Republicans, please cast your votes

Posted by: tonyc

Republicans, please cast your votes - 05/01/2004 21:55


Those of you who are registered Republicans, who are you planning to vote for and why?
George W. Bush
The Inanimate Carbon Rod


Posted by: Ezekiel

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 05/01/2004 22:08

There's a difference?

-Zeke
Posted by: Daria

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 05/01/2004 22:08

If I could I'd be all over the carbon rod. Inanimate wins.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 10:41

GWB because he can kill more sandniggers than a carbon rod.
Posted by: ithoughti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 11:13

sandniggers


ok, I'm all for free speech, and I have mostly supported d33zY's right to voice his views, but this is a bit too much.

Please, try to refrain from this type of stuff. It brings down the community. You are a smart guy, and I'm sure you can understand. I'm also sure that you can find more creative ways to insult people.

thanks
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 13:28

yeah, you're right. I suppose it's a harsh word. I'm just glad that GWB is willing to bring the fight to these extremists and take out the world's trash.

EDIT: damn, that does sound like Hitler, doesn't it? Well... to clarify, as racist as I may come off as, I'm not for killing all the muslims or all the light brown people. Just the people who declare war on America and our allies, and most of which just happen to be middle east ragheads.

Posted by: tonyc

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:05

and most of which just happen to be middle east ragheads.
Would it be so freakin difficult to you just say "Arabs" or "Muslims" depending on which particular group you're concerned about? There's something to be said for letting your logic stand up for itself instead of feeling the need to back it up with ethnic and/or religious slurs.
Posted by: Heather

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:13

I'm just glad that GWB is willing to bring the fight to these extremists and take out the world's trash.

First of all, on behalf of myself, and possibly those on the board who are also from a middle east rag head background, [censored] YOU, YOU ILL MANNERED REDNECK WHITE TRASH PIECE OF [censored]!

Now that I've got that out of my system, I have a serious question. Why haven't you enlisted yet Paul? You obviously seem very passionate about the cause, and if you haven't heard the military is having quite the problem with shortage of troops. Why not sign on if you believe so strongly in the need to defend the American people? Or is it just easier for you to sit back in your nice warm house while people like my not-technically-an-american yet boyfriend go over there and do the dirty work while you talk [censored] via the internet.?
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:14

This is why we need more women on this board.

Thanks, Heather.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:43

I am going to enlist, skank.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:45

This is why we need more women on this board.

Thanks, Heather.


Yeah, cause the women have more balls than a lot of the liberal faggots on this board.
Posted by: tfabris

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:46

I am going to enlist, skank.
... As soon as he turns 18...
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:48

You've been saying I'm 17 for the last 3 years....
Posted by: tfabris

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:49

Yeah, just poking a little fun. You're probably the youngest poster here.
Posted by: RobotCaleb

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:52

hes about a year younger than me. which i guess would make me one of the youngest on the board also.
as an aside, i did enlist.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 14:57

Why has this adolescent jerk not been banned, again? In the span of about an hour, we've gotten raghead, sandnigger, skank, faggot, and gook, most without provocation of any nature.
Posted by: RobotCaleb

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:00

for what? using some of the same degrading language as you just did?
or is it worse for him, because the word that you used has been desensitized in meaning, where the language he uses still hits home for some people?

edit : was written before 'adolescent jerk' was used to replace 'motherfucker'
Posted by: tonyc

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:01

You've been saying I'm 17 for the last 3 years....
Which you should take as a compliment because you've been acting like a 12 year old for the last three years.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:06

Why has this motherfucker not been banned, again?

You sure are quick to censor people's thoughts!

Look, I love you all, ragheads, skanks and fags alike. Sometimes it's just fun to pick a fight. Every community needs an asshole to stir the shit!
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:07

because the word that you used has been desensitized in meaning, where the language he uses still hits home for some people?
Yes. Exactly.
Posted by: tfabris

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:24

Every community needs an [censored] to stir the [censored]!
I think a majority of the people here on this BBS would disagree with that statement.

