Dallas County officials spar over 'black hole' comment

[WriteDown]

Source: Dallas Morning News

...County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy....


Read more: http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/07/dallas-county-meeting-turns-ra.html

---

And this is my new homebase, ugh.

[derby378]

1. Price and Jones are both a disgrace to the Democratic Party

Unfortunately, their seats are virtually bulletproof.

[WriteDown]

3. You're not kidding....

I've watched several city counsel meetings. It is quite painful.

[TomInTib]

6. Price is a fucking joke.

When I lived in Dallas, I found his constant grandstanding antics acutely embarrassing.

[LanternWaste]

7. He's effective for South Dallas

He's effective for South Dallas-- and South Dallas residents need an effective councilman.

[WriteDown]

8. Effective at what...

Keeping it decimated and poverty stricken? Hopefully, the trinity river project will help, but if that doesn't pan out, I see no improvement. A very scary place to be late at night. Sadly, my neighborhood in East Dallas is not much better, but seems to be improving.

[LanternWaste]

17. Keeping it from getting even more decimated and poverty stricken

Keeping it from getting even more decimated and poverty stricken. He was a prime mover in the TRP, and he was a prime mover in getting the council moved to a 14/1 alignment (14, yes?),

I realize he's made out to be clown in the media, but if you actually sit down and talk with the guy (and he'll do that-- with anyone), he's a lot smarter, savvy and responsive to the needs of South Dallas than we're presented with in the news. His posturings make for better ad copy, so that's what we get.

[derby378]

46. He can't be very smart if he doesn't know what a "black hole" is

We need to expect a little more out of our elected officials. How are we going to tell our kids to stay in school when those who hold public office act like they forgot everything they learned in the classroom?

[WriteDown]

51. That's a hard point to argue against....

That's kind of like saying the country may be in worse shape if Bushler was never elected, twice. I'm not buying it.

[TomInTib]

10. Just think what South Dallas could gain if they lost a Clown...

and voted in someone who had real respect in the rest of the City.

I will never believe that Price is the best they can offer. But I am not about to make the argument that he hasn't had a positive effect on his constituency.

I'm just expressing my opinion of him, personally.

He's a spotlight-loving clown.

[struggle4progress]

23. A large part of Big D considers "Clown" as a synonym for "not entirely of European ancestry"

[WriteDown]

49. Not in this case....

We are referring to the guys in the circus with the make-up who fall down a lot.

[Mike Daniels]

57. And sometimes a clown is simply someone acting like an idiot

which is 100% the case in this particular instance.

[SouthernVoter]

2. A figment of quantum physics is a racial term?

Was this in The Onion?

[jwirr]

9. That is what I thought when I read this.

[MUAD_DIB]

31. Not knowing either so-called clown there might be some tension

between them.


Most people probably have heard of the term "Black Hole" so can it be definitely defined in racial terms?

He could have said "Quantum Singularity", but that is such a mouthful.

[jwirr]

64. lol

[struggle4progress]

24. Nice try -- but nobody was discussing quantum physics

[SouthernVoter]

26. You don't have to be in order to know what a black hole is.

Nothing racial about it at all.

How can you get anything racial out of someone calling a bureaucratic department a black hole?

[struggle4progress]

34. Agree in part, dissent in part. I can imagine the comment being

made without ill-intent or coming from a a racist who thought it a very clever little swipe. How the remark will be parsed depends partly upon what response follows a complaint

Mayfield shot back that it was a figure of speech and a science term

Astronomy isn't the topic under discussion. Mayfield was warned people might take offense at his language and chose to ignore that. Instead, he responds somewhat insultingly along the lines of *snork* y'oughta know this astronomical term -- which also seems to be the attitude of a number of posters in this thread

It speaks volumes about Mayfield

[Wabbajack_]

37. Um

You really DO oughta know what a black hole is. And that the word "black" doesn't refer only to people of African ancestry.

[SouthernVoter]

38. You are missing the context entirely

The complaint was that paperwork goes INTO the office but does NOT COME OUT.

What is a black hole? Is it a bar (aka "watering hole") patronized mostly by African-Americans, or is it a natural phenomenon that occurs and let's stuff in but not out?

Unless someone is purposely looking to be offended at every opportunity despite common sense, there is no racial slam here.

