Ethnic issues

“The issue has cropped up in at least two threads in the past three days, and it is getting more than little tiring to keep dealing with it.

It ought to dawn on some of the deep thinkers who see their racial or ethnic superiority more clearly than the rest of us myopic hicks that some day you might just find yourself sitting around a campfire somewhere with a member of the group you've labeled on this board.

I can pretty much predict that the person is not going to let you use their stove if yours should crap out for some reason.

That is the material reason; the other is that it is morally wrong.

And it could well get you banned from the board.”

“you da man, Geo.”

“You got that!

I tell my kids that it is sometimes unavoidable to stereotype people in our thoughts and we don't have to hate ourselves for having "impure" thoughts.

However, expression of ugly thoughts in regard to race or ethnicity or class is easily controlled......in theory anyway.”

“Just watch out for those wussies in Maryland...

WINK

”

“The giant "<WINK>" ain't workin'!”

“that's odd... now it IS showing up.

(don't mind me. I'm just over here in the corner talking to myself)”

“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh????????

If they be wussies.......what's the worry?

Now, those crack-uhs from parts souf...............”

“Hey!
Who's for Reparations?”

“Right on Geo!

How come its only us half-jews (or more specifically us New England grown half-Ashkenazi jew, half-Texas-protestants - I don't have anything good to say about them Pennsylvania half-jews)that are free from unwarranted feelings of ethnic superiority?”

“Who you callin' crack-uh, suck-uh???

;-)”

“Nobody I know, Gojo. I think Cynthia McKinney was in favor of them, but now she's out of a job.


That 'wussie' reference was purely for Geobeet's benefit, <GRIN>.”

“Gojo! You such a little pot stirrer. LOL!”

“Gojo- tell how much I will get and then I’ll tell you if I am for it.”

“I live in south Louisiana where about 50% of the population is black. They have their own, distinct culture. One of the reasons I like to go up the mountains and go hiking in the woods is to get away from black culture and be around my own kind -- whites. That's my preference, like it or not.

Of course it's almost impossible to say this on a public message board without the "politically corrected" types attacking you, because they just don't get it.”

“Oh we get it all right. Maybe not what you want us to get, but we get it. It isn't about them; it's about you. And it ain't pretty.”

“Scuse me, but IMHO... if you were getting it, you wouldn't have to release your frustrations through race baiting.

BTW: My type ain't politically corrected, I don't even use spell check!”

“Newgirl, how is it up in your neighborhood when those rowdy Hutterites hit town?

Hey gojo! One of the biggest ethnic clashes was when you and Hodgeman were the first arrivals at my house last summer for Montanapalooza. I thought I was going to have to go find an interpreter! Finally someone said "beer" and you guys found a common language.”

“Steve, I think I'm a pretty smart girl. And I'm not trying to patronize you, seriously, explain it to me.”

“The race baiting was on other threads, epithets, and that's what I'm talking about.”

“LOL! Aero, that is so funny. Sometimes it isn't a nice sight when them Hutterites show up. Some of them like to steal away from the community to come to town and drink. And man, they can drink.”

“okay, now I am confused...what is % that you think do not like black people?? (I have my own reasons for asking, but am NOT a racist at all).

so steve hiker...what are you going to do if you see me hike with my kids? walk the other way??”

“You know - "Slavery Reparations". It's like 40 acres and a mule, but different.

In August, they had a "Millions for Reparations March and Protest Rally" in DC. about 2000 people showed up. A NYC Councilman declared that he wanted to "walk up to the nearest white person and slap him". Funny stuff!

Louis Farrakhan had a few choice words, too - things that would get me ran out of town if I'd said them...

And, natch, Cynthia spewed her predictable venom.

So far, the shakedown has began with lawsuits against USHealthcare/Etna and a couple other entities. The founder of Etna had a house slave upon arriving in this country. Johnny Cochran is leading the way. They're after blood... billions and billions of bucks.

A railroad has been selected, too. They used slaves in railway construction.

The lawsuits, if successful, will bankrupt every corporation they target. It's about revenge and "entitlement"... not equality.


All non-blacks were asked to leave a recent international Racism Conference - somewhere in Africa, I think. That's pretty funny stuff, too.

Hey, Geo...
I'm just a guy that's fed up with being labled by certain ethnic groups. I believe that the hucksters (Jesse, Louis, Al, et al) are going over the line, and I'm just standing up for what I believe. My black girlfriend understands...”

“They also try to trade me eggs and baked goods for lumber all the time. (LOL! I wish I could do it. They make great bread.)”

“i just want to make sure that my kids are safe (or husband for that matter) when we are hiking together. Strange that this thread came up. I noticed that now since I started hiking. I have never seen a black person, so I started to wonder...”

