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A pointed political satire from the right was reported as a local man's quirky, meaningless joke about boneless chicken by both local and national news, and that framing is now repeated endlessly on social media.
Newsmedia must provide more context. That is its job.
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Newsmedia must provide more context. That is its job.
/thread
First is looking at who this man is - the son of a sitting city council member, as revealed in the original video by the council member himself, with an indulgent smile from the dais.
Councilman Roy Christensen did not seem surprised or upset by his son's stunt. Interesting!
Councilman Roy Christensen did not seem surprised or upset by his son's stunt. Interesting!
Is this a father-son joke? A reference to a Christmas dinner of years past? Reporters could ask those questions.. but did they?
Without those answers, let's look at what we know. What has Councilman Christensen been up to lately? What does he stand for?
Without those answers, let's look at what we know. What has Councilman Christensen been up to lately? What does he stand for?
Councilman Christensen has been working for months now to silence Black Lives Matter advocates in the council chambers, because he feels they are a grave threat to decorum and respect. https://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-hall-ban-on-signs-sought-for-lincoln-city-council-meetings/article_dbb90bb8-6307-5c2f-8452-d2fff3d658db.html
Public testimony periods in Lincoln have occasionally stretched til midnight in recent months; an unprecedented wave of public engagement. Lincoln police have been brutal towards nonviolent protestors, yet most of the city council doesn't really believe that happened, or care.
Roy Christensen himself certainly doesn't believe the protestors making impassioned, and yes, often highly emotional or loud, pleas for the Lincoln police to please, just have a bit less unquestioned power to hurt us and our children in schools, have anything worthwhile to say.
Roy Christensen stands firmly with the police, appearing in June in a pro-police parade (er, drive - you need a license for a parade; I never heard of one being attained, but I know the councilman would never stand for law-breaking in pursuit of political expression).
He wore a Hawaiian shirt to the event. How fun and quirky! He explained to media that recent violence towards protestors by Lincoln police was sad but necessary. https://journalstar.com/news/local/lincoln-residents-ride-in-support-of-law-enforcement/article_98c7a0e1-1ed3-507d-a99f-46e554380bbd.html
So, that's some stuff we know about Councilman Christensen. What about his son Ander, who gave the testimony about chicken wings? He clearly has heard council testimony before; the hilarity comes not just from his subject matter but his highly moralized and emotional language.
Ander says "We have been casually ignoring a problem that has gotten so out of control that our children.."
Remind you of anything? Any problems you know of that people are currently saying has been ignored for too long? That are affecting children, even?
Remind you of anything? Any problems you know of that people are currently saying has been ignored for too long? That are affecting children, even?
"There are a lot of things out there that are too big to be solved in this generation" Ander said in the Lincoln Journal Star on Sep 3. Interesting - activists have been saying police brutality needs to stop; that it *can* stop in our lifetimes. https://journalstar.com/news/local/saucynugs-lincoln-man-makes-impassioned-plea-to-rename-boneless-chicken-wings/article_800f4f65-65d6-5e93-bacb-be8e1ccb9efd.html
Brands have gotten in on the joke, too, but they either don't realize or don't care that they're using the language of another movement. They claim, sometimes explicitly, this isn't political at all.
"We stand with Ander"
...who *do* they stand with? https://twitter.com/OmahaSteaks/status/1301550053623033856
"We stand with Ander"
...who *do* they stand with? https://twitter.com/OmahaSteaks/status/1301550053623033856
The Journal Star says Ander's plea was "satirical and mildly serious" but doesn't offer any insight into what, exactly, Anders might have been satirizing, or why he chose this moment to do it. ("my wife said it was time" - okay, but why now for her, then?)
Friends don't let friends share #saucynugs jokes without the full context - that the real point is that Black Lives Matter is a joke; that the idea that the police are out of control is laughable, and the idea that anyone in power will do anything about it is ridiculous, too.
