No amount of glossing or revision can change what you said in your first post:
"> let's KILL SOMETHING.... THEN pray over it
>
> Afghanistan/Pakistan.... whatever. Plow em BOTH under & salt the soil."
You didn't say "if" they're responsible. You didn't say we "may yet" level
them. It was a clear call to raze and destroy them. I found that offensive
and insensitive.
And, as far as what may or may not be racist, I think it's fair to go beyond
mere dictionary definitions. I have no doubt that the proprietors of your
local gas bar wear turbans. Why mention it? To what end? Why mention that
"they still want $4 a gallon" for gas - as if it's wrong for them to do so?
You chose to identify someone by a stereotypical physical characteristic. That
would be like referring to an African-American gas bar owner as "the
curly-haired friend", or a Chinese one as "the slant-eyed friend". The context
in which you made the statement ("though they still wanted $4.00 a gal for
petrol") sure sounded like a put down, and hence was, as far as I'm concerned,
a racist comment.
Please note, that I didn't call YOU a racist. I said it was a racist comment,
and I stand by what I said.
And by the way, I didn't assume anything about hijackers, Arabs, Muslims, or
anything else. I simply felt that your comment about the fact that the gas bar
owners or attendants wear turbans was inappropriate, no matter what their
ethnicity - especially given the context of recent events.
If I'm wrong about your comments - or you - then I apologize. And, I DID mean
the part about "have a good day". :-)
-frank
Scooterman wrote:
> Frank...
>
> Before you make accusations toward someone,
> understand what it is you're accusing them of:
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> racism \ra-si-zem also -shi-\ noun (1936)
> 1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and
> capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a
> particular race
> 2 : racial prejudice or discrimination
> racist \-sist also -shist\ noun or adjective
> (C) 1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> I stated a personal opinion based upon the evidence (so far) that if it IS
> indeed Pakistan/Afghanistan responsible for our current woes (which
> actually started over 10yrs ago), we may YET level the countries mentioned.
> Something the Russians were unwilling to do.
>
> I'd just like to see it taken to it's most extreme conclusion & salt the
> earth (as the Egyptians did to a N. African country over 3,000 years ago).
> That way, "putting an end to terrorism" may be a bit easier... in the long
> run.
>
> As far as the new gas attendants goes, those were statements of FACT.
>
> Hey... maybe it was *coincidence* that the turban wearing managers/owners
> of the gas station hired American "looking" attendants & started giving
> them instructions by phone. I dunno. They may be on vacation.
>
> In today's melting pot, what DOES an "American" look like? Eh?
> Asian? Mexican? AfroAmerican? Hindi? Puerto Rican?
> That was hint #1 in avoiding a knee-jerk reaction.
>
> I took a factual event & reported in such a way that one would ...
> basicly over react. You "fell" for the bait, young man. <g>
>
> Those wearing the turbans are actually Sri Lankans.
> The Hijackers are generally "classified" as Islamic/Arabian.
> BIG difference.
> You "assumed" I was making an ignorant, red-neck, RACIST generalization
> about "rag-heads".
>
> Not one word in my post was actually racist, prejudgemental or alluding to
> racial superiority.
>
> BTW... I try to have a "nice day" every day.
> Thanks for your concern. <g>
>
--
"The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist
fears it is true." -J. Robert
Oppenheimer
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