Is it wrong to speak out against racism?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the appropriateness of speaking out against racism, sparked by a personal experience shared by a participant. The scope includes personal anecdotes, emotional responses, and reflections on social interactions related to racism and tolerance.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Personal anecdotes
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses frustration over a racist comment encountered in another forum and questions whether their reaction was justified, emphasizing a personal intolerance for racism.
  • Another participant humorously discusses the consequences of their actions in the forum, suggesting a light-hearted approach to serious topics.
  • A participant shares a story about a negative experience with a bus driver, interpreting the incident as a reflection of broader social attitudes, while also expressing anger over perceived disrespect.
  • There are mentions of various bus drivers, contrasting a grumpy driver with a friendly one, which leads to reflections on personal interactions and social behavior.
  • Some participants engage in humorous banter about warnings received in the forum, indicating a culture of playful exchanges despite serious underlying themes.
  • One participant reflects on their ethnic background and how it affects their social interactions, suggesting that appearance can lead to misunderstandings about identity.
  • Another participant advises that expressing anger may not yield practical results, hinting at the complexities of addressing racism and personal grievances.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit a range of views on the appropriateness of speaking out against racism, with some expressing strong support for vocal opposition while others engage in humor and personal anecdotes that may dilute the seriousness of the topic. The discussion does not reach a consensus on the best approach to addressing racism.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes personal experiences and emotional responses that may not fully capture the complexities of racism as a social issue. Participants' anecdotes reflect individual perspectives rather than a unified stance on the topic.

Cyrus
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I got into a nasty argument with this guy in the Political Forum. And now I got a big fat warning too! :shy: I probably should have handled it better, but to be honest, he deserved it. He put up some flat out racist stuff, and I had to call him out on it. I’m not sorry about what I said to him tough. Do you think it was wrong for me to do what I did? I felt like I had to stick up for myself in that situation and be vocal about it. Would you be vocal about it, or would you just keep quiet? I can't keep quiet when it comes to racism, because I think it’s the most un-American thing a person can do. I have zero tolerance for ignorance and taking things out of context to make someone look bad.

Oh yeah, and my warnings expire never, because I'm that big of a jerk! NOOOOOOO! What bribe do you think I will have to give moonbear on this one? I think she was really nice for not banning me though. :biggrin: <hugs moonbear>

I have a big fat mouth sometimes...(but usually when it is warranted)
 
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It depends on who you talk to. Moonbear wanted $1,000 to make my warning only temporary. Evo wanted a foot massage. I am currently trying to make back that $1,000 in the stock market.

And those jerks ignored my comment in that thread :(. Its ok, ignore them half the time too :)
 
We have so much in common Pengwuino. You are my asian brother from another mother.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
We have so much in common Pengwuino. You are my asian brother from another mother.

As I am of another species, I do not see how this is possible.
 
I thought you were korean?
 
Hold on cyrus, I'm going to try to fix you, but it may hurt, if I accidently ban you, oooops.
 
Oooo that was Jelfish, sorry.
 
<on one knee> Evo, will you marry me? I will get you the biggest rock you ever saw baby! And you know me about jewlery
 
That will cost $1,000. Small unmarked bills please. And mum's the word.

Jewelry works too!
 
