2wiceBakeds

@JohnHMcWhorter Blaming Anthony's actions on Scottish/Irish/English culture and then having the nerve to invoke Jemele Hill, of all people, at the end is just ridiculous. You write this with the tone of some enlightened centrist, but you're no closer to the truth than the ones crying "racism".

Folks, I'd like to get my two cents in on Karmelo Anthony. This is a long one -- pretend it's an editorial. “He put his hands on me. I stabbed him.” Why does a boy spontaneously justify stabbing someone on so thin a pretense? And why do so many Black Americans see his 35-year prison sentence as racist? I think the answer to both questions takes us to Scotland, Ireland, and northern England. At a track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas in April of last year, Anthony sat down under a team’s tent. Anthony was neither on the team nor a student at its school, and an unwritten but widely known rule is that only team members are permitted under a team tent. Multiple student witnesses – and not just “whitenesses,” as several were Black -- testified about what happened next. Anthony was told several times to leave the tent but refused, including a profane epithet, culminating in warning “Touch me and see what happens.” Team member Austin Metcalf shoved Anthony, who pulled a knife out of his bag, stabbed him in the chest, threw the knife into the stands and ran away. Caught by the police, he immediately admitted to the stabbing, reportedly saying “He put his hands on me. I stabbed him.” Metcalf died in his twin brother’s arms. There is no reason to think Anthony was trying to kill Metcalf. He was trying to hurt him severely, putting him in the hospital, for shoving him, as he indicated in at first saying "He's not gonna die." Also, claims such as prosecutor Bill Wirskye’s that Anthony meant “Touch me and see what happens” as a provocation are based on a misreading of Black English. “Touch me and see what happens” is not a command to touch. It means “If you touch me, you will find out.” The question is why Anthony thought being pushed justified sinking a knife into Metcalf’s body. The answer is the culture of “disrespect” in young Black male culture, documented by many (including black sociologists). His calculus was "If he even touches me, I am disrespected, and will respond in destructive kind." The idea is that being dissed merits what we might phrase as cutting someone a new one. There is no reason to suppose that this is due to Black people having some inborn propensity to violence. The Black economist Thomas Sowell has traced the “disrespect” culture to the whites from the “Celtic Fringe” – an area comprising parts of northern England, Scotland, and Ulster County in Ireland -- who migrated to the South starting in the 1700s and established plantations (or worked on them as indentured servants). Black people, often enslaved, worked alongside and around them and their American-born descendants. At this time (although certainly not now), whites from the Celtic Fringe area had the same tripwire response to being dissed – “touchy pride” -- as well as many other traits now commonly associated with “gangsta” Black culture. In his classic study of early migrants to America “Albion’s Seed,” the historian David Hackett Fisher referred to the oppressed people of this northern borderland region, encompassing Scotland, northern England and Ulster County in Ireland, as “some of the most disorderly inhabitants of a deeply disordered land.” “Manliness and the forceful projection of that manliness to others – an advertisement of one’s willingness to fight and even to put one’s life on the line – were at least plausible means of gaining whatever level of security was possible in a lawless region and a violent time,” Sowell notes. Hundreds of thousands of people from this region migrated to America starting in the early 1700s, eventually migrating to the South. Many establishedplantations and bought enslaved Black people to work on them. Referring often to the scholarly and sympathetic study of this “cracker” culture in America by the historian Grady McWhiney, Sowell notes that they manifested “a touchiness about anything that might be even remotely construed as a personal slight, much less an insult, combined with a willingness to erupt into violence over it.” The step is short between that and “He put his hands on me. I stabbed him.” It is hard not to see the parallel between the “cracker” culture and the sociologist Elijah Anderson’s study of late twentieth century Black culture of “the streets,” where “respect is viewed as almost an external entity that is hard-won but easily lost, and so must constantly be guarded. (...) Many of the forms that dissing can take might seem petty to middle-class people (maintaining eye contact for too long, for example), but to those invested in the street code, these actions become serious indications of the other person's intentions. Consequently, such people become very sensitive to advances and slights, which could well serve as warnings of imminent physical confrontation.” Sowell argues that enslaved Blacks would have internalized these norms from the whites they worked with and lived around. It might seem hard to imagine whites and Blacks sharing a culture on the kind of plantation familiar from dramatic depictions, where legions of Black people worked in the fields while whites were their owners and overseers. However, in reality, relationships between whites and Blacks, while fraught and founded in pitiless domination, allowed for degrees of interchange and familiarity. Plantations varied massively in size, and white children and Black ones grew up playing together, even influencing one another’s speech. Black sociologist W.E.B. DuBois’ survey of Black Philadelphia in the 1890s, as well as studies afterward, shows that until the 1960s, the “cracker” inheritance from whites was largely confined to the least advantaged and segregated Black people. However, for the past several decades, aspects of the “disrespect culture” have had influence even among middle-class Black people. For one, the Black middle class vastly increased after the Civil Rights victories of the 1960s, and therefore, for most middle class Black people, poverty remains only a few generations back. Culture does not always change in lockstep with income. Add to this that in the 1960s, many Black people rejected the old idea that our goal was to assimilate to mainstream (i.e. white) norms. Rather than engaging in what is often called respectability politics, many Black people embraced the idea of a separate Black identity – and one aspect of that was the chip-on-the-shoulder style. This all meant that these days, a Black boy hardly needs to grow up in the ‘hood to internalize aspects of what Sowell calls “redneck” culture. This includes the tripwire sensitivity to being “disrespected.” This informs how so many black commenters on the trial and sentence seem to not quite process the horror of Metcalf’s murder. Representative Jasmine Crockett thinks the length of the sentence is racist – as if a white boy shivving a Black boy to death would only get a slap on the hand -- focusing on the fact that the knife was not especially large and that Anthony only stabbed once. Martin Luther King’s daughter Berenice King opines that the main lesson from the episode is racial disparities in the justice system. Many online revile that none of the jurors were Black. But it is reasonable to think that they would have liked that a representative number of jurors would pardon Anthony as representing his “disrespect culture,” and thus less culpable than a teen of any other race in America? If so, they are less progressive than retrograde, if we are really to get past race. Dr. King didn’t die demanding that whites make excuses for us. What’s missing in these opinions is thoughts that would occur readily to the outside observer. How about if Anthony hadn’t been carrying a knife at all? How about Anthony just getting up and leaving, or just shoving back rather than hauling out a weapon? But under the “disrespect” culture, even in the background as a tacit sentiment, the idea that Anthony could simply have done what he was told seems an almost unreasonable expectation based on respectability politics. And frankly, I venture that there another resonance in the air: that on a certain level we are supposed to see Anthony’s deed in the light of slavery, Jim Crow and George Floyd, and other disrepectings upon us as a group. Karmelo Anthony drank in this way of thinking subconsciously in the way that we all grow into the culture we are born into. He doubtless incorporated countless elements of Black culture that are positive or even just neutral. But one of them was this notion of what it is to be a man, which made sense in some upper reaches of what we now know as the United Kingdom centuries ago, but doesn’t work in modern American society. The sports journalist Jemele Hill advises “We need to be having conversations with our young black boys about emotional regulation and decision making and discernment and wisdom.” Black women often give their boys “The Talk” about obeying what cops demand. But that talk needs to come with a second one – there need to be “The Talks.” Young Black men need to be told not to fall for the idea that being dissed justifies physical violence. That, and not the persistence of racism, is what Karmelo Anthony’s fate should teach us. If you did, thanks for staying with me until the end!