“Reparations are totally unfair. There should be no payments of any kind. First there is the problem of determining which individuals pay and how much, and who gets the money and how much. That is monstrous by its self. But the real problem is that it is just morally wrong to ask the descendants of Irish immigrates to pay us for permitting them to come into this country. While it is true that in the long run those immigrates and their progeny are better off economically and in quality of life than they would have been if they remained in Ireland, the same can be said for almost all that are the offspring of people that came from another land. These Irish immigrates have already paid a price because of the abuse, low wages and discrimination they experienced when they first came. They had almost no choice in the matter because of the potato famine. It was not totally their choice to come here. I say it is morally unjust to ask them to pay us for their improvement in quality of life compared to what it would have been had they remained in Ireland. Can’t we just get along?

WHAT, did I miss something, ohh sorry, never mind.

(just a little humor, very little maybe but still some)”

“Newgirl --

I thought I explained it, but apparently if you don't live in the deep south, it's almost impossible to understand. I guess it's more cultural than strictly racial.”

“Racism is not the province of any one race. It cuts both ways, and it is equally bad regardless. The epithet that came up on this board happened to be from a member of one race directed at another, so he won the lottery. If it had been the other way around, I'd have reacted just the same.

Still, the fact that there may be black racists does not justify using slur terminology. And it does not condemn all the decent people of that race any more than Hitler condemns whites.

It is possible to carry on a perfectly lucid conversation without resorting to racial pejoratives.

As Red Green says in his PBS show, "Remember, I'm pulling for you; we're all in this together."”

“That's what I'm trying to get. I don't live in the deep south and I am trying to understand what the cultural divide is that causes you to have such a problem w/ them.”

“I think reparations will destroy our ebonomy. It all comes down to ebonomics.”

“I am mostly white but when sad steve hiker is hiking in the mountains near me, he is not with his ‘own kind’. Those in my family who thought that way died a long time ago or received enlightenment.”

“This is a shakedown....plain and simple. More than 600,000 men died fighting over slavery and the economic system built around it. Trillions of dollars have already been spent in entitlement programs with little discernable benefit.
Even if reparation payments were made, who among you really thinks that things will suddenly (or slowly) get better. Ridiculous.

And by the way, there are crackers everywhere, not just in the "souf",
along with people who sit and talk about all the social injustices and what ought to be done, but never get off their a$$ and do anything. The southerners I know and care for may sound kinda slow but are great people.”

“I gotta meet ya, Geo. Red Green (Canadian cultural icon) is on PBS? No waaaaaay! Have you seen 'So I married an Axe Murderer' or 'Canadian Bacon'? Are you a wannabe?







I'M a man;







I can change;







if I have to.......







I guess.”

“Well, if nobody wants to hike with me because I'm of Dutch/German/Swedish/Norweigan descent, than I say tough!!!”

“here what I have noticed so far:
a lot of black women are treading a white woman with a black man very rude and definatelly showing some sort of racism.
I notice that for some reason this is more likly in the the younger generation. Older ladies are much more friendly and accepting. (strange)

white people: Most white people tread me like everyone else. I have noticed some strange looks, but I can't really put it in the male/female, old/young category.

My personal opinion is, Stay friendly. That's the only way you can punish them for their ignorance. (either ethnic group)

I have to agree to some extent. I am tired of political issues that happend years ago. It is not my fault that their existed such thing as slavery. It is not my fault that Hitler killed thousands of jews. I get in a total argument with my black friend if she almost cries watching roots. Gosh, get a life. It's over and done with.

I guess we don't understand some of those issues. My friend keeps telling me that I can't feel what she feels if I was never in her shoes. (Talking about issues now days).

I get upset if you see a movie with no black person in it and the whole black race is making a big issue out of it, but then you see a movie with almost only black people and no one says a thing. (same with magazines, what would happen if we would start producing a magazine called "ivory"....)

But that's about as far as it goes with me. I talk to my black husband about it, and he does understand my point.

Boy, this is a touchy subject and you have to be careful what you are saying so it will not be missunderstood. I hope I made myself clear. My husband and kids are black, so I think everyone is able to see my point and does not missunderstand me. (me being German and all)”

“Yes, he is on some PBS stations and does a special for fund drives. I miss Harold. It's not the same without him. The rest of the crew is a hoot: Ranger Gord, Mike, Winston, Dalton, Edgar the demolition guy, Ed Frid, and the boat dock guy. It's definitely one of the funniest shows I've seen.

The only problem here is the stations that run it do so late on Saturday night.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

The rest of you, keep your stick on the ice!

Remember the episode where Red ran out of duct tape? Somebody told him to hold it together. "With What?"”

“not all pot smokers are burnoutz”

“But all pot smokers are terrible spellers.”

“"Well, if nobody wants to hike with me because I'm of Dutch/German/Swedish/Norweigan descent, than I say tough!!!"
Artex
12:56:04 PM
10/28/02


Nobody's gonna mess with a guy who ressles hawgs daid! I was afraid if I crossed you I'd end up as jerky!”