[Posteritatis]

39. He's actively avoiding the context, not merely missing it. (nt)

[YankmeCrankme]

41. It may require being there to ascertain if any other intent was behind the comment.

But, the use of "black hole" to describe losing things in an office or work environment is common. It's use is not limited to discussion about physics.

[Mike Daniels]

45. Maybe people should be better educated and less perpetually offended

"Mayfield was warned people might take offense at his language"

The only people that would be offended by the term "black hole" are those who are greatly uneducated or quick to take offense at anything that had the word black in it.

Heaven forbid if they ever hear someone refer to someone as the "black sheep" of the family or read a history book that covers the "black death".

[Hugabear]

50. Or the "blackness of space"

Although I'm sure that this particular person would be offended by that phrase as well.

And yes, I'm sure that my screen name would be offensive as well. Perhaps this person should demand an apology from Mick Jagger.

[Hugabear]

48. Actually it speaks volumes about how stupid people can be

I've heard the term "black hole" used many times in a non-scientific way.

Are you HONESTLY suggesting that we should scrub the word "black" from our vocabulary, because some person who looks for ways to be offended might take offense?

[TCJ70]

60. Paint it "Black", eh? What are you? A racist? n/t

[tidy_bowl]

36. Come on now....

...not everything is a racial slur. Pretty soon somebody will call you a racist if say Good Morning to them. Its getting that ridiculous. Save the racist calling for real racism.

[Spouting Horn]

40. Uh, it was a figure of sppech

referring to an object in space which has so much mass that not even light can escape its gravity, ie, a "black hole."

Nothing racist about it, sorry.

[Xenotime]

65. Exactly! You can't make this shit up!

[dipsydoodle]

4. That is as riduculous

as the period here in the UK the seventies when manhole covers were retitled people hole covers.

Black holes are black holes - Comm. Price should learn to deal with it.

[Speck Tater]

5. Political Correctness taken to ridiculous extremes.

Clearly our educational system is a complete failure if a supposedly educated politician is unaware of what a black hole is. This is just beyond ridiculous. WAY beyond ridiculous.

[Indenturedebtor]

12. Not to mention that somebody that stupid could get elected

How else do you describe a hole in spacetime with gravity so extreme that not even light can escape? Darkhole I guess? I dunno... too late they already named it.

[Speck Tater]

33. Don't bother to name it. Just say "It Sucks." NT

[Ian David]

11. You know who else talks about Black Holes a lot?

THIS racist fucking bastard...



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson



Oh, wait...




Never mind.

[SouthernVoter]

28. Stephen Hawking should burn in hell for being a racist bastard.

and that fucking Chandrasekhar needs to go right next to him.

:+

[MUAD_DIB]

32. He was on Colbert report recently. Good Interview. Smart guy.

[frylock]

13. are we an idiocracy yet?

it sure feels like it.

[NightHawk63]

63. Yes..yes we are!!

[Nihil]

14. Woo-hoo! The IQ of Texas has just dropped again ...

... but hopefully it will rise when Price & Jones f*ck off out of the state
for vacation!

What a pair of wankers!
:rofl:

[Gman]

15. I don't think that's fair

an actual Black Hole is a celestial body that emits no light because it's extreme density does not allow the light to leave. It also sucks into it any and all matter around it seemingly to be lost forever.

It was a fair metaphor and these guys are over sensitive.

Either that or they just don't like each other.

[ForrestGump]

21. Hmm..."emits no light because it's extreme density does not allow the light to leave. It also sucks

into it any and all matter around it seemingly to be lost forever."

Brings to mind

1) The Bush II misadmninistration

2) Their budget

3) Their enablers with 'D' after their names.



Also, current TV schedules.

[Sam Ervin jret]

16. And in the distance the collective IQ of Texas fell into the event horizon and is bifurcating still.

And this is the state that has all the power when it comes to writing text books?

Angels and minsters of faith defend us....w.s.

Idiots and a$$holes everywhere you go.

[ForrestGump]

18. "Morons...

your bus is leaving."



This one even tops the whole "niggardly" scandal.

Welcome to Idiocracy.

[east texas lib]

19. Obviously Mayfield should've referred to central collections as a "gravitational singularity"...

So as not to offend Jones and Price's delicate sensibilities. What a realistic sense of priorities
these two have. They are indeed a credit to Dallas County! RIIIIIGHT!!!