@CurtWilkerson_ will he be playing this upcoming season?

Going LIVE in a few minutes to talk about Arkansas’ new addition!

@BarneysRubble0 @owenthcarey That's a book for freshman in college Reddit atheists. Embarrassing to out yourself like this.

@owenthcarey god is not Great by Christopher Hitchens.

Excluding the Bible, what book should every Christian read?

@sketchy_cactus @ShadowofEzra @OpticsExec This seems like some big brain move but all it's gonna do is flood the country with more illegals and make shit worse than it was before. Risk far outweighs any possible reward

@ShadowofEzra Bro trying so hard to be the guy in 28. Sorry not gonna happen. Patriots are voting blue in the midterms to ruin the Trump admin and usher in an American first candidate up from the ashes in 28. Inshallah Cc @OpticsExec

JD Vance is warning Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration not to mess around with the United States, saying they may end up losing everything. Vance says Trump is their last ally because the entire world already hates them. "If I were in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally I have."

@apoophenia @RokoMijic Most Protestant sects have caved to secularism and modernity far more than Catholicism. Tell me why Protestantism is the savior of Christianity. I’m open to hearing.

@RokoMijic We had the reformation for a reason

Christianity is finished. Done.

@BeReasonable01 @Hitchslap1 How would you succinctly define a narcissist? Asking b/c sometimes i think i am one

@Hitchslap1 Every day as a therapist. They suck. Borderlines are worse.

Serious question. Have you ever dealt with a narcissist?

@bootyprince420 @PerpetualDrift “Love like me” by Billy strings, nicely covered!

smashed my ring finger with a 20oz True Temper Rocket saturday morning and playing hurts but that’s okay may i also present to you, Huey on a Haybale

@CWingUexkull @danielgothits Pat Conroy. Very underrated.

