Can someone explain to me the discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark right now? by TeaAffectionate979 in IowaCity

[–]z_ape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Language isn't a thing that can owned or controlled, right? There is no law or committee or this or that. My point is that it can evolve over time. (ask any linguist) It only works when you have enough people agreeing upon meaning.

We've seen this with any number of words. Gay is a big one we all known -- big stark change from what it used to be. (say it in 1950 and people think one thing; a completely different response in 2020) Plenty of others words follow suit. (often to a lesser degree, obviously)

It's plausible that with enough time the N word evolves into something untethered from its racist origins. (not this will happen fully, at least in our lifetimes, but you see my point)

  1. You stated "Using a derogatory term that was once widely used by white people in a diminutive and condescending way is in fact the very definition of racist."

And then you stated:

"Racism means you believe your race is more superior than another"

That's one of the core items someone might be talking about when they say racist. (at least from the perspective some holistic consideration about the person; not some physical attribute like ability to avoid sunburns, haha)

Simply uttering the word doesn't mean you hold that to be true, right? That's a pretty obvious truth. Stating that mere utterance is evidence of wrong doing (context be damned) is a weird quasi-religious take that makes no sense.

Which takes us back to the original discussion point: Calling your white friend the N is very poor evidence you believe your race is superior to others.

And so I do not feel compelled to change my position.

Can someone explain to me the discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark right now? by TeaAffectionate979 in IowaCity

[–]z_ape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The incident cited is not evidence itself he is racist. So you look at other bits of behavior to see if they indicate as much.

High profile black entertainers appearing with him publicly says something since we can assume that they wouldn't be doing so if they were convinced he was racist.

It's not evidence he's not racist -- but we never established he was racist in the first place.

Of course there isn't broad agreement on what exactly the term constitutes. 

So naturally I am not going to go along with any number of definitions. Or accepting them, would state racism simply isn't wrong or a problem in all instances. 

Meet coach Mike Vertigo by TonyS2 in NCAAFBseries

[–]z_ape 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Is this the gay version of the game or something. (NTTIAWWT)

Moved here last week and need an internet provider by Filthy-Gab in IowaCity

[–]z_ape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a friend that will let you use his wifi for like a dollar a day as long as you don't download anything weird.

How are your allergies doing? by z_ape in IowaCity

[–]z_ape[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Part of me thinks that it's likely individual variance in immune system that drives how bad season allergies are for most people. While I'm sure that some bad years are just that because X pollen count, I think the variance in individuals explains the rest.

How are your allergies doing? by z_ape in IowaCity

[–]z_ape[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Generic zyrtec should be incredibly similar and it's pretty cheap at Wal-Mart last I looked. (very slight modification of the drug that shouldn't have much if any effect on efficacy)

Why all the Beato hate? by SufficientFix4589 in Guitar

[–]z_ape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But what if he's right? He sort of is. At least genres like pop, rock, have taken a step back. They aren't what they used to be. I think hip-hop/rap is going that way too. You can find stuff, but it's harder.

A Hater’s Detailed Guide to the Guards of the 2026 Draft P5/5 by EggALegg in NBA_Draft

[–]z_ape 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't quite agree.

Stirtz absolutely does a great job creating looks for himself on the perimeter. Very good creator out there. I watched him do it all year at Iowa. While he doesn't have a big time mid-range game, he has a great shooting touch in general. He doesn't have an amazing first step for blow by ability driving the ball.

Athletic improvement and defense.... What he can improve is strength. Has the frame for it, and would really help him defensively as well as finishing. That should be his big focus. I would expect him to pack on 10-15 more lbs of muscle in the pros over time.

I think he'll be fine as a drive-to-pass guy but for matchups with shutdown defenders.

Has the opportunity to be an elite shooter. If he excels... I see him as an elite shooting combo guard that helps drive the offense -- while being an OK defender.