[rainbow4321]

20. As if the county doesn't have bigger things to worry about...$17 million in the red

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/052108dnmetdalcounty.3c6e564.html

Dallas County's budget is $17 million in the red – its largest gap in at least a decade – and county commissioners are asking all departments to cut as much as they can to try to avoid another tax rate increase this fall.

For the first six months of this fiscal year, total costs are $9.9 million over budget. At the same time, revenues are $10.7 million less than budgeted. County commissioners heard the bad news Tuesday morning during a budget presentation.

And this time, property tax revenue won't bail the county out of its predicament as it has during the past three years. County Budget Director Ryan Brown is predicting an overall 3 percent increase in property values when the Dallas Central Appraisal District releases the preliminary tax roll later this week. In the past, the county has enjoyed a windfall from robust property value increases such as the 10.2 percent gain a year ago.

County officials say employees probably will not receive raises next fiscal year unless major cuts are made. The last time county employees didn't receive a raise was in 1996, Mr. Brown said.

[ForrestGump]

22. In the 'Red'?

Nice going, McCarthy... :P

[davidinalameda]

29. is that a slam against Native Americans

[ForrestGump]

30. Of course not

Some of my best friends are Native Americans.

[davidinalameda]

35. that's one skinny little fucker

[SteelPenguin]

58. *golfclap* (nt)

[WriteDown]

52. Dallas government is a joke...

After living here for a # of years, I've concluded that they really need to scrap the city council all together and have a strong mayor, preferably Dem, but at this point I'll take any party, green included. The City Council is very effective at getting absolutely nothing done and hindering the city's development. The city is one of the largest in the country. It should start acting that way. You know something is wrong when more people want to live in uptown and victory park rather than the actual city.

[sendero]

25. Price is a moron..

... who probably doesn't even know what a black hole is.

[SouthernVoter]

27. EXCUSE ME!!!

LOL hope you get it.

[BreweryYardRat]

42. This is a bunch of hypersensitive dickheads getting worked up over a non-issue.

Mayfield's analogy was perfectly valid. Price and Jones ought to pick up a basic astronomy text sometime.

[dysfunctional press]

43. maybe they misunderstood "hole" and thought he said "ho"...

:shrug:

[The Doctor.]

66. Yeah, but only one can suck in whole star systems.

:evilgrin:(sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry
sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry
sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry
sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry
sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry
sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry
sorrysorrysorry I just couldn't help it!):evilgrin:

[Mike Daniels]

44. I guess "black sheep" and "black death" are soon to be on the list of no-no's as well

Some people need to be better educated instead of getting pissed off everytime the work "black" crosses their perpetually offended ears.

[toopers]

47. And god help the council person that acts niggardly!

eom

[MicaelS]

53. I have lived in North Texas since 1989

Price has been a grandstandng P.O.S. as long as I've been here. Those of you NOT from N. Texas who don't like comments made about the unesteemed Mr. Price can lump it. Price comes from the Jesse Jackson school of politics. We've seen Jackson's latest planting of both feet in mouth up to his ass.

[Political Heretic]

54. Give me a fucking break.

[Ian David]

55. Maybe he was thinking of...

Indiana Joan in the Black Hole of Mammoo (1984)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197582/

[Burma Jones]

56. There have been some problems with the word "Niggardly" as well

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_the_word_%22niggardly%22


But Black Hole? Jeez, that's just incredibly fucking stupid.

[TCJ70]

59. My car is a black hole...

...I put things in the backseat and then they disappear!

[sakabatou]

61. *facepalm*

[baldguy]

62. Perhaps Mr Mayfield should have said "hyperdense collapsed gravitar"

But I'm not sure if Mr Price and Judge Jones - being dense - might still have taken offense.

[The Doctor.]

67. My son 'Gravitar' takes offense to that!

Our other children, Singularity, Quasar, Tachyon, and the dog, Supercollider have all had to deal with that kind of discrimination!


(What can I say... I married an astrophysicist)

[w8liftinglady]

68. Maybe I don't get it.This seems to detract from the racism that DOES exist here

I live south of Dallas,and see the discrepancies among school districts,community improvements,health care.It seems arguements like the above detract from real dialog,and cheapen it.maybe it's just me.