It's one thing to have an intelligent discussion about a politically-charged topic, and another thing to have it devolve into name-calling.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:41

hey I'm not the only one calling names...
Posted by: tfabris

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:48

hey I'm not the only one calling names...
True, but you were the first.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:51

Well, I did say ragheads to describe the terrorists. But they do wear rags on their heads..... nothing wrong with that, but it still makes them rag heads.
Posted by: RobotCaleb

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 15:54

Yes. Exactly.

well good. at least you confess to being hypocritical. most people wouldnt
Posted by: JeffS

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:01

at least you confess to being hypocritical
If I read correctly, I think he was admitting to using terms that have been desensitized by society and are therefore less offensive in nature. Admitting to being less offensive than [censored] cannot be considered hypocritical. In fact it illustrates the whole point of choosing language in a respectful way and that some words are much more insulting than others.
Posted by: RobotCaleb

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:05

a rose by any other name...

lets not sugar coat [censored].
adolescent jerk is much nicer than motherfucker. motherfucker is not any better than raghead, gook, et al.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:10

I disagree. For instance, I do not believe that he has intercourse with his mother, the denotation of MF. It's just an extreme form of ``jerk''. And I did change it because I realized I was being too extreme. However, I didn't call him a redneck or trailer trash, both of which probably come closer to being accurate, because that's hitting below the belt and being intentionally offensive, as opposed to expressing outrage.

It's the intentional offense that bothers me. If I offend you with my foul mouth, I apologize. None of the words I use really mean anything to me any more. (I actually got thrown in jail once for being potty-mouthed to a police officer. And I wasn't drunk at the time, either.)
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:18

What does it feel like to be "offended"? I honestly don't know what's it like. Please, someone try to offend me. I would like a taste of my own medicine.
Posted by: JeffS

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:21

Actually I never read the MF reference, so I was at a tiny disadvantage. But the point I was trying to make was that based solely on the fact of him admitting to your charge of
or is it worse for him, because the word that you used has been desensitized in meaning, where the language he uses still hits home for some people?
he wasn't being hypocritical.

And while MF is pretty offensive, it's still not nearly as personal as some of the other terms being used in this thread. On top of that, I have never seen Bitt use offensive language toward anyone unless he'd been first provoked. Not saying that makes it right, but he does show a lot of effort toward acting courteously toward people of differencing viewpoints, even at the point where he might find that person's viewpoint offensive.

And for the record, I have 0 desire for someone to charge around using filthy language and being blatantly offensive for no other reason than to upset people. Those are people I try to avoid in almost any setting.
Posted by: RobotCaleb

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:21

i kinda judge it by this. would my mother be proud to hear me saying these things?
not that all mothers are prime examples of how to live a life. but i think mine has done a good job (would i insert 'of', 'in' or 'at' here?) instilling moral values in me that i can be proud of.
Posted by: russmeister

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:25

(would i insert 'of', 'in' or 'at' here?)

I think it would be 'of' and you would need a comma after life, not a period.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:25

fuck, shit, ass, bitch, cunt, piss, crap, whore, dammit.

is anyone offended by that?
Posted by: DLF

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:33

George Carlin, maybe.
Posted by: lastdan

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:35

cretin.

look it up.

Posted by: ithoughti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:39

[censored], [censored], ass, bitch, cunt, piss, crap, whore, dammit.

is anyone offended by that?


I know that you know the difference between those words and "sandnigger"

Like I said before, you're a smart guy. I just really wish that you would put away the inflamitory stuff in favor of the funny and more intelligent ways that you can incite an argument.
Posted by: visuvius

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 16:43

what a worthless human being you are. a serious waste of life. the world would be a better place with, and people like you gone. i truly believe it would.

Posted by: ninti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 17:56

I have said it before; he sounds like he has serious mental problems. He has shown obvious signs of both paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Paranoid delusions, extreme mood swings, periods of hyperactivity and depression and periods of relative normalcy, a grandiose sense of identity, pugnacious behaviour, lack of good judgement and empathy and understanding of others. And this is just what we have seen here, I would hate to be in the same house/workplace with him. He is young yet, most mental disorders only get worse with age if left untreated.
Posted by: JeffS

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 18:17

Hmmm, as of right now and according to the two poles we have more Republicans (19) on this board than Democrats (18)! Somehow I don't believe it . . .
Posted by: Jerz

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 20:31

Hmmm, as of right now and according to the two poles we have more Republicans (19) on this board than Democrats (18)! Somehow I don't believe it . . .


The funny thing is Al Sharpton currently has as many votes on the Democrat thread as Howard Dean
Posted by: Heather

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 21:34

I am going to enlist,

When? After it is all said and done?

skank

Aww. Widdle Paulie harbors some resentment towards those of us who can get laid without resorting to relatives, livestock, or cash payments.

