figurinoutlife's definitions
Blackmail refers to a situation that arises when a person threatens another person with some form of punishment if they do not offer some form of concessions. Blackmail is usually the result of one person somehow obtaining embarassing information about another and threatening to disclose it unless some form of payment (money or favors) is offered. The term originates from the words "black" and "mail", which referred to the dark or threatening nature of the letters (mail) that were received detailing the threat. Although blackmail usually entails paying a price to obtain another person's silence about an embarassing situation, it need not involve an actual event before it can be conducted. The threat of embarassing someone for a contrived event can be enough to conduct blackmail effectively, provided the threat is believable.
Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition frequently tells companies that if they do not donate to their cause and hire their members, they will accuse them of racism and organize commerce-damaging protests. Whether any racism exists or not, the threat of income loss and negative publicity is enough to extract blackmail money.
by FigurinOutLife March 24, 2004
Get the blackmailmug. After 9/11 the word "terrorism" became a much more emotional term for Americans than before, when it was equally deplorable yet much more theoretical in most people's minds (i.e. something that happens elsewhere). Consequently, politically active people engaged in vocabulary hijacking by applying the term "terrorist" to their opponent's activities (e.g. environmental "terrorists", government-sponsored "terrorists", anti-choice "terrorists").
by FigurinOutLife April 9, 2006
Get the vocabulary hijackingmug. A recent example of how race and victimhood are so integral to Black America's interpretation of the world around them, trumping even high levels of education, wealth and success by replacing them with pride, paranoia and blame.
White officer: "Sir, we had a report of a break in. Is this your house?"
Henry Gates Jr: "RACIST! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO BLACK MEN IN AMERICA, DAMMIT! YOU THINK A BLACK MAN LIKE ME COULD NEVER LIVE IN A NICE HOME LIKE THIS?"
Officer: "No, sir, really, we had a call from your neighbor about a break-in. I just need to see some ID so that I know who you are and if this is really your house"
HGJ: "WHAT? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM, PUBIC SERVANT? YOU PROBABLY MAKE LESS THAN 1% OF WHAT I DO AND IT BOTHERS YOU BECAUSE I'M BLACK, DOESN'T IT?!?"
Officer: "There's no need to shout, and this is not about race. This can be resolved if you just show me your ID..."
HGJ: "THAT IS SUCH TYPICAL WHITE BULLS**T. OF COURSE IT'S ABOUT RACE! YOU'RE JUST SO DAMN INSENSITIVE YOU CAN"T SEE IT! LISTEN, WHITEY, I AM NOT JUST A POWERFUL MAN AT HARVARD, I KNOW THE PRESIDENT, DAMMIT. IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, HE'S BLACK TOO! ARE YOU GETTING THE PICTURE NOW?"
Officer: "Look, this is all just standard procedure, nothing else. If you don't produce some ID and calm down, I may have to arrest you."
HGJ: "YO MAMA! DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE MESSING WITH? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"
Officer: "Well, if you showed me your ID I would..."
HGJ: "WHAT, DO YOU THINK I'M YOU'RE SLAVE OR SOMETHING? THAT I JUST DO WHATEVER YOU SAY? WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT?"
Officer: "The law."
HGJ: "THY MAMA! I DEMAND TO SEE *YOUR* ID! HA! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?"
Officer: "Fine, here's the same ID I showed you after I first knocked. Sir, if someone were breaking into your house and pretending to be you, I'm sure you would want me to verify their identity rather than take their word for it and let them loot your house, right?"
HGJ: "YOU DARE THINK THAT YOU CAN USE LOGIC ON ME? I AM A POWERFUL MAN AT HARVARD. H-A-R-V-A-R-D, DAMMIT! WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL? OH, HA, THAT'S RIGHT, YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T! SO LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU IN SIMPLE WORDS: I AM ABOVE YOU. YOU ARE NOTHING. I KNOW THE PRESIDENT. I WILL GET YOU FIRED FOR THIS!"
Officer: "You'd POLTER someone just because they're doing their job?"
HGJ: "SO BAD YOU'LL BE EMIGRATING TO MEXICO AND HOPING YOU COULD ONE DAY ASPIRE TO BECOME A STUPID WET-BACK. I CAN SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I AM BLACK AND A BLACK MAN CANNOT BE A RACIST"
Black Bystander: "This man is embarassing me and my race... may I suggest you use your nightstick, officer?"
Henry Gates Jr: "RACIST! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO BLACK MEN IN AMERICA, DAMMIT! YOU THINK A BLACK MAN LIKE ME COULD NEVER LIVE IN A NICE HOME LIKE THIS?"
