Juggalos and Toastmasters
Sep. 7th, 2017 09:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ndrosenThe weekend magazine section of the Washington Post had an article on the Juggalos, fans of the rap group Insane Clown Posse. The federal government officially described the Juggalos as a criminal gang, based on some crimes having been committed by Juggalos, and sent an advisory to state and local police about them, so they have been victims of harassment. I had previously read about this in Reason, which is big on covering government abuses and bungling. Anyway, a Post reporter hung out with the Juggalos at their national gathering, and while I doubt that I would appreciate their kind of music, or generally find them very congenial, they don't seem to be especially criminal.
Some crimes are no doubt committed by Juggalos, just as some crimes are committed by fans of the Beatles, or, I suppose, by enthusiasts for Buxtehude's organ fugues. That doesn't make a whole music fandom a criminal gang.
USPTO Toastmasters held its club contest today, in the categories of humorous speeches and Table Topics. I didn't try a humorous speech this year, but I did participate in Table Topics, which means that someone posed a question, and I spoke on the topic for one to two minutes. Someone else had given a Table Topics speech while the sergeant-at-arms kept me some distance from the room where we met, and after my turn, a third person was brought in to take his turn as speaker.
I won in the Table Topics category, and will be representing the club at the area-level contest. A fellow examiner gave a really hilarious prepared humorous speech, and will represent us in that category.
Some crimes are no doubt committed by Juggalos, just as some crimes are committed by fans of the Beatles, or, I suppose, by enthusiasts for Buxtehude's organ fugues. That doesn't make a whole music fandom a criminal gang.
USPTO Toastmasters held its club contest today, in the categories of humorous speeches and Table Topics. I didn't try a humorous speech this year, but I did participate in Table Topics, which means that someone posed a question, and I spoke on the topic for one to two minutes. Someone else had given a Table Topics speech while the sergeant-at-arms kept me some distance from the room where we met, and after my turn, a third person was brought in to take his turn as speaker.
I won in the Table Topics category, and will be representing the club at the area-level contest. A fellow examiner gave a really hilarious prepared humorous speech, and will represent us in that category.
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Date: 2017-09-08 02:34 pm (UTC)My father participated in Toastmasters and spoke fondly of it, and the other night I learned that a member of the mindfulness meditation group I attend is also starting a local Toastmasters group. I'm so glad it continues to serve as a community for learning and socializing.