If you're going to flame someone, please be a bit more creative next time.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 06/01/2004 23:17

You're getting closer, but still not offended! thanks for trying though.


When?
Why are you so interested?
Posted by: Dignan

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 00:23

what a worthless human being you are. a serious waste of life

I'm repulsed by people who act like this in my own daily life, but he's just a troll. Nothing more, nothing less.

That said, I had no problem whatsoever while he was being cool (he had a pretty long streak going there).


But on a personal note, I agree Heather. My SO is from the general region in question, so it doesn't please me to hear that kind of talk either.
Posted by: tanstaafl.

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 02:18

I have said it before; he sounds like he has serious mental problems.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here (maybe literally?) and suggest that Paul is having us on.

He's a smart kid (look at any of his posts dealing with math, for instance) and I suspect he is not the racist, intolerant, bigoted, sub-moronic, inbred cretin that he pretends to be. He knows how to press our buttons, and has a good time doing so. I would not be totally amazed to find out that he doesn't exist, but is the alter-ego of one of the more "respectable" posters on the bbs. Remember a guy by the name of Rex_Oah?

That said, I would be happier if he went away and never came back. Even though I think he's doing it only for the fun of getting a rise out of us, I don't need the aggravation. I have trained myself almost subliminally now to automatically skip past anything he posts without reading it.

All he's doing is posting flame bait. Don't rise to it and he'll go away quicker.

tanstaafl.
Posted by: g_attrill

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 08:07

[censored], [censored], ass, bitch, cunt, piss, crap, whore, dammit.


Out of interest, why does the bbs censor some posts but not others? I once posted [censored]'s name and it censored that!

Gareth
Posted by: JeffS

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 08:10

It censors all posts, but not all "curse" words. And there are tricks around the censor so if you really want to you can use the censored words. [censored]'s name got censored as a joke.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 09:49

I'm going to play devil's advocate here (maybe literally?) and suggest that Paul is having us on.
Maybe so. I don't care. It's unforgiveably offensive whether he means it or not.
Posted by: boxer

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 09:56

I thought that it was an extract from his C.V., but whatever, I agree, we can do without.
If you google "Sandnigger", all 399 posts look as though he wrote them, however, as I had never heard the word 'till this morning, I suppose that I should be indebted for the education!
Posted by: DLF

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 11:25

I won't go that far, but it's fair to say that using the term "sandnigger" should rightly offend absolutely everybody.
Posted by: ninti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 11:40

> suggest that Paul is having us on

Does he like pushing buttons and being an ass for attention's sake? Of course he does, he has admitted as much. He is a total attention-whore, especially during these manic phases of his. But are those his real opinions? I believe they are. He has been too consistant in them for him to be completely an act.

> I suspect he is not the racist, intolerant, bigoted, sub-moronic, inbred cretin that he pretends to be

Have you been to to the South? Trust me, I have met people with identical opinions down there. I have little doubt he is exactly the kind of bastard he portrays himself as.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 11:54

....and I have little doubt that you are the pussy ass faggot you portray yourself as.
Posted by: RobotCaleb

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 12:18

children, please...
Posted by: loren

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 13:11

I'm FROM the South, and i've met people with worse opinions from the North, West, East, and Europe.
Posted by: Dignan

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 13:22

Absolutely. There are idiots all over.

[Murray] "morons...your bus is leaving..." [/Murray]
Posted by: speedy67

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 13:28

I'll try to express my opinion, although it's not so easy to write about such a complex theme in a foreign language...

I usually have a good laugh about Yz's postings, even if they are of the kind this thread is.
It allways follows a simple rule. First something offending by Yz, followed by disgusted replies (most time from the same people).
Yz sets one on top and the replies get harsher and so on...

For me it doesn't make any difference, if Yz is a clever boy who has fun to start fires or if he is really the bad guy he shows. If it is his real opinion, everybody else should respect that, like everybody wants his opinion respected by others.

If you don't like it, ignore it.

From what i read here from Yz, i personally think he's the clever boy having fun with the trolling. It's very tempting, if you know how you can let some "older, wiser and very well educated" people explode just by typing some stupid words.
Just because you expect from these people, that they stay calm and don't care about such a bulls*it.