Officer: "No, sir, really, we had a call from your neighbor about a break-in. I just need to see some ID so that I know who you are and if this is really your house"
HGJ: "WHAT? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM, PUBIC SERVANT? YOU PROBABLY MAKE LESS THAN 1% OF WHAT I DO AND IT BOTHERS YOU BECAUSE I'M BLACK, DOESN'T IT?!?"
Officer: "There's no need to shout, and this is not about race. This can be resolved if you just show me your ID..."
HGJ: "THAT IS SUCH TYPICAL WHITE BULLS**T. OF COURSE IT'S ABOUT RACE! YOU'RE JUST SO DAMN INSENSITIVE YOU CAN"T SEE IT! LISTEN, WHITEY, I AM NOT JUST A POWERFUL MAN AT HARVARD, I KNOW THE PRESIDENT, DAMMIT. IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, HE'S BLACK TOO! ARE YOU GETTING THE PICTURE NOW?"
Officer: "Look, this is all just standard procedure, nothing else. If you don't produce some ID and calm down, I may have to arrest you."
HGJ: "YO MAMA! DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE MESSING WITH? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"
Officer: "Well, if you showed me your ID I would..."
HGJ: "WHAT, DO YOU THINK I'M YOU'RE SLAVE OR SOMETHING? THAT I JUST DO WHATEVER YOU SAY? WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT?"
Officer: "The law."
HGJ: "THY MAMA! I DEMAND TO SEE *YOUR* ID! HA! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?"
Officer: "Fine, here's the same ID I showed you after I first knocked. Sir, if someone were breaking into your house and pretending to be you, I'm sure you would want me to verify their identity rather than take their word for it and let them loot your house, right?"
HGJ: "YOU DARE THINK THAT YOU CAN USE LOGIC ON ME? I AM A POWERFUL MAN AT HARVARD. H-A-R-V-A-R-D, DAMMIT! WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL? OH, HA, THAT'S RIGHT, YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T! SO LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU IN SIMPLE WORDS: I AM ABOVE YOU. YOU ARE NOTHING. I KNOW THE PRESIDENT. I WILL GET YOU FIRED FOR THIS!"
Officer: "You'd POLTER someone just because they're doing their job?"
HGJ: "SO BAD YOU'LL BE EMIGRATING TO MEXICO AND HOPING YOU COULD ONE DAY ASPIRE TO BECOME A STUPID WET-BACK. I CAN SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I AM BLACK AND A BLACK MAN CANNOT BE A RACIST"
Black Bystander: "This man is embarassing me and my race... may I suggest you use your nightstick, officer?"
by figurinoutlife July 28, 2009
Get the Henry Gatesmug. I have no idea why that happened.
Yes, I realize your friend died an unnecessary death at a very young age, but God works in mysterious ways.
by FigurinOutLife April 8, 2004
Get the God works in mysterious waysmug. A tactical accusation designed to attack another person by claiming their actions are racist or racially motivated. The attack can be offensive, defensive or purely diversional.
Offensive: Deshon wants a promotion and raise this year and he's ready to whack his white manager with a racism stick if he doesn't get it.
Defensive: Rushanda got busted stealing a computer from her work after several had already dissapeared. She would have lost her job if she hadn't beaten her boss with a racism stick by claiming that she was just "borrowing" it and the only reason he thought she was stealing it was because she's black - that a white person could have "borrowed" it without getting any flak.
Diversional: Kanye was asked by a reporter why he thought Bush didn't care about black people when the New Orleans evacuation plan clearly specified the city and its black mayor were responsible for the evacuation and first response. Fortunately, the reporter was white and Kanye had his racism stick ready. Whack! "You think if this was Provo, Utah that old GW wouldn't be down here personally in a heart-beat with the entire American Army?" Whack! "What kind of fool do you take us for?" Whack! "Calling these poor victims 'looters' for taking jewelry when you know damn well that they've lost everything?" Whack! Whack! Reporter (dazed): "Um, please, let's just talk about your upcoming record now..."
Defensive: Rushanda got busted stealing a computer from her work after several had already dissapeared. She would have lost her job if she hadn't beaten her boss with a racism stick by claiming that she was just "borrowing" it and the only reason he thought she was stealing it was because she's black - that a white person could have "borrowed" it without getting any flak.
Diversional: Kanye was asked by a reporter why he thought Bush didn't care about black people when the New Orleans evacuation plan clearly specified the city and its black mayor were responsible for the evacuation and first response. Fortunately, the reporter was white and Kanye had his racism stick ready. Whack! "You think if this was Provo, Utah that old GW wouldn't be down here personally in a heart-beat with the entire American Army?" Whack! "What kind of fool do you take us for?" Whack! "Calling these poor victims 'looters' for taking jewelry when you know damn well that they've lost everything?" Whack! Whack! Reporter (dazed): "Um, please, let's just talk about your upcoming record now..."
by FigurinOutLife October 20, 2005
Get the racism stickmug. Noun.
