racismsFollow

"Now although these "expatriates" are on working visas, and not immigrants, it is very important for them to retain their identity, customs, mindset and ideas they came with. As a result, they cluster in packs, they avoid mingling with the locals as much as they can, they have their own publications, own shows, own leisure spots..." --Greg

Kinda like Dearborn, Michigan, eh?

Look, in terms of having a broad world view, I have that. My opinions aren't the stuff of a sheltered, secluded, and cloistered life. I have lived in seven different countries and visited 36 in my lifetime. I have spent time in the Middle East.

In the course of my travels I have discovered beautiful locations and cesspools; friendly people and vile, ugly folks; admirable traits and disgusting habits. I have also heard every reason and excuse for people's behavior: cultural mores, geographic imperatives, religious upbringing.

I would rather live in Dubai than Morgan City, Lousiana. I would rather have a kind Muslim neighbor than some of the white trash I have had in apartments next to mine. But all of that is moot in the context of the larger picture of Arab culture that is flavored with a passively accepting populace of a religion that implicitly encourages violence. What we are discussing here is the intransience of a group of people unwilling to accept that the world has moved past them in terms of intellectual advances, material wealth, artistic achievement-- the list goes on and on. Arab culture's Golden Age is long past, yet the men who have their hand on the collective tiller of Middle Eastern group-think believe they can somehow return to their glorious past by institutionalized mayhem and anarchy.

And that just does not compute.

There is just something about Arab/Muslim culture that foments violence. Not far from where I live there is a small town called Lodi. In it is a small Arab-American family who are Muslim. The father sent his son off to Pakistan to attend a terrorist training camp so that they'd be equipped to wreak havoc back here in California. Laughingly, he, in his press interviews, called it "a summer camp for boys" that incidentally taught the use of explosives and hostage taking, among other things. <rolls eyes>

My point is this: if a man, who is relatively wealthy (he owned several stores in the area, of which he skimmed some of his profits and sent the proceeds to Al Qaeda) in one of the more tolerant states in the Union cannot see anything but violence as an answer to Western culture, then there is a real problem with his core beliefs.

No, my "racially biased" opinions aren't grounded in a vacuum, Greg, they are well founded in personal experience and sober observation of what I believe is a morally bankrupt value system.

Totem

Like I said, we are having a discussion that has considerable overlap. We need to keep this to one thread. You choose which one.

As for this particular topic, everybody is exposed to racial slurs of one kind or another, in the same way they casually use racial labels. Even if the word isn't specifically racist, the context of the conversation can and will turn even benign words into substitutes for racial slurs.

"Macaca" is a good example of this.

Totem

Wait!

I thought black ***** were the huge ones (which is why Totem pretends to be black), white ones were mediums and yellow ones were smalls.

AMIRITE?!

sources say NO

Quote:

Look, I poked you because I had hoped to get a few good flames out of you. You put on airs and attempt to talk the egotists intellectual talk. I wanted to see if you could walk the walk, or barring that at least freak out and just give me a good old fashioned flame. It's been so long since I've had a good old fashioned flame.

dude, no apology needed. I know you want my gringo loins.

I try, but am falling behind in my middle-agedness.

....

Werd.

LalalalalalalalalalalaIcaaantheeeeaaaaryouuuuulalalalalala

I live in a city that tends to forget if it's a Southern City in the North, or a Northern City in the South. I've stop to notice who is worst when it comes to racist slurs on the bus, as it's so rare that I don't hear at least one, when out about the city.

While my friends are willing to joke at each other, I've only find myself comfortable about putting myself down for being White, female and having come from a good family. I don't take offense when it's done to me, but then I've heard far worst said about me, before most of they were born.

Normally I let them go on about their beliefs, unless they can't seem to get off the subject. I know I am as guilty of culture bias as they are, and need only to clear my throat most of the time to remind them that other people are in the room.

The one subject, they seem to seem blind to, is that there are other religions then theirs and there is a time and place for talking about how Great their God is.

But then I been known to sit and talk to the Rose Seller's down in Fells Point about how I disagreed with the pro-Israel lobby. I also happy that I can finally find a good Mexican Restaurant, without having to drive cross country or Adams Morgan.

Here's my two cents on racism, like it or dislike it as you prefer.

The reason that you hear racists jokes from time to time, and will always hear racist jokes from time to time is this: when people are different in some form or fashion, they make good targets for jokes. Plain and simple.

Take for example midgets. Midgets are different from the norm of society. As such, they make easy targets for jokes. Though such people have no control over their height, will be shunned from many jobs for their height, and will have fewer options of people to date, it is quite common to see midgets dressed up as elves, or playing as fools. Why? Because its funny.

Or how about people who are overweight? They also make easy targets, especially in today's society that stresses health to the point of unhealthiness. It is easy to point at someone who is 300 hundred pounds and tell them that they need to "eat less" or "exercise more," but few people consider that such a person probably already "eats less," and their weight is maintained at a status quo by a lower level of activity. Being overweight also puts a strain on being able to "exercise more" as it is hard to run a mile when one has the equivallent of another person on their back and severe strain on all their joints and muscles. Furthermore, they are constantly bombared with messages stating how ugly they are and false "solutions" on how to fix their problem. But there are lots of fat jokes in the media, fat people are usually shown as being lazy, etc. The jokes are all around us and we laugh at them? Why? Because they're FUNNY.

Sexual preference is yet another thing we see time and time again. The gay man is different than the norm in that he likes to have sex with men. Such a person can look and act no different than a straight male, yet it is humorous to see such people acting ultra-effiminate. True, there is a certain persage of gay males who do act that way on purpose, but the majority do not. Women having sex with other women, on the other hand, is seen as being acceptable as it makes for entertainment for straight males so there are less jokes about lesbians. Though recently it has become less PC to make fun of gay males, we still make jokes about people being **** and we laugh at them. Why? Because they're FUNNY!

Or how about religion? If I told you that I seriously believed that Jesus was a space alien, would you be able to resist making fun of me? Though it is not my particular belief, there is a group of people that has been around for nearly 80 years called the Urantia Foundation that has quite a following: I know this as I dated a member of this faith who was quite sane, and quite logical about her belief (also a damn good kisser, but that's beside the point). That said, such a group is an easy target for humor. Why? Because its different from my belief, and therefore, funny!

And so we come to race. It's no different, people. We might have a bug up our bum about racism and how its evil and what not, but its the same thing. If you laugh when the image of a midget being used as a bowling ball pops into your head, you're no different than someone who makes a joke about how a black person likes to eat fried chicken. If we took away racist jokes, you'd have to fire 90 percent of the black comedians. As a white male, I find a lot of the jokes about white people funny. That being the case, as other races are different from me, why on earth should I feel guilty laughing at various humor that makes fun of people for racial differences?

EndrilRM. You seem to have confused 'racism' with 'taking the ****'.

Taking the **** is when you laugh at a shortarse dressed as an elf.

Racism is when, as you walk with your wife in the park, some fuckwit leans out of the window of his car and calls you wife a black cunt.


Mmmmkay?

I'm not racist at all, but i can use racist slurs and insults to get a rise out of people, even though i don't hate them for their race, but for their personality.

This is why I heart you.