The Most Active Threads Since Friday

The most active thread over the weekend was the one that I've previous discussed about Fairfax County Public schools boundaries. Posters in that thread have worked themselves up into a frenzy and have now started a petition to oppose a boundary change that nobody had proposed. The most active thread after that one was titled, "Can we analyze jennifer lopez?" and posted in the "Entertainment and Pop Culture" forum. While the competition is fierce, this thread might be the most absurd that I've come across in this forum. The original poster accuses Jennifer Lopez of having a level of narcissism beyond anything that she has ever seen and, based on the title, is inviting other posters to analyze Lopez. I am sure that I can think of something more ridiculous than asking a bunch of people who almost universally lack any relevant qualifications and do not have first-hand access to the subject to conduct psychological analysis, but I would have to really work at it. Obviously, this a clear cut situation in which the responses will say more about the posters writing them than about Lopez. The first poster to respond more or less turns the tables on the original poster, writing, "She’s got you so hooked that you want to analyze her even though she allegedly repulses you." Another poster presented my own view fairly accurately, saying, "Nonsense post. Projecting based on what you think people are feeling based on photos?" A number of posters either don't view JLo as narcissistic or are willing to forgive her for it. They see her as a hard worker who has earned what she has. As one poster put it, "She looks incredible and to look like that you must be extremely self-disciplined." There are differences of opinion about her abilities as an actress or a singer, with most posters, even some who generally don't have a lot of appreciation for her, concede that she has at least some talent. But others aren't even willing to grant that to Lopez. Before long the thread turned into a discusion of Lopez's relationship with Ben Affleck, to whom she has been married for nearly two years. Lopez has had a rocky road when it comes to relationships and was engaged to Affleck over 20 years ago. Now there are apparently rumors that their marriage might not last. Posters were busy analyzing photos to see whether or not Affleck was wearing a wedding ring and debatting the significance of the couple arriving individually to an event be leaving together. One indicator of the quality of the "analysis" generally conducted in this thread is that any photo that showed JLo appearing happy was immediately alleged to be "staged" whereas any photo showing her to look like a normal person trying to get someplace without being hassled was used as incontrovertible evidence that her life is a disaster. With all of her wealth, I am sure that JLo can easily afford top notch mental healthcare. But, if it is ever needed, she can obtain psychological care free of charge from a host of eager DCUM therapists. What they lack in qualifications is certainly make up in obsessiveness.

The weekend's next most active thread was posted in the "Political Discussion" forum and titled, "Alito displayed a ‘stop the steal’ symbol at his home". For those who may have been enjoying themselves over the weekend rather than keeping up on political news, a photo emerged showing an upside down American flag being flown at the home of US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. The picture was taken just after the January 6 insurrection attempt for which former President and current cult leader Donald Trump has been charged with instigating. Trump supporters were using the upside down flag to indicate their belief that the election had been stolen. Hence, Alito's home displaying the flag could indicate his support for the "Stop the Steal" movement. This is especially significant as the Court is involved with several cases related to the election and its aftermath and any support by Alito for the insurrection would call his ability to hear the cases fairly and without bias into question. In an interview with Fox News, Alito blamed his wife for hanging the flag. According to him, she had been angered by an anti-Trump sign and upset by a heated discussion with a neighbor and had hung the flag upside down for a short time. Why Mrs. Alito would react to anti-Trump messages in this manner was not clarified. Much of the discussion in the thread focused on the impropriety of Alito apparently showing support for the "Stop the Steal" movement. As one poster succinctly put it, "You can't judge an insurrection when you identify with the insurrectionists." Many posters compared Alito to Justice Clarence Thomas whose wife Ginni was deeply involved with the insurrection and clearly supported efforts to overturn the election. This makes two justices who are married to women with apparent sympathy for Trump's claim that the election was stolen and, as a result, Alito and Thomas have apparent conflicts of interest. Rightfully, both should recuse from election-related cases, but nobody expects them to do so. Republican-leaning posters were caught flat-footed by this affair and had difficulty responding. One suggested that the flag had been put upside down by accident, apparently ignoring Alito's explanation. Others are argued that it is within Alito's free speech rights to advocate in such a manner. That is, of course, true. Nobody is suggesting that Alito should be prosecuted or otherwise legally sanctioned for taking a stance regarding the election. The question is whether, having taken that position, he can act as an impartial judge on related cases. As some posters pointed out, Republicans were aghast when former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem, calling it an insult to the flag. Kaepernick was black-balled from the NFL for his action. But in this case, Republicans oppose any repercussions for Alito's flag-related transgression.

