AQ RIVER TP. LELAISE OR CALL?

[Alexthegreat]

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However, I feel that anything that is said out of humor, and not out of ill will or hatred is easily defined

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This does not sound correct to me. How many times have you seen a situation arise because of a "joke" that someone didn't find funny??

[Lestat]

<font color="blue"> I think a post with a title containing a derogatory phrase/term in an open forum shows a lack of forethought and class. </font>

I see nothing derogatory about it. OP was simply trying to add some levity to his title by playing with dialect.

No offense, but I can't even imagine living inside such a closed world where minor things like this are offensive to you. Definitely stay out of comedy clubs.

[rtrombone]

You still don't get it. Jokes poking fun at Asian accents are sometimes as lighthearted as jokes about Southern accents, but they're often not.

Look, I know flawless didn't mean any harm by his title. I know he's not racist. He seems like a good guy. I wasn't offended, and it wouldn't surprise me if nobody on 2+2 was. The 2+2 audience, by and large, isn't comprised of the types that would be.

So if he didn't mean any harm, and no harm was done, what's the problem? If that's the case, there isn't one. In this particular context the wording of his post isn't offensive at all.

The point I'm trying to get across is that we've gotta be careful with blanket statements that something is or isn't offensive. If you're not a member of the affected group, how are you supposed to know? You think you can put yourself in their shoes, but you can't.

Black people complain all the time about things to which white people can't relate. Many conclude that said black people are simply making stuff up, causing trouble. There's a disconnect there because white people don't know what it's like to be black. They only think they do.

Back to the Southern accent jokes. The difference between these and other, more malicious, jokes is that they're not a shot at a race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. You guys know that around the world entire groups of people are persecuted for being different. In more civilized countries like ours, the mistreatment doesn't rise to the level of persecution. Still, these groups have to deal with a hell of a lot more [censored] than members of the majority.

So you're from the South. Were you ever truly hurt by a joke about your accent? Were these jokes followed by comments that your family should go back to Mexico or whatever boat it was they got off of? That you're inherently dumber than white people and good only for carrying a football? Did it ever get so bad that you questioned your self-worth and began rejecting everything to do with the South?

What is it that Jim Mora said? "You think you know, but you don't. And you never will."

But we can try.

[Alexthegreat]

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The point I'm trying to get across is that we've gotta be careful with blanket statements that something is or isn't offensive. If you're not a member of the affected group, how are you supposed to know? You think you can put yourself in their shoes, but you can't.

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[Alexthegreat]

It's not offensive to me...

But I'm sure it's offensive to someone...

I can't imagine living in such a closed world where you didn't understand this.

[Lestat]

<font color="blue"> Did it ever get so bad that you questioned your self-worth and began rejecting everything to do with the South? </font>

I think you nailed it. It's people with little self-worth who would find this offensive. I can't imagine a confident successful person getting upset over such a minor play on words.

Any further discussion on this should be transferred over to the politics forum.

[Alexthegreat]

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It's not offensive to me...

But I'm sure it's offensive to someone...

I can't imagine living in such a closed world where you didn't understand this.

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[shemp]

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You still don't get it.

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Thank goodness you were here to break it down for him and everyone else and stand up against Racism in a public forum. [ QUOTE ]
I know he's not racist. [...]

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So much for that idea. But, wow, a mind reader too. The force is strong in you.

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I wasn't offended

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So you're speaking for the voiceless then, the oppressed, disenfranchised everywhere. Confronting the oppressor. Striking out against Ignorance. All from your computer keyboard on 2+2's poker strategy forum. Fabulous.

Maybe you don't get it?

FWIW ($0.00), I thought it was a stupid thing to put in a subject line.

First of all, redenck jokes stretch much farther than someones accent. Jokes about people from the south often make fun of genetics, poverty, and the overall quality of life for a vast majority of people. When I say redneck, I say that because by a Texans standards I am not, but by a Yankees standard or a Californians standard, I probably would be.

You think the only thing white people from the south get made fun of for is their accent? You're not very observant. My ancestors created a civil war to keep slavery legal. I promise you that the jokes made about the category I fall into stretch much farther than accents.


If something is funny, it's funny. And if you dont like it, that's why we have FREE SPEECH. So you can say why you dont like it, and so others can say it if they want. I dont like censorship ON ANY LEVEL. Trying to curb someones conversation or remarks is censorship, and it cannot exist in the same breath with freedom of speech.

I dont like blatant racism, but I tolerate things I dont like to hear because of the greater cause.



Tex

[rtrombone]

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that jokes about Southerners can be just as hurtful as those about minority ethnic groups. I'm not a Southerner so I wouldn't know, but I'll take your word for it.

If I operate under this assumption, I won't make a statement that is likely to piss off or hurt somebody from the South. It may be funny to me, but it won't be to him. Now, if I know a guy is fine with whatever, it's open season. Context is everything.

Whether or not I have the right to make such a statement is a separate issue. I'm inclined to agree with you that the less censorship, the better.

All I'm saying is this: (1) If you know doing something will probably offend somebody, why do it? The fact of the matter is that people often do stuff with the intention of hurting others, even though that's clearly not what happened here. (2) It's dangerous to presume to know what is or isn't offensive.

That's all.