As an example: we have a sect here, the translated name is "free christ's church". They pretend that they are living exactly every word, Jesus told, according to the new testament. When we were young, we had a lot of fun to go to their concerts, dressed as heavy freaks or hippies, highly intoxicated, just to provocate them. We didn't do anything just being there, and they reacted, like we expected. They didn't tolerate us, like they prayed as super-christs, but they threw us out of the concerts, one time beating us out. We expected that, cause they are humans, not higher souls lit by Jesus' light.
q.e.d., what was the only reason for us to do it.

OK, to come to an end, i hope this community, which i really love, will not break by one troll. And i hope, the calls for banning Yz again will not get louder, cause banning him won't bring peace.

Just my opinion.
cheers, Thomas
Posted by: tonyc

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 13:43

If it is his real opinion, everybody else should respect that, like everybody wants his opinion respected by others.
This is the part of your statement I completely disagree with. We all have respected his arguments on gun control, religion, etc. But when he crosses into religious and ethnic slurs and personal attacks, it's no longer about an open debate of ideas, it's about attacking cultures, races, and individual BBS members. That type of thing destroys entire conversations and helps nobody learn anything about another's opinions.

See, in your illustration of the typical lifetime of a [censored]-infested thread, you forgot one thing. If he doesn't draw a reaction, he keeps reeling off more and more inflammatory comments until someone snaps. Once the thread is poisoned with responses to his trolling, he loses interest and moves on.

For instance, we have had good political debates in some of the threads here recently completely derailed by this. You say you laugh at it and ignore it, but his comments are so inflammatory that they are going to draw a response from someone. Even if 99% of people do their best to ignore him, someone is going to respond, and that's all it takes for it to mushroom out of control. Now he has what he wants, at which point he closes his browser window and, more than likely, tries to use the same attention-getting tactics on his mommy and daddy.

He sees this somehow as his job on the BBS, and the majority opinion is that all he's doing is degrading the quality of the conversation, not increasing it. In the past, when he's offered logical opinions based on an occasional fact or two, he's gotten a very good response. When he's throwing out words like "sandniggers" and "ragheads" (among other followups) I feel it's going too far, and a majority of the BBS agrees. Maybe you're okay with it, and get a chuckle out of it, but he's attacking a resource (this forum) that a lot of us really enjoy, and that's why we get pissed off.

Posted by: tfabris

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 13:44

OK, to come to an end, i hope this community, which i really love, will not break by one troll.
And may I note that this community currently has only the one troll. And that prior to his arrival, it had none.

And i hope, the calls for banning Yz again will not get louder, cause banning him won't bring peace.
Side note: In the past, his prior user name was banned because of a PHP exploit attempt on the BBS code, not because of his language or views.
Posted by: peter

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 13:47

He sees this somehow as his job on the BBS, and the majority opinion is that all he's doing is degrading the quality of the conversation, not increasing it.
Your personal majority opinion, of course.

Peter
Posted by: ninti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 17:56

> I'm FROM the South

No offense, I am certainly not saying everyone down there is like that, especially in the cities. But you have to admit there is a LOT more of that kind of attitude down there than anywhere else in this country.
Posted by: Jerz

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 18:05

No offense, I am certainly not saying everyone down there is like that, especially in the cities. But you have to admit there is a LOT more of that kind of attitude down there than anywhere else in this country.


Huh? PLEASE... no offense but I've lived here in the south most of my life, as a matter of fact I went to high school in the same county as the movie "Deliverance" was filmed and I honestly can say that you are WAY off base.

People in the South from my experience are the most polite, laid back, happy and respectful people you'll ever come across.

Don't watch so much television you really shouldn't believe everything you see and hear. Remember Hollywood makes up most of that crap you see in movies and if I'm not mistaken Hollywood is in your part of the country.
Posted by: ninti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 18:06

> and I have little doubt that you are the pussy ass faggot you portray yourself as.

Oh yeah we forgot homophobe too; you have certainly shown enough of that as well as well as the aforementioned racist, misogynistic and redneck white trash tendencies.
Posted by: ninti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 18:10

> Don't watch so much television you really shouldn't believe everything you see and hear.

Please note where I say that I have been there, and let me add I have cousins in Texas and Arkansas and have visited them several times, and I did not enjoy it. Perhaps you haven't seen it, but lord knows I have.
Posted by: Jerz

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 18:18

Damn... never considered Texas and Arkansas as being a part of "the South". I personally have never been to either place.