1) Strict definition: An irrational bias towards members of a racial background. The bias can be positive (e.g. one race can prefer the company of its own race or even another) or it can be negative (e.g. one race can hate another). To qualify as racism, the bias must be irrational. That is, it cannot have a factual basis for preference.
2) Commonly intended definition(in America): A bias that white people have against blacks.
3) Politically motivated definition: A justifiable reason to redistribute resources or opportunities between groups on the basis of race alone.
1) Strict definition: An irrational bias towards members of a racial background. The bias can be positive (e.g. one race can prefer the company of its own race or even another) or it can be negative (e.g. one race can hate another). To qualify as racism, the bias must be irrational. That is, it cannot have a factual basis for preference.
2) Commonly intended definition(in America): A bias that white people have against blacks.
3) Politically motivated definition: A justifiable reason to redistribute resources or opportunities between groups on the basis of race alone.
1) One is not a racist for pointing out that blacks receive lower scores on their ACTs, SATs, GREs, LSATs and other standardized tests of academic achievement.
2) One is a racist for pointing out #1 *IF* there is no reason for pointing it out other than to make black people feel inferior.
3) Racism is the reason that a 20 on the ACT should actually be considered a 25 if the test taker was black.
2) One is a racist for pointing out #1 *IF* there is no reason for pointing it out other than to make black people feel inferior.
3) Racism is the reason that a 20 on the ACT should actually be considered a 25 if the test taker was black.
by FigurinOutLife March 23, 2004
Get the racismmug. The Name That Race game (NTR for short) entails viewing news articles and trying to guess the race of the person(s) involved before such information is given or implied. Players bet between 1 to 3 points prior to reading further or digging into other information sources to find the answer. If correct, they get the points bet added to their total, if wrong, the points are deducted.
Some critics have characterized NTR as "mean-spirited" but it is actually intended as a means of demonstrating liberal hypocrisy in that liberals do not believe racial behaviors can be stereotyped. So, in theory, if the liberals are correct, then no one should be able to attain a positive score in this game. However, skilled players somehow manage to "beat the odds" consistently.
Some critics have characterized NTR as "mean-spirited" but it is actually intended as a means of demonstrating liberal hypocrisy in that liberals do not believe racial behaviors can be stereotyped. So, in theory, if the liberals are correct, then no one should be able to attain a positive score in this game. However, skilled players somehow manage to "beat the odds" consistently.
As an example of how to play the Name That Race game, contrast two news article summaries (taken from actual recent news events) describing two unrelated rapes:
Article 1) "The rapist apparently had stalked his victim for weeks prior to breaking into her home. As the victim entered her home, the rapist surprised her and threatened her with a gun to remain silent. After raping the victim, the rapist left, warning her not to call the police for at least an hour or else he would return for her"
Article 2) "A victim was approaching her car in a fairly busy mall parking lot when the rapist ran up to her and threw her in the car, all in broad daylight. He drove a small distance away from the mall before stopping the car and beating the victim viciously prior to raping her. The rapist then drove off in her car, leaving her by the roadside without knowing if she would die of her wounds or not."
According to liberals, the odds of either rapist being black should be about 13% (which is the prevalence of blacks in the general population), so even if you're only right 50% of the time, you're still about four times more accurate than you should be. For the record, in this particular case, rapist #1 was white and rapist #2 was black. Try the game yourself and remember if you're not absolutely honest about the # of times you're right versus wrong and the # of points you bet, you're not playing NTR, you're plaing BTR (Blame That Race), which is much more boring. It's best to have a mediator who keeps score, but this is not always possible.
Article 1) "The rapist apparently had stalked his victim for weeks prior to breaking into her home. As the victim entered her home, the rapist surprised her and threatened her with a gun to remain silent. After raping the victim, the rapist left, warning her not to call the police for at least an hour or else he would return for her"
Article 2) "A victim was approaching her car in a fairly busy mall parking lot when the rapist ran up to her and threw her in the car, all in broad daylight. He drove a small distance away from the mall before stopping the car and beating the victim viciously prior to raping her. The rapist then drove off in her car, leaving her by the roadside without knowing if she would die of her wounds or not."
According to liberals, the odds of either rapist being black should be about 13% (which is the prevalence of blacks in the general population), so even if you're only right 50% of the time, you're still about four times more accurate than you should be. For the record, in this particular case, rapist #1 was white and rapist #2 was black. Try the game yourself and remember if you're not absolutely honest about the # of times you're right versus wrong and the # of points you bet, you're not playing NTR, you're plaing BTR (Blame That Race), which is much more boring. It's best to have a mediator who keeps score, but this is not always possible.
by FigurinOutLife May 19, 2006
Get the Name That Race gamemug.