Man Of Jackistan: Reason and Truth's Time and Place

Black People and Conspiracy Theories, Plus Speculation About Biden's VP Pick and the Future of Trumpism Rant #17 ( Opinion ) Originally March 22, 2020; Posted March 23, 2020 Lately, I've thought a lot about something that confuses me. It seems that a lot of Black people  believe in conspiracy theories like New World Order, Illuminati, population control--a whole bunch of them.  Maybe that's a coincidence, and only overwhelmingly endemic among the Black people that I know. But it makes sense. As a White man, I can only speculate. On the one hand, I can totally see the roots of skepticism and distrust in the system: slavery, "separate but equal" segregation, Blacks being denied mortgages and credit through red-lining, the Tuskegee experiment, police profiling; there is a long history of this government and its elites quite literally conspiring to make life difficult for Blacks. What boggles my mind more than just a proclivity for belief in conspiracy theori...

On China; Also, Venting About Misconceptions From The Right Rant #16 ( Opinion ) Originally March 20,2020; Posted March 23, 2020 A Trump supporter recently criticized me for what he perceived to be my stance on relations with China. Initially, the man mentioned how if Biden wins the upcoming presidential election, despite the coronavirus revealing the weakness of over-relying on China for goods, the US will not move its supply chains away from there. Whereas under Trump, our country will apparently relocate its source of manufacturing. The man boasted about how Trump has already accomplished so much with that country, and then proceeded to attack my rejection of that assessment by saying that my view (or what he believed to be my view) was some "hippy Green Party crap, opposed to the 'evil corporations,' and naive like the last 50 years of presidents."  First off, I never said anything about business owners being evil or Green Party bullshit. I am saying...

Bernie vs. Biden's Electability Rant #6 ( Opinion ) Originally March 2, 2020 In the 3 short days between the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday's contests, many major developments have potentially turned the primary race on its head. On Tuesday, registered Democrats in 14 states and territories will determine the allotment of over 1,300 of the total 3,979 delegates for the convention. With each passing day, serious panic within the moderate and establishment camp of the Democratic Party continues to expand. This fear of Bernie Sanders, a left-leaning candidate currently in the lead with both delegates and in the polls, worries these Dems because Bernie's policies lie too far from the center that he has no chance in a national election--or so the thinking goes. Instead, these people think the best strategy to beat Trump is to chose a less ideological, middle-lane candidate to appeal to 2016 Trump voters and win several swing states that way. This fact...

Bernie Burning Opponents In Polls Rant #2 ( Opinion ) Originally: February 19, 2020 Polls often fluctuate wildly and, after the upset in 2016, many question the legitimacy of polls altogether. Admittedly, the 2016 presidential election that saw Donald Trump become president shocked nearly everyone--including Trump himself, given that in the days leading up to the election he started decrying it as 'rigged.' The polling agencies have since attempted to correct these mistakes, some of which include changing their models to give more weight to non-college educated people, who don't answer surveys as frequently, among other tweaks to their methodology. So it seems like people discredit polls too much these days, given their typical accuracy. Also, there is more than just one polling agency--some do a better job than others. For example, Rasmussen Reports leans heavily toward Republicans. With all that said, acknowledging the fallibility of opinion polling, a slew of i...