Must be that Big Brother surveillance.

[O Really]

Mostly because he knows her name. Must be that Big Brother surveillance.

Touche.

So I've thought about it a bit since Seth posted his story, and tried to imagine going into an "upscale" restaurant, being greeted by the hostess and making a comment about her appearance. Can't do it. Might say something to Lady O Really at the table or later, but no comment to the hostess. So I thought, maybe it's just me, and asked some collegues, male and female. Everyone agreed it was not in good taste and Seth's friend is an anachronism at best and and probably a boor.

[Vrede too]

If there's something unique I like - cool hairstyle, flashy outfit, nice tat, etc. - I might say something, but evidently in a way superior to Seth's friend since I've never been griefed or even looked at askance for doing so.

Or, maybe I'm just hotter.

Clearly, something made her think 'creep'. Retail service providers don't make a habit of reading the riot act to their decent customers, and women (or men) don't make a habit of objecting to innocent, pleasantly offered compliments.

[Vrede too]

Update, only in this topic because this is where we discussed it as a tangent from the Orlando nightclub massacre:

Family of toddler killed by gator at Disney won’t sue

[rstrong]

Update, only in this topic because this is where we discussed it as a tangent from the Orlando nightclub massacre:

Family of toddler killed by gator at Disney won’t sue

Must've been a hell of a pay-out. Not only were there no signs warning of gators, but an employee tweeted a sign instructing employees - if asked whether there were any gators - to respond "Not that we know of." "Please do not say that we have seen them before."

The employee was quickly fired. And quickly rehired when the press found out.

[Vrede too]

Based solely on this one article, I'm guessing that there was no pay-out. It would be really sleazy of the parents to announce that they aren't suing and not mention one, and not everyone feels the need to profit off of an unfortunate death. That said, I do wonder if there's a Disney commitment to this foundation they're creating, but that's different unless they then steal from it.

[rstrong]

It would be really sleazy of the parents to announce that they aren't suing and not mention one, and not everyone feels the need to profit off of an unfortunate death.

A non-disclosure agreement is standard in any lawsuit settlement. It would be VERY surprising if there wasn't one.

I know someone whose eyes were made far worse by laser eye surgery. A non-disclosure agreement was a settlement requirement. You can't have the public knowing that such oopsies are common.

Bill Cosby's lawyers demanded the settlement money back from one of his victims, arguing that she had to notify him before she spoke to police last year under the terms of their confidential civil settlement. There have been recent cases in both the Unites States and Canada where victims have had to pay back their settlements after they - or a family member - mentioned the settlement on Facebook.

[Vrede too]

Sure, but that would still be really sleazy of the parents to go out of their way to announce that they aren't suing. Just taking the money and shutting up seems more likely, but maybe I'm not being cynical enough.

[O Really]

A lot of incidents turn into lawsuits only because the injured party basically gets told to pound sand. I'm guessing Disney provided a lot of support, including money, to reach an acceptable settlement. You'd be surprised how many people file lawsuits when they would have been satisfied with an apology and a few thou in medical expenses.

[Seth Milner]

....not everyone feels the need to profit off of an unfortunate death.

But so many think they have found the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg. Such is the case of the Missouri woman who sued Home Depot because an EF5 tornado destroyed the store and killed her husband and two children when they sought shelter. What's really sad in this case is that some ambulance chaser will prey on someone's grief and convince them they can win a lawsuit. I said in another thread: It's the American way.


An aerial view of tornado damage at Home Depot in Joplin on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.
(Photo: News-Leader file photo)

"Five other people died in the store that day as the EF5 tornado toppled wall panels onto the Home Depot victims.
The tornado was among the most destructive in U.S. history, carving a mile-wide scar through the southwestern Missouri city. It was blamed for 161 deaths. The twister — measured at the top of the rating scale where winds can reach more than 200 mph — flattened virtually everything in its path, damaging or destroying about 7,500 homes."

[Vrede too]

The GOP Shut Down a Program That Might Have Prevented Dallas and Baton Rouge
Trump is blaming Obama for police shootings. But seven years ago Republicans halted a federal study that sought to detect potential radicalization by veterans.

Whether or not "Might Have Prevented" is true, it's interesting how our violence abroad predictably creates devastating violence at home.

[O Really]

Your comment "woman sued store..." is amended by your link "...suit tossed." Anybody can sue over anything. The question is, does it go anywhere. In many if not most cases where a suit is used for an attention-catching headline, turns out it has gone away.

[Seth Milner]

Your comment "woman sued store..." is amended by your link "...suit tossed." Anybody can sue over anything. The question is, does it go anywhere. In many if not most cases where a suit is used for an attention-catching headline, turns out it has gone away.

I was editing the post when you commented.

[rstrong]

In many if not most cases where a suit is used for an attention-catching headline, turns out it has gone away.

Of course in many cases where the defendant wins, they're bankrupted regardless.

Patent and copyright trolls depend on this, as do companies suing alleged music and movie downloaders by the thousands. The payments demanded may be in the thousands of dollars, but are calculated to be less than a legal defense.

[Vrede too]

US-Led Airstrikes Kill as Many Civilians as Nice Attack--but Get No Front-Page Headlines in Major US Papers

A coalition airstrike reported on Tuesday that killed at least 85 civilians—one more than died in the Nice attack in France last week—wasn’t featured at all on the front pages of two of the top US national newspapers, the New York Times and LA Times, and only merited brief blurbs on the front pages of the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, with the actual stories buried on pages A-16 and A-15, respectively.

According to the London Telegraph (7/19/16), the airstrike killed “more than 85 civilians” after the “coalition mistook them for Islamic State fighters.” Eight families were represented among the dead, with victims “as young as three.” The Intercept (7/19/16) reported the death toll could end up being well over 100....

By contrast, the Nice attack garnered multiple front-page stories in the New York Times and LA Times, as well as significantly more than 20-word blurbs in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.

For those who see a “false equivalency,” there are two mitigating reasons for this glaring discrepancy: 1) The airstrike deaths were an “accident” and 2) Syria’s a war zone, where civilian deaths are to be expected. Neither of these retorts are satisfactory, and certainly not enough to justify a virtual front-page blackout.

On the issue of accidental deaths having less import than purposeful ones, this doesn’t explain why unintentional natural disaster deaths routinely receive splashing front-page coverage. Intent rarely affects coverage of these events; only death counts do. And this is granting the deaths were actually accidental, which we don’t know for sure at this time, or whether the US military was using tactics, like so-called “signature strikes,” that are known to greatly increase the chances of killing noncombatants.

As for the “war zone” factor, according to Airwars, a Western group that monitors civilian deaths at the hands of the US-led coalition, the total number of civilians deaths since the beginning of airstrikes in September 2014 has been 190. To increase this number by almost 50 percent in a matter of days would indeed be a radical departure from the normal course of events—rendering it more than newsworthy.

Indeed, all of the publications in question ran a story on the “dozens of deaths” at the hands of US-led airstrikes, so we know they deemed it notable. Just not notable enough, for whatever reason, to put in a prominent position for US audiences.