@danielgothits It’s been one of the wealthiest, most exclusive / elite neighborhoods in the entire south for >100 years… Pat Conroy literally wrote a novel about the ne’er do well bluebloods from here called _South of Broad_

This is how much houses cost in checks notes *South Carolina* in 2026 lol We’re basically living through hyper inflation already but people just haven’t realized

I appreciate the article and it’s neutral perspective, but you just had to throw this little Reddit-coded line in at the end, huh? lol “A country duo from Nashville played a mix of originals and covers from a stage at the front of the room. Visions of a brighter community flickered around me, no venture-capital backing or network state necessary.”

I went to central Tennessee to take a peek into the future of the New Right. My story for the relaunched @POLITICOMag, out this weekend: politico.com/news/magazine/…

@Mr_NiceGuy3082 @Molson_Hart It would create incentives for the agent to tell the Seller that the house was worth less than it was and would cause Sellers to potentially leave money on table. I’m not saying it’s a terrible idea, but I don’t think you’ve thought it all the way through

@2wiceB @Molson_Hart Great, the housing cost would be more realistic, and the buyer would lose on the sale but then gain it back end when they purchase the next house. I’d call that a a win in my book.

Just a couple of days after I tweeted that real estate brokers primarily use their persuasion skills to convince you to take a bad deal rather than to negotiate with the opposing party, the senior broker accidentally copied me on an email to his junior broker doing just that. When I replied, instead of apologizing, he just doubled down. Not all brokers are like this but many are because that’s how the incentives work. Many service providers have bad incentives as part of what is considered “market” or generally accepted terms. When that happens, you can partially solve this problem through a mutual reference or sourcing the service provider through a community they share with you. That forces them to think more long-term than transactionally.

@Joseph_Paul_V @Molson_Hart Back at you!

@2wiceB @Molson_Hart Not need to apologize I understand your view point. Best regards and God Bless you and your family.

@Joseph_Paul_V @Molson_Hart I wasn’t defending whatever happened with Molson’s agent. Sorry if I implied that or I didn’t realize that we were discussing with that interaction as the framework. Many things have misaligned incentives and rely on people to be good people. Choose who you trust wisely.

Yes, I understand the value of an agent in dealing with hassle & I have used agents in the past. However, @Molson_Hart 's point still stands, both his critique of the arrangement and the agents unprofessional actions. If instead the agent had called Molson, apologized for talking behind his back, and reasonably explained why he believes Molson should take the offer (based on his expert knowledge, market insight, or buyer due diligence) it could have gone a long way. These are the actions a fiduciary advisor would take, as it removes any secrecy in the relationship.

All true. As you said, no is forced to hire an agent. They provide a service. They take the work off your plate and onto theirs. The contracts, the scouring of the available inventory, the annoying emails and questions, the setting up of inspections, etc etc. I think the anti-agent perspective on X is a little tired and overwrought, so I thought I’d offer the other perspective.

@2wiceB @Molson_Hart Yes, but I could just as easily an agent will then steer a buyer to doing the most assured deal to close. By your own logic you also present a key opportunity for unaligned interests in the negotiation.

@Joseph_Paul_V @Molson_Hart I must not have made my point well. I made no mention of a buyers agent. I merely meant that getting a deal done is maybe the most important thing for an agent (sellers or buyers), it’s not getting the biggest commission. Bc there is no commission, big or small, without a deal

@2wiceB @Molson_Hart Why would I trust a buyers agent to be more capable than myself negotiating more directly with the seller?

@L0m3z In-group preference remains undefeated sans Euro’s

Risking everything. Putting it all on the line. I enjoy Haim.

@Joseph_Paul_V @Molson_Hart This is too simplistic a take. They work to make the largest commission possible, which only happens if a deal gets done. So the deal getting done part is a huge part of the incentive structure and is not always in line with trying to get the largest commission possible.

@Molson_Hart I never use a buyers agent, and while I listen to my sellers agent they sometimes need to be strongly discouraged from taking certain actions. This makes agents extremely mad. In the end they work to make themselves the largest commission possible.

@Mr_NiceGuy3082 @Molson_Hart That would just creative incentives for listing agent to price the listing low. Did you think about that?

@Molson_Hart Here’s an idea: Seller’s agent gets x% of every dollar *over* listing price, and buyer’s agent gets x% of every dollar under. Perhaps on top of a base 1% each, or something like that.

@CSandbatch DMT is a whole nother level from L or mushrooms, even when taking those substances at high doses. I’ve always had great experiences on DMT. What didn’t you like about it?

Oh man this is one I can answer. This car Dan Pinchbeck got really popular in the 00s pushing things like DMT and ayahuasca. Combined with the relative scarcity of both shrooms and LSD at the time vs "order it literally on the Internet", and it took right off.

@SteveSkojec Go to Waffle House man. It’s a throwback in more ways than one

Remember the days when you could go get breakfast and it wasn't $20+? I miss that.

@BeReasonable01 Yeah but this is a fun hypothetical

@2wiceB Nah, that’s super shady.

Question? If you find out for certain that your married CEO is carrying on with a subordinate, do you snitch?