Our Free Speech Under Attack.

[BlackShanglan]

Hi Shang

I can't take credit for the use of benign to describe it. I lifted it from a doctor who is also a historian. He treats racism like a pathology. Benign racism being that kind that people have that isn't dangerous, while Malignat described the kind of violent racism of a Hitler or Pierce.

Granted it isn't the best way to describe it, but I know of no other that makes the point. Sowwry if it offended

Not offended I just disagree with his theory that it's not dangerous. To my thinking, it's like arguing that it's not the gasoline that's dangerous, but the match. Of the two, I'd rather get rid of the gasoline - otherwise, sooner or later something will set it off. The match I can deal with, so long as it's got no other fuel.

That is, of course, purely dealing with overt violent actions as the sole definiton of "dangerous." I would also argue that non-violent prejudices are also dangerous, as they deprive people of housing, employment, advancement, and security. They both injure people physically and emotionally and they create the sorts of powder-keg situations where long festering resentment suddenly explodes, or where long-ingrained "privilege" and disregard of other humans turns physically violent. I don't believe that there is any non-dangerous form of prejudice. It all leads to suffering, both tangible and intangible, immediate and cumulative.

SeaCat, I think of them as irrational. As you observe, they choose to ignore factual reality and instead cling to a semi-coherent personal version of the world. Sadly, this means that it's extremely difficult to deal with a bigot rationally, as he or she has already been immunized to facts. Sometimes the best you can do is try to halt the spread of the disease.

 

[fieryjen]

It's not healthy for America, it doesn't fit what we stand for," says Allen. "And they will do whatever it takes to reach their goal.

My first question upon reading that was, what precisely would that goal be? Convert everyone to be homosexual? Or just the good old World Domination?

Editor's Note: When the time for the vote in the legislature came there were not enough state legislators present for the vote, so the measure died automatically.

I must confess, reading this forum sometimes makes me so warm and fuzzy inside. It keeps me from losing all hope and trust in mankind. Yes it does.

 

[rgraham666]

Keep thinking about this thread.

And I've come to the conclusion once again is that bigotry is based on our unwillingness to think.

It's a lot less work to make up your mind before hand than to spend just about every minute of every day taking in information, processing it and coming to conclusions. Conclusions that might change again as new information comes in.

Thinking constantly is bloody hard work, and many people don't like bloody hard work.

 

[hazel43]

I just finished watching a movie on public TV about the genocide that occurred in Rwanda 11 years ago.
The reason why all of those people were killed was because of hate. The hate came from things that one group of people had done to the other in the past.
It just seems like a vicious cycle of human nature.
Sometimes I think we are really the inferior species. We are the only species who kills because of hate.

 

[Joe Wordsworth]

Oh, I'm not sure we are the only species that kills out of hate, I think it likely that we consider to be hate-behaviors are probably based on something not particularly hate-like and in that respect other animals could well display the same sorts of behaviors--but I think we're the only one we know that can articulate that as a reason.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

I haven't been back into this thread for a while. I felt certain that by now, it would have been hijacked into something entirely different.

When I did finally look into it, I ran across cloudy's interpretation of my post. Ordinarily, I would shrug my shoulders and let it lie, but in this case, it appears I got several innocent people into trouble with me, for responding to my post.

I am sure they weren't refering to all southerners. Just this one and his supporters. It seems that free speech will always be a dream and an aspirition never a reality.

Unlikely as it seems, Dar~ got into trouble merely by clarifying the misunderstanding, and trying to be soothing.

Yeah? Here you go:

In defence of gay(?) Literature, I would like Allen to answer just one simple question.

What proof does he have that the thugs he is trying to protect patronize a library — ANY library!

Indeed, what make him think that they can read?

Anyone reading that would realize that I was not impuning either the literacy, nor the intelligence of Southerners. I quite specifically indicated the thugs he is trying to protect to be the subject of my question.

(can't help but say "what make her think they cant?"(sic))

And I am begining to wonder why cloudy won't read my sentence they way it was written.

we need an emoticon for clapping, just for Burly

This was a response to a post by CharleyH offering a clapping hands emoticon to help CharleyH (or anyone) show approval, to anyone (even me.) How did OhMissScarlett get dragged into this worm wrassle?

and my personal favorite:

Hmmm...

Serves them thar faggots right fer what they're doing to awwwr cunt-ry....

*spit*

Lesss git them niggers next...

Yeah...

Lovely, simply lovely.

If everybody doesn't recognize Quiet_Cool's post as sarcastic — in deed that being sarcastic plays a large part in his Quiet_Cool persona — I weep for them.

The only one here who has mentioned anything about all Southerners, is — by implication — cloudy. I wrote about thugs and illiteracy and cloudy assumed I was talking about All Southerners.

Maybe cloudy should get off her high horse and apologies, both to all the Southerners she maligned, as well as the posters mentioned here.

 

[cloudy]

I haven't been back into this thread for a while. I felt certain that by now, it would have been hijacked into something entirely different.

When I did finally look into it, I ran across cloudy's interpretation of my post. Ordinarily, I would shrug my shoulders and let it lie, but in this case, it appears I got several innocent people into trouble with me, for responding to my post.



Unlikely as it seems, Dar~ got into trouble merely by clarifying the misunderstanding, and trying to be soothing.


Anyone reading that would realize that I was not impuning either the literacy, nor the intelligence of Southerners. I quite specifically indicated the thugs he is trying to protect to be the subject of my question.

And I am begining to wonder why cloudy won't read my sentence they way it was written.

This was a response to a post by CharleyH offering a clapping hands emoticon to help CharleyH (or anyone) show approval, to anyone (even me.) How did OhMissScarlett get dragged into this worm wrassle?



If everybody doesn't recognize Quiet_Cool's post as sarcastic — in deed that being sarcastic plays a large part in his Quiet_Cool persona — I weep for them.

The only one here who has mentioned anything about all Southerners, is — by implication — cloudy. I wrote about thugs and illiteracy and cloudy assumed I was talking about All Southerners.

Maybe cloudy should get off her high horse and apologies, both to all the Southerners she maligned, as well as the posters mentioned here.