As the saying goes, “Go Woke, go broke.” Just look at what has happened to Dick’s Sporting Goods after they decided that they weren’t just going to stop selling long guns, especially those using the AR-15 platform. They also decided that they were going to fund anti-gun lobbyists as well.
ICYMI: “Defund the Police,” is now a mainstream moniker…
It seemed that with that particular move, they alienated a lot of their customers, and sales flopped for the rest of their gun inventories. Sure, they said, we’ll beef up the other hunting and camping areas as well as other outdoor sports stuff and clothing. The result was now they are eliminating their hunting and gun departments from about 585 stores. They sold 8 of their Field & Stream stores to Sportman’s Warehouse.
So, with the CEO’s move to Social Activism, he’s made his choice. We will make ours. And it seems we’ll be making a lot of those kinds of decisions because the Left keeps being divisive – they just cannot get to the mindset that they should just leave other people alone. It is always the case that they wish to change our behavior. It used to be just when they seized the Levers of Power within Government. Now, along with their Long March through our Media, News, Hollywood, and Education, they’re using private sector companies as well and it isn’t just banks and retail stores. Now it is including media that one would never have thought, like STEM areas, to stray out of their core lanes.
I used to subscribe to Popular Science but it stopped being a “read as soon as possible” even with the free email version. It was clear, years ago, that their focus on Science had been co-opted with their (small at first but growing over time) shift to the Left. While the Science was still there, it was clear that its fealty to Social Justice and Things Lefty were becoming the driving force – Social Justice became their lens in presenting anything of a Science issue.
During that time, Popular Mechanics stayed firm to the ethos of my older childhood – Mechanics was the staple and I read that right after I finished the Popular Science issue (at my house, they came in pretty much together). So much for that. Today, the Popular Mechanics email of articles had this front and center:
How to Topple a Statue Using Science
Bring that sucker down without anyone getting hurt….Should you happen to find yourself near a statue that you decide you no longer like, we asked scientists for the best, safest ways to bring it to the ground without anyone getting hurt—except, of course, for the inanimate racist who’s been dead for a century anyway.
So there’s that little nuance to what’s been going on in the news for the last couple of years (and a lot more with #BlackLivesMatter riots). And they went through the means of toppling a statue via physical, heat, and chemical (talked about applying thermite) approaches. Ya just hadda pick your side, eh?
…And here’s a fun bonus: The liquid nitrogen will quickly turn to a gas and come shooting out of that hole you drilled, says Harrison, which will almost certainly cause a high-pitched squeal. “One could imagine it sounding something like the sound a confederate general would make if their feet were on fire.”
I was thinking that this might have been some old style Yankee still upset about the Civil War but James Stout, the author, makes it quite clear:
James Stout, Ph.D is a historian of anti fascism in sport and runs a nonprofit that uses exercise to empower Indigenous people to live healthier and happier lives. He was born in the U.K. and lives in California.
So, to get an image of their site, I went to the home page of Popular Mechanics and straight up, after talking about badass the B-29 bomber was at the end of WW II, there was this:
How to Dodge and Disarm the Sonic Weapon Used by Police
The LRAD is like a car alarm from hell—and if you aren’t careful, it could permanently damage your hearing.
So, being part of a riot where law enforcement has to step in is just dandy – here’s how to avoid the worst of it (a few hundred words that summarize to 1) wear earplugs, 2) have an escape route.
Hmmm, how about NOT rioting in the first place? And leave other peoples’ property (even public property) alone?
Nah, these Wokesters aren’t thinking about that…until it becomes their own.
And yes, Popular Mechanics is owned by the same company that owns NH’s own WMUR TV channel. Go figure.