Small Deer Magic Trip

[matthew]

 

[Doctor Rock]

Good moaning.

I do not understand.  Or, as you hipsters say: I'm not picking up what you're putting down. 

[captqitn]

Damn... that Daily Show just about lived up to the hype surrounding it.    Bloody, awkward, and Jon did an awesome job of making him just the poster boy for the bigger problem of financial journalism turning into a publicity department for Wall Street.

Nicely done.

[Bizarro]

Matthew, that article about "Romanian" crime in Italy was just batshit insane.

The way that writer cheerfully uses the terms Romanian and Roma as interchangeable is demented and ignorant. They're completely ethnically separate groups, the former originating from the Roman empire, the latter from the Indian subcontinent. That the names sound similar is a coincidence; each is derived from different languages and different root words. Romani are less than 2% of the Romanian population. That's enough to be the second-highest population of Romani in Europe, but Spain has substantially more and Turkey has nearly as many.

Romanians are commonly identified with Roma

There are Romani who are Romanian, but they're about as common as Scottish-Americans or French-Americans. Conflating your average immigrant from Bucuresti with the gypsy  minority is an explosively stupid thing to do. Note also, how in the article they talk about how Italians feel when they "see a Romanian." Since ethnic Romanians come from largely the same ethnic stock as Italians, I'm pretty sure they talking about how they feel when they see Romani.

That writer really doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.

[Bizarro]

.

[captqitn]

Matthew, that article about "Romanian" crime in Italy was just batshit insane.

The way that writer cheerfully uses the terms Romanian and Roma as interchangeable is demented and ignorant. They're completely ethnically separate groups, the former originating from the Roman empire, the latter from the Indian subcontinent. That the names sound similar is a coincidence; each is derived from different languages and different root words. Romani are less than 2% of the Romanian population. That's enough to be the second-highest population of Romani in Europe, but Spain has substantially more and Turkey has nearly as many.

Romanians are commonly identified with Roma

There are Romani who are Romanian, but they're about as common as Scottish-Americans or French-Americans. Conflating your average immigrant from Bucuresti with the gypsy  minority is an explosively stupid thing to do. Note also, how in the article they talk about how Italians feel when they "see a Romanian." Since ethnic Romanians come from largely the same ethnic stock as Italians, I'm pretty sure they talking about how they feel when they see Romani.

That writer really doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.

Yeah, but the most troubling part is that every night all the men would come around.

....and lay their money down.




so hypocritical.

[matthew]

Matthew, that article about "Romanian" crime in Italy was just batshit insane.

The way that writer cheerfully uses the terms Romanian and Roma as interchangeable is demented and ignorant. They're completely ethnically separate groups, the former originating from the Roman empire, the latter from the Indian subcontinent. That the names sound similar is a coincidence; each is derived from different languages and different root words. Romani are less than 2% of the Romanian population. That's enough to be the second-highest population of Romani in Europe, but Spain has substantially more and Turkey has nearly as many.

Romanians are commonly identified with Roma

There are Romani who are Romanian, but they're about as common as Scottish-Americans or French-Americans. Conflating your average immigrant from Bucuresti with the gypsy  minority is an explosively stupid thing to do. Note also, how in the article they talk about how Italians feel when they "see a Romanian." Since ethnic Romanians come from largely the same ethnic stock as Italians, I'm pretty sure they talking about how they feel when they see Romani.

That writer really doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.

I posted the article for precisely this reason. I am well acquainted with the anti-Roma prejudice in Europe, but the mention of Romanians threw me entirely.

[Bizarro]

I kind of figured. My rant on that was pretty much involuntary. It just pours right out.

[captqitn]

On a somewhat related note*, I urge everyone to avoid buying Hall & Oates "H2O" album.

Phew what a stinker.   I like me the funkier H&O stuff.  This one is all overproduced end-title-theme-song sounding crap.  

"Family Man" is ok.   But as y'all taught me, that's a Mike Oldfield song.



*2nd cut is a hilariously bad song called "Where are the Italian Girls?"

[bebopbalogna]

hall and oates.   april 5. pensacola civic center.  $30.    very tempting.

[Bizarro]

Hall & Oates? You trying to steal my job as defender of dubious music?

[matthew]

I kind of figured. My rant on that was pretty much involuntary. It just pours right out.

No problem.

This ugly video, the product of what I assume is a Romanian nationalist (judging by the flag & coat of arms), is a little less reasonable than you were.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/9RKtkV10Qm8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/9RKtkV10Qm8</a>

[Bizarro]

The two main arguments you hear about Roma are:

1) They're a culturally unique people with much to offer the world in art and heritage, who are constantly the victims of prejudice and discrimination. Most of them are law-abiding citizens who do not deserve this.
2) They are disproportionately prone to crime. In fact, a nomadic thief/con artist existence is written into the history of their culture. Despite being a small minority, they are largely responsible for much of Romania's problems with property crime, gang activity, and fraud.

The problem is that both of these arguments are true.

[bebopbalogna]

Hall & Oates? You trying to steal my job as defender of dubious music?

it's no secret that i have a soft spot for the manchego and brie of my youth.  especially when said queso is as rich in vitamins rock n soul as the duo backed by the one and only g.e. smith (of snl fame.  the guy with the jaw.)   i know. say it isn't so.

[bebopbalogna]

g.e. smith is responsible for the absolute best "man, that guitar lick sure was painful and/or pleasurable" faces ever.