The turnout at yesterday’s ill-considered rally was just under 6,200, which is less than a third of the stadium’s capacity of 19,200. This is good news not just for the safety of attendees — many of whom wrongly (and for non-scientific ideological reasons) think that the coronavirus threat is exaggerated — but probably civilization in general.
I have a number of readers from outside North America who’ve asked me the meaning of two American English expressions: stan and spilling tea.
“Stan” means “hyper-obsessed fan.” It comes from Eninem’s number, Stan (the video is above) — the one where Eminem raps over Dido’s Thank You in the voice of a creepy, increasingly-unhinged fan who’s obsessed with him. Stan was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary last year.
You’ve probably heard the term “Stan” recently, due to the activism by “K-Pop Stans” — fans of Korean pop bands — who’ve been organizing online to thwart the racist hashtag #WhiteLivesMatter and more recently, who took some of the air out of the Trump rally by signing up for tickets with no intention of attending. 감사합니다 / gamsahabnida / thank you, K-Pop stans!
Check out Vice’s article: Eminem’s “Stan” Gave a Face and Name to Fandom.
To “spill tea” means “to gossip.” The term has come up on Twitter over gossip about Amy “Central Park Karen” Cooper’s very expensive affair with a married man.
Want to know its origin? The podcast A Way with Words has you covered.
Tap the image to see the original tweet.
With 2020 being as “2020” as it can get, it’s reassuring to know that people like Saxsquatch exist. He’s a guy who like to put on a Sasquatch outfit, get into the woods, and play the sax.
How about this seasonal-appropriate one: Summertime?
Or God Only Knows by the Beach Boys?
He’s not limited to just the saxophone. Here’s a fully-instrumented cover of Daft Punk’s One More Time:
And he performs in places other than the woods, as this full show footage shows:
The Sky News headline reads “Pair hired for man’s broom sexual fantasy turn up in bedroom at wrong address with machetes,” and has the subheading “After appearing in an unsuspecting resident’s bedroom with knives at 6.15am, the duo accepted their mistake, saying ‘sorry mate’”.
I love the rather matter-of-fact account of what happened:
Police said the intended client had “history and proclivity for engaging the services of people”.
He had made arrangements with a man on Facebook for people to engage in the role play, and sent his address – before he later updated it after moving house more than 30 miles away.
But the resident of the home where the men mistakenly turned up to told police that when he noticed a light on in his lounge at around 6.15am, he assumed it was a friend who visits daily to make coffee.
He said he called out: “B***** off, it’s too early.”
After hearing a voice asking “is your name Kevin?”, the man said he turned his light on to see two men he did not recognise standing next to his bed, both holding machetes.
A conversation then ensued, in which the pair repeatedly sought to establish whether he was “Kevin”, each time being told “no” in response.
At one point, one of them asked: “Are you sure you are not Kevin as we were told to come to [this address] and pick up Kevin.”
Eventually accepting their error, the duo then left, with one saying “sorry mate” and shaking the resident’s hand, while the other said “bye”.
The resident then called police.
I have questions:
Juneteenth — the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States — dates back to this day in 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.
For those of you who were reading closely, June 19, 1865 is a full two and half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued on New Year’s Day in 1863, and a couple of months after the end of the Civil War in the U.S. and Lincoln’s assassination. Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery.
Here’s what Juneteenth.com has to say about what happened when the news arrived in 1865 (the emphasis is theirs):
The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation. While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former ‘masters’ – attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore non-existent status for black people in America. Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territories. The celebration of June 19th was coined “Juneteenth” and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.
I’ve made the occasional mention of Juneteenth on this blog over the years, but it’s high time I gave the day its proper due. It’s right, it’s necessary, and it also paved the way for Asians like me to be classified as people and not as railroad equipment.
And while we’re at it, let’s make Juneteenth a national holiday! (Besides, how hardcore a racist do you have to be to not want a day off?)
Here’s some recommended Juneteenth viewing:
Tap the graph to see it at full size.
Where are you on the cycle?
Thanks to Mitch Wagner for the find!