Angry at Kenyan train in Thomas the Tank Engine, the NRA posts picture of trains in Klan hoods

[the_borderer]

I preferred Ivor the Engine when I was a kid, even before I knew that Oliver Postgate, the creator of the show, wrote articles for the New Statesman and was the grandson of George Lansbury. the leader of the Labour Party in the mid 1930s.

[ChuckV]

@LurksNoMore

I’m increasingly of the opinion that we need a succinct, pithy term for the “crazies”, by which I mean people who aren’t actually mentally ill or anything, but who’ve maneuvered themselves into counterfactual and irrational worldviews that they’re no longer fully engaging with reality.

Shitheads?

[vonbobo]

@anon21100188

but it’s hard to even wrap your head around what they’re supposed to be mad about as a premise here.

The video finished and I wasn’t sure what I had just seen. Am i supposed to be afraid of a cartoon train woman from africa and that makes the rest of the cartoon cast kkk members?
Does content and argument matter? Or is the game just to throw out trigger buzzwords and let the triggered sort it out among themselves?

[gracchus]

@LurksNoMore

I’m increasingly of the opinion that we need a succinct, pithy term for the “crazies”

I call them Know-Nothings, an old American term that nicely captures their willful ignorance, their bigotry, their reactionary tendencies, and their propensity toward blaming their own failures on conspiracies. Not that they’re limited to the U.S., since every country seems to have that same 27% portion of the electorate that acts this way.

[Pensketch]

@generic_name

What does this have to do with guns?

It doesn’t always have to be about guns. Sometimes it can be about reasons to start using those guns. Apparently… this is a reason?

“HOW DARE THERE BE AN IMPLIED BLACK TRAIN IN A CHILDREN’S SHOW!? TO ARMS!”

Meanwhile, in the real world:

[anon75430791]

Shithead dipshits.

[HMSGoose]

Well, first of all, thank you for your service in actually watching the video and pulling the relevant transcript bits. There should be a badge for that.

second WTactualF? Are these seething deathmongers really not able to see anything without a lens of conflict (culture war or otherwise?) how about, it’s interesting that there are people from different places? jesus fuck, how do they keep their arteries intact?

[LDoBe]

They’re stupid.

But apparently calling stupid people dumbasses is unacceptable anymore.

I keep being told that their stupidity is as valid and worthwhile as my knowledge.

[LurksNoMore]

@vonbobo

Does content and argument matter? Or is the game just to throw out trigger buzzwords and let the triggered sort it out among themselves?

I think you’re actually hitting on something there. Over the last few years, I’ve noticed how much of the popular right-wing surges on the internet – GamerGate, the Puppy crowd, the people whinging about SJWs destroying Star Wars, etc. – is engaging in “cargo cult” arguments.

By which I mean the way so many of the deplorables take arguments and buzzwords from the sane side, and repeat them with the polarity flipped, without any concern that it makes their arguments not just baseless but completely unreal. There’s no reasoning, even bad reasoning, there, and no comprehension that the other side might actually believe the things they’re saying and have actual reasons for doing so. Just emotional outbursts and putting on the trappings of arguments without actually presenting coherent arguments.

I think it’s the same thing here. The whole thing is incoherent, because there’s no actual argument or reasoning behind it, just a cargo cult mockup of one, and the whole point is just to press emotional buttons and trigger a reaction from an audience primed to lash out at anything that hints at racial or sexual equality and inclusivity.

[Glaurung]

@beschizza

conservatives professionally angry people have finally noticed and gotten angry about it.

FTFY.

Conservatives used to be in favour of certain things, like a hands off approach to government, making things easy for corporations, and so on.

Now they are merely against a long list of things that they get very, very angry about.

[Bucket]

This just in: It has just been revealed that The Scooby Gang hangs out with The Harlem Globetrotters but refuses to give equal time to the Washington Generals.

[FGD135]

@Gyrofrog

Wouldn’t their complaint be that this show about fictional rolling stock doesn’t have enough (if any) firearms?

Fixed!

[Phil8chio]

It’s pretty clear that the trains represent different countries. It’s not about the race of the train.
It’s interesting that they’ve had an Indian, Mexican, Chinese, etc. train for a while- but as soon as there’s an African train- Uh-oh!! Gotta make a stink about it!

[Hanglyman]

The context helps. It’s still reprehensible, but I found it really weird that after decades of dancing around the issue, the NRA would choose this as the hill to make its stand and finally say “Yes, we’re overtly racist. We’re not even pretending anymore, we’re fully on the side of the KKK!” Over TRAIN PUPPETS. Judging from what you posted, they didn’t after all- or at least, they don’t think they did.

[Brainspore]

They had a whole feature-length movie about a Japanese train named “Hiro” back in 2009 and not a peep from the NRA.

Hero of the Rails

[Melz2]

The mindless hatred, the willful stupid; it’s too much.

[douglas_stuart]

That’s one way to ensure good posture =O

[Shuck]

I think it’s been a while since they were all about the guns - they’re a reactionary propaganda media outlet and at least glancingly cover most of the issues in the culture war now. Creating racist fears to drive gun sales has long been a core part of the NRA’s strategy, so this is right in their wheel house.
I’m a bit surprised they went with “having black people is the same as being the KKK” though - aren’t they afraid of alienating the KKK?

[bcsizemo]

Then don’t watch Shed 17 on youtube…

[IronEdithKidd]

Nice try, buster, I’m not clickin’ on that.