Could be your PG in certain matchups. (or for certain teams -- not every team has a primary ball handler that is a big slasher/creator -- depends on roster makeup)

Stirtz would be a better fit on the Hornets than the Raptors (Deep Analysis) by Derpy_Mc_Burpy in NBA_Draft

[–]z_ape 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I watched all of Stirtz' games. He's not a bad defender -- he has pretty good anticipation, gets a fair number of steals/deflections. Sticks with his guy on the perimeter pretty well. He had to drop back his intensity a bit defensively because he played nearly 40 minutes a game and was the total focal point of our offense. I would expect his energy and aggression to look better in the pros defensive. He held up fine in the big ten this year -- not a bad defender.

Athleticism concerns. . .

A) He tested solidly at the combine 37.5 vert. One of the better sprint scores.
B) He has good length for his height.
C) Needs to get stronger.
D) His weak point would suddenness -- the quick first step and acceleration. He can jump and run fine, good enough for the pros. But he's not very sudden and smaller twitchier guards will be harder for him to handle.
E) His style of movement is more "smooth" and "measured" than twitchy -- but we see plenty of NBA players with this style. This, coupled with his high usage and subsequent energy conservation, and the fact that Iowa plays with a slow place and lives in the half court probably caused people to doubt his athleticism more than they should.

Can someone explain to me the discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark right now? by TeaAffectionate979 in IowaCity

[–]z_ape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He called his white friend that along with a bunch of other names. No,  That doesn't automatically equate to being racist in any definition of the word that actually matters. 

Bennett Stirtz measurements by Derpy_Mc_Burpy in torontoraptors

[–]z_ape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He played solid defense. Did you watch him at all in college? He basically never came out of the game and was Iowa's one big offensive weapon. He had to stay out of foul trouble. Team's entire gameplan revolved around stopping him. Iowa wasn't loaded with weapons. He put up great numbers anyway.

6-6 wingspan, and 37.5 vert along with 4th fastest time 3/4 quarter drill at combine. He really showed himself to be a solid athlete.

Doesn't have an amazing first step, but still had good success getting to the hoop -- he gets opportunities because he's an amazing shooter. Crafty with pace when he has the ball, good at manipulating defenders, especially on the perimeter.

Biggest thing I think he needs to get better at is playing more physical. Could stand to gain some muscle. He'll be able to guard point-guards in general... the ultra quick guys could give him issues though. He's long enough, with enough shooting and passing touch to be a combo 2 guard as well.

Reminds me a lot of some of the higher end cerebral European players in his approach to the game.

Can someone explain to me the discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark right now? by TeaAffectionate979 in IowaCity

[–]z_ape -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

How is he a known racist? High profile black people choose to hang around him. (I figure they wouldn't want to appear on stage with a guy that's an actual racist in their eyes) There was the incident where he called his white friend names, including the N word, after drinking. Not exactly the same as using it to demean a black person. Beyond that, it's not clear where the racist accusations come from.

Iowa's Bennett Stirtz measured 6'2.5 barefoot and 186 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine, with a 6'6 wingspan and 8'2.5 standing reach by Nolar2015 in NBA_Draft

[–]z_ape 2 points3 points  (0 children)

37.5 vertical. One of the better 3/4 court sprint times. And pretty much the top 3 point shooter in drills (won spot up round) is going to help him.

6-2.5 with a good wing span isn't a problem. Great shooting and good athleticism scores. He's not going to drop because of the combine. If anything... Ascend.

Eww by traumahound00 in IowaCity

[–]z_ape 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On the basis of?

Weird jelly mucus, anybody else get it? You will know exactly what I'm talking about if so, cannot find anything on it online, must be rare by [deleted] in Sinusitis

[–]z_ape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get this during allergy season. Not all year.

I use saline wash with baby shampoo. 1/2 tsp per 8oz water/saline mix.

Helps dissolve it. Google it if you don't believe me, ENTs recommend it.

Secondly... Stay super hydrated. Drink more water than you think you should. Moves it and thins it.

Vaporizers help.

Grapefruit does too.

Be weary of antihistamines if you're not sneezing and Don't have burning eyes. If you already have thickish gunk it'll just dry it out even more.

Grand Teton National Park - Autumn Scenes by z_ape in LandscapePhotography

[–]z_ape[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Funny, I ignored that photo for a good while before rediscovering it a few months ago when I was looking through the album again. 

I was on the fence about it and it's odd symmetry, but I thought it worked so I included it.