Chicago: They paved a fetid swamp/and put up a parking lot

I heard about this shooting on State St. this morning on NPR right after a story about the 450 shootings. During the piece about the 450 shootings I put on my deodorant and did my hair, but when they said "shooting on the State St. bridge" I stopped and said aloud "WHAT THE FUCK?" And of course I was pretty ashamed about the contrast in reactions!

What? No all I'm saying is that guy getting all shocked and offended because this doesn't happen here when it does, a lot, is some irritatingly privileged bullshit. Get mad, yes, but not because the violence made it to Smith and Wollensky's doorstep. Get mad because this is just one of many (and in my utopia ONE murder is too many) and the vast majority don't get press or major police details or upper class outrage because they are out of hearing range of Loop steak houses. I am not advocating a casual response to gun violence. I'm mocking this man's sheltered understanding of crime in Chicago.

Well things are clearly super great now, then right?

No, but they are legitimately better. Although I think a heat map of where the murders are concentrated might be instructive but still - cutting the murder rate in half is a step in the right direction and I will take any optimism I can get.

Right, I hear you, I'm just saying that I think the media plays a huge part of why men like that have a sheltered understanding of crime in Chicago. Personally I find it hard to blame Joe Average when it takes stories like the one NPR to make quite a few people even aware of whats going on. Yes, its partially people walking around with blinders on to the parts of the city they'd prefer to ignore, but its also partially about how these things are portrayed on a larger scale.

(xpost)

As Jane Average, I don't care to cut that guy any slack. It's just a matter of critical thinking and a willingness to acknowledge uncomfortable truths. Staying ignorant of reality bc you don't have to worry about it is privilege in a nutshell.

I wouldn't exactly consider you Jane Average wrt to this stuff though. You'd be surprised how many people out there are blissfully unaware of just how violent some of those neighborhoods can be. Maybe its important here to draw the distinction between people who are aware and choose to stay ignorant and those who really are completely ignorant of JUST how bad it is (I mean, yeah, you always have those people that are "lol the southside is ghetto", but some of them have no clue). I think there are more people in the latter category than you think.

I consider you "Jane Opinions."

Anyway I think we're both operating under assumptions based on a quote taken from a guy that we aren't given any context beyond where he was eating dinner.

People who eat at Smith and Wolesnky are the worst people.

Smith and Wolesnky was Idi Amin's favorite restaurant in Chicago.

I don't even know anything about it, so I defer to your judgement on that one.

Their salt lined beef aging room is staffed entirely by trafficked child labor from Thailand.

This is printed on their menus so ignorance is no excuse.

Alert: I am making this up. I don't think Idi Amin has ever even been to Chicago. Plus he always struck me more as a Ditka's man.

I consider you "Jane Opinions."

I'll take that as a compliment coming from Je55e Anal Dildo (Starter Size).

OK, little Miss "No, even if you find your keys, please don't drive your trucks out of there b/c they're the only things preventing a catastrophic prolapse!"

loooollll

"trucks" plural hahaha

Man, sometimes I breathe a sigh of relief when you respond to a post like that.

you guys

cheer up dude, the outlook is good.

I've decided to get this tattooed on my back, in Gutenberg script.

And then forego shirts in summertime.

And donate my back hair to Jesse.

Get it in Comic Sans. It's more optimistic.

Haha. Whoever mentioned chest hair upthread, I thought about asking them to shave his and help me glue it to myself.

Maybe you could have a chest of soft, plush cat hair.

You can be an alpaca bear.

The thought of having a hair chest is almost as foreign to me as the thought of having female breasts. Though more appealling.

appealing.

i'm so glad the topic has moved back to chest hair, a topic about which i have uncontroversial opinions

I

In a parallel world, the State St. gunman would have been momentarily distracted by a shirtless man with a cathair chest and would have been wrestled to the ground before anything happened.

I feel like chest hair is actually controversial? by which I mean some people love it and some people loath it

Occasionally I think about posting a pic of my chest hair to the WDYLL thread.

I am strongly pro but don't care about other ppl's opinions bc they are opinions you know?

That sounds like I am flirting with WmC but it was an xp.

i wanna post burtreynolds.jpg but i won't

Arrrrrrrgggghhhhhh the luxury condo construction across the street currently involves someone using a giant circular saw thing to cut through concrete and it is SO GOD DAMN LOUD. You would think for that all god damn money they could afford quieter construction methods.

Maybe this will help

http://verbungle.com/Pink%20Floyd.jpg

Awww.

That helped.

Young David Gilmour is like Tiger Balm for rattled nerves.

In a parallel world, the State St. gunman would have been momentarily distracted by a shirtless man with a cathair chest and would have been wrestled to the ground before anything happened.

I like this idea.

Amanda, you are PRO chest hair, right? I hope you don't think any less of me b/c I am nearly chesthairless :-/

WmC, There is a chest hair thread, and I think it has pics. And it's summer, so the gay thread is accepting shirtless pics, str8s welcome.

Yes. And Je55e I think you should try to glue some cat hair to your chest as suggested because my opinion of you is sinking with each passing minute that you do not have chest hair.

I need a haircut.

http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1983/ga831111.gif

hahahaha

x2

Yes. And Je55e I think you should try to glue some cat hair to your chest as suggested because my opinion of you is sinking with each passing minute that you do not have chest hair.

Hahahaha - I was taking a sip of iced coffee when I read the first part of this and I did a spit take. Back into the glass, fortunately.

xp
Oh wow!! Spilling coffee and chest hair!

I just saw Jeff while he was out running and I was reading a historic marker (on that gorgeous old apartment building on Diversey and Pine Grove). He sidled up next to me while I was reading and I thought, Ugh, this creep is either going to harass me or hit on me, but he's probably not a history buff.