  • #10
Ok, in all seriousness, I want honest anwsers. I will tell you a story that happened to me at work, about a year ago or so. There is a shuttle bus that takes people around at work. And this one day was a really cold and windy day. And I was waiting for the shuttle to take me to the building. There was this new guy who was driving the bus that I had not seen before. I think he might have been a new hire at the time, or I was just not there long enough to know him. Anyways, I would ALWAYS stand at the side of the road, and the ALL the bus drivers would stop and open the door for me, or anyone that did that. No one would waive to the bus, ever. So this guy is driving down the road, and he's f'in looking at me in the eye through the windshield. And he just keeps on going and blows past me. So I am like, wtf? And to add insult to injury, he stopped and picked up like 3-4 people that were standing 20 feet before me that did not waive. So, BOYYYYYY WAS I PISSED OFF. So I had no choice but to walk to the building I was going to in the cold. And as I was walking he dropped them off and was on his way back in the other direction. So I started walking right infront of his bus, and he had to slam on the breaks. Then I went up to his window and motioned with my hand, ROLL DOWN YOUR WINDOW. And i let him have it. I was like "DID YOU NOT SEE ME STANDING THERE WHEN YOU DROVE PAST ME!??" He was like "YOU SHOULD HAVE WAIVED"...as judge judy says, BALONEY! So I had to stop myself from saying, "yea ill waive this to you, and give him the finger". I was TURBO PISSED OFF. I wasn't going to report him or get him fired, but I was sure as hell not going to let him get away with that kind of crap. This is why I don't stand for it. That guy was a GD redneck.
 
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  • #11
There, there, it's ok now. Happy Thoughts. Bob Ross thoughts. :smile:
 
  • #12
There was another bus driver who was not a racist; he was just an all around grump grouch. But then he died last summer, it was very sad. One of the guys at work got him to talk to him one time. He was saying how his back hurts him because he was old and overweight. But that he liked to eat because it gave him comfort. According to the guy at work, he was big into muscle cars. Too bad, we would have had something to talk about, if he wasn't such a grouch. He would never say hello to ANYONE.

But on the other hand, there is one bus driver who plays jazz and is a real cool guy. Actually, all the rest of them are great people.

The worst part of it all is that I am clean shaven with short hair, and no one can ever tell my nationality, since I am a mut.
 
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  • #13
Turbo pissed off?

Horrible.
 
  • #14
TURBO-PISSED OFF!
I know I loved that.

"Switching from pissed into turbo mode, standby."
"On three."

Don't worry about the warnings, I got two, then we had to re-sign up, and now I have 0 :smile: I got one for posting a picture of two lesbians kissing, with the tounges out of their mouths (ooops?), and one for making a joke in one of the usenet forums, sci.strings or something like that. I said how the link didn't work for me, and got warned :confused: What a tightass.

Sometimes I remind myself of Smurf. Anybody like that show "The Prince of Bel-Aire?" I like it sometimes. Its funny.
 
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  • #15
cyrusabdollahi said:
What bribe do you think I will have to give moonbear on this one? I think she was really nice for not banning me though. :biggrin: <hugs moonbear>
Chocolate always puts me in a good mood. o:) As for the rest, I give the same advice to you as I give to anyone...leave it to the mentors to handle. That's why we get these...um...uh...what color are these badge things? Anyway, just chill out and let the mentors deal with things. There's a post report button (the one that looks like an exclamation point). If something sounds so egregious as to make steam come out your ears, hit that button instead of reply and vent to us. If we agree that the post is out of line with our guidelines, we'll take care of it.
 
  • #16
It's hard to be pleasant all the time, but it helps to know that your friends realize when you're holding back rage behind a smile :biggrin:
The worst part of it all is that I am clean shaven with short hair, and no one can ever tell my nationality, since I am a mut.
What is causing this to be the worst part? You're now talking to a bunch of people on a message board who have no insight on your ethnic background based on appearance. As far as I can tell, your nationality is American. How does anything matter past that? Even in real life, the people who matter are the ones who know you well enough to not base their opinions on a physical stereotype.

Don't worry Cyrus. You aren't horrible. Just realize that expressing a violent anger against someone usually doesn't provide any practical result, even if you're being completely rational. If fact, it might only get you run over by a bus :biggrin:
 
  • #17
cyrusabdollahi said:
Oooo that was Jelfish, sorry.

My parents' families are from Southeast China, but I'll forgive you because I've never actually divulged that :wink:

By the way, are you suggesting that we have the same father? I'll have to question him next time I'm home...
 

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