The next most active thread was another thread that I've already discussed, the one about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement address. After that was another thread involving an athlete. Titled, "Scottie Scheffler arrested for assault on police officer" and posted in the "Entertainment and Pop Culture" forum, the original poster said that she thought that this was a headline from the satirical newssite "The Onion". I don't follow golf and had never heard of Scottie Scheffler until this event. But, apparently, he is the top-ranked golfer in the world. He was participating in PGA Championship and on his way to the golf course was waved down by a police officer. Scheffler did not stop as requested and, when the officer became "attached" to his car, continued driving and dragged the police officer for a short distance. Scheffler was subsequently charged with four counts and then released. He continued on to golf in the day's rounds. A number of posters in this thread are clearly Scheffler fans (almost universally referring to him as "Scotty") and are eager to absolve him of any responsibility. All sorts of excuses are made for him and the police — criticism of whom is normally considered a step below treason — were called everything from "Keystone Cops" to a "prima donna". In reaction to this, several posters pointed out how attitudes would likely be different had a Black athlete rather than a White one been involved. As one poster wrote:

Rich WHITE pro athlete: benefit of the doubt, just a silly misunderstanding, cops are low IQ trash, prosecutor needs to immediately drop all the charges

Rich BLACK pro athlete: thug, was probably drunk or on drugs, who does he think he is, put him in jail, kick him out of the league, should have complied, blue lives matter

But other posters were not buying the racial angle, pointing out that Tiger Woods seemed to get plenty of passes. For his part, Scheffler claimed that he had simply misunderstood instructions and thought that he was doing what he was supposed to be doing. As far as I could tell, he did not provide an explanation as to how he ended up dragging a police officer for several feet. Basically, this thread became very repetitive with one side arguing that Scheffler is a really good guy and that charges should be dropped and the other side arguing that Scheffler deserves the same treatment as anyone who is less privileged, especially those who are Black.

The final thread that I will discuss today was also posted in the "Entertainment and Pop Culture" forum. Titled, "Bridgerton Season 3", the thread was started nearly a week ago in anticipation of the release of the first three episodes of the Netflix series "Bridgerton". Once DCUM posters had a chance to watch those episodes, discussion took off with 9 additional pages being added over the weekend. The dilemma for me is how to write about this thread. I don't want to provide any spoilers so I'll avoid discussing the most recent posts. But let's just say that reaction was mixed. Many DCUM readers have read the Bridgerton series of books and carried their enthusiasm for the novels over to the Netflix series. The first season of Bridgerton was a hit among the DCUM crowd, which despite changes over the years remains heavily female. These posters especially found the Duke, well, pleasing to the eye. Based on some of the posts, I have to believe that more than one DCUM husband may have found himself getting unexpectedly lucky the evening of a Bridgerton episode. But the lead characters of Season 3 do not have the same physical qualities. In particular, there is disagreement about Penelope. Almost all posters agree that Nicola Coughlan, the actress who plays the role, is a talented actress and some posters even describe her as beautiful. But for many, she is just not the right character for a steamy romance. This dispute, especially as it concerns her weight, continues throughout the thread, even after the new episodes have been viewed. As has always been the case in Bridgerton threads, posters are apt to compare the show to the books and often finding the show wanting. On the other hand, some posters enjoy the adaptation, often commenting positively on the leap from page to screen. DCUM wouldn't be DCUM if the topic didn't have contrary voices. Among the show's detractors were those who never liked any of the Bridgerton seasons, making you wonder why they have stuck it out to Season 3. It seems the romance is simply too vanilla for their tastes. At times the criticism in the thread was strident enough to provoke a backlash with posters complaining about the negative tone.