“Troll420, I was listening to a music program on NPR at night, late, a few months ago. They had women from all over the world and their songs. One of the women, I can not remember her name, had a hilarious song, that you would like. She starts out singing about all the great things she does in her life, like volunteer, work hard, pay taxes, help her neighbors, vote, have a perfect GPA, extra. Then she sings more about how she buys a house, contributes to her communities economy, keeps up a nice lawn, etc. All the sudden the chorus comes on and she belts out,
I own a house and in the basement I grow
SATIVA
SATIVA
SATIVA.

It was really funny.”

“The argument can be made that blacks are more recist that whites. (I wouldn't make that argument, but a chapter of a book I read last spring made that argument very effectively. The book was written by a black American.)

The argument can be made that reparations cannot possibly be implemented in any just or fair way, and are just a very, very flawed idea. (I would make that argument.)

However, I think those issues are tangiential to the original subject of this thread, which was not about political correctness, was not about freedom of association, and was not about raparations. It is simply wrong to treat someone badly purely because of their race or culture, wrong to engage in name-calling that perpetuates a state of distrust or disrespect, and wrong to allow (or, worse, teach) the next generation to engage in such behavior.

I work with some guys who are from India. They are friends and fun to be with sometimes. We have interesting conversations. But I wouldn't want to eat Indian food, listen to hours and hours of Indian music, or spend my time in a Hindu temple.

Anyone want to call me a racist because I said that? I doubt it. So what's my point? You certainly CAN exercise freedom of association without being accused of being a racist by the "political correctness" crowd. If you are being accused of being a racist, it is not simply because of cultural choices you are making for yourself and your family. There is something offensive in the way you explain your choices.”

“Very well said, Fritz.”

“dido!!”

“Yeah good Fritz.

How’d a guy from Pennsylvania learn to express himself like that?”

“Well, I guess Fritz 'bout got this one wrapped up for us. Thanks Fritz! Okay, now who wants to talk about Ty from Trading Spaces?”

“Well said, Fritz!

BTW What are "raparations".
Some kind of payment for listening to rap music?”

“Amen Fritz, and you certainly captured the point of the thread in the first place.

The thread was specifically about the use of racial or ethnic slurs.

And I should also clarify that there are many people in the south, black and white, who do accept others, just as there are bigots here in the north, bigots of all races and ethnic groups. But that does not excuse bigotry.

It is not political correctness that I am espousing either. Those who know me would have a great laugh over that charge. It's about fairness and looking at the person instead of the color of their skin.

When I worked for the government, we had a white Army sergeant who was assigned to our shop. Charlie was an unabashed bigot who would argue all kinds of preposterous things. We had two older black people who also worked in the shop, and they would contantly bait Charlie and get him to start spouting off. At first Charlie would try his damnedest not to say things about race, but Bob especially would keep at him, asking questions until Charlie would get beet red, clam up, and walk out of the office to cool down.

I'd quietly say at that point, "Bob and Emma, you really shouldn't do that to Charlie. He's not able to follow complex arguments and you're giving him an inferiority complex." Then the whole office would crack up.

One more time, bigotry does not say a damn thing about the other person; it says something powerful about you and it can't easily be taken back or explained away. And don't tell me about the percentage of black people you live among. I live in the Philly area and the numbers are pretty high up here. I take walks through a black neighborhood and people there nod hello to my moreso than the people in the white neighborhoods.

If I stereotyped black people, I would not walk through their neighborhood and would not possibly know that.”

“Red Green hasn't been on our PBS affiliate for a couple years now. I miss that show! (The nephew gets on my nerves a bit, tho).

Factoid:
The only person to kick Belle in the backcountry was an AfAm male - one of only mebbe three that I've ever seen. I just HAD to throw that in! (It's true. Funny, but true).

Roots. Alex Haley has finally admitted that it was bereft with lies and plaguerism.
Example: Europeans were portrayed as the initial captors, when in reality, Africans were capturing other Africans. Europeans rarely ventured beyond the wharf.


Here's one for the annals:
A group (in Cynthia McKenney's district) accused the state of GA of being "Environmental Racists" because of a landfill in their area. They didn't mention that that area was the last remaining "rural" region of the heavily suburban county. Where else ya gonna put it, bruh?

The local chapter of the NAACP stuck their nose into a recent school affair (at a parent's request). "Racism! Racism! Racism!" was the theme of an extended article in a local paper. Absolute nonsense. Absolute nonsense. No retraction, naturally.”

“gojo, I don't think you are arguing that those kinds of things excuse the word that Steve Hiker used Saturday. That word was not racist, it was another word.”

“HMM, let's talk about Ty from Trading Spaces. If I invite him over for coffee who want's to come ??”