Posted by: ninti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 18:41

> Damn... never considered Texas and Arkansas as being a part of "the South". I personally have never been to either place.

You don't? Well, they are both are...um...south. And they both joined the confedracy in the civil war. Is there another definition you have that would leave them out of it?
Posted by: m6400

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 19:09

[censored] says:
GWB because he can kill more sandniggers than a carbon rod

ithoughti says:
ok, I'm all for free speech, and I have mostly supported [censored]'s right to voice his views, but this is a bit too much.

Please, try to refrain from this type of stuff. It brings down the community. You are a smart guy, and I'm sure you can understand. I'm also sure that you can find more creative ways to insult people.

thanks

[censored] says:
yeah, you're right. I suppose it's a harsh word. I'm just glad that GWB is willing to bring the fight to these extremists and take out the world's trash.

EDIT: damn, that does sound like Hitler, doesn't it? Well... to clarify, as racist as I may come off as, I'm not for killing all the muslims or all the light brown people. Just the people who declare war on America and our allies, and most of which just happen to be middle east ragheads.

I'm having a hard time understanding why this branch of the discussion has continued past this point. Furthermore many of you have treated [censored] much worse than he has ever treated any of you. His post are sometimes offensive, but when they are they are so mearly for the sake of being offensive. I would have thought that most of you would be mature enough to see that. Unfortunatly most of you seem to actualy mean the incredibly cruel things you say to him.

Running through the list, and I am going to try to get everyone here so as not to pick on anyone in particular:

bxgurl:
[censored] YOU, YOU ILL MANNERED REDNECK WHITE TRASH PIECE OF [censored]!

Aww. Widdle Paulie harbors some resentment towards those of us who can get laid without resorting to relatives, livestock, or cash payments.

wfaulk:
Why has this adolescent jerk not been banned, again?

It's unforgiveab(le)

visuvius:
what a worthless human being you are. a serious waste of life. the world would be a better place with, and people like you gone. i truly believe it would.

ninti:
I have said it before; he sounds like he has serious mental problems. He has shown obvious signs of both paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Paranoid delusions, extreme mood swings, periods of hyperactivity and depression and periods of relative normalcy, a grandiose sense of identity, pugnacious behaviour, lack of good judgement and empathy and understanding of others. And this is just what we have seen here, I would hate to be in the same house/workplace with him. He is young yet, most mental disorders only get worse with age if left untreated.

Oh yeah we forgot homophobe too; you have certainly shown enough of that as well as well as the aforementioned racist, misogynistic and redneck white trash tendencies.


What a nice mature loving community we have.

Oh and:
Have you been to to the South? Trust me, I have met people with identical opinions down there. I have little doubt he is exactly the kind of bastard he portrays himself as.

ninti, you seriously need to withdraw that statment. I'm from The South, and so are plenty of other people on this board. It is nothing like you describe and it is just plain wrong to ascribe blanket statments such as that to people of a certian reigon. Akin to calling middle eastern people "ragheads" or assuming that they are all Musslims or that all Musslims want to kill people and destroy america.

Congradulations, [censored] played you like a fiddle and brought you down to his level. Thing is, I don't think he ment a word of what he said, but you seem to mean every bit of it.

See, I used to play this game with my younger sister all the time when we were young. I knew all the buttons to push to make her react in any way I wanted. And it was an immature power trip, but I grew out of it as I got older. But I've never let anyone have power over me the way I did over her. I choose the words I put down on this board. I don't "react" to other people's (whoever they may be) inflamatory comments. He only puts his bait out because you take it.

I think [censored] occasionaly has some good ideas. When he really tries he presents them in a mature and logical manner. On that basis I consider him to be a valuable assit to this board. I would miss him sorly if he was banned or left of his own accord. I don't enjoy his obcinities or general rudeness. However I think that when these are met with in a mature manner (such as ithoughti) then [censored] usualy sees the error of his ways. (As evidanced by his responce, dispite the use of the term "raghead".)

Honestly, I think it is entirly possable for us to help [censored] be a better person. Not only do I think we can but I think it would be a totaly worthwhile endevor.

So what is the purpose of this post other than to possably make everyone hate me as well?

To end this stupid tangent of this thread that (as I said in the begining) should have never made it past 3 posts.

How? Well, [censored] I hope I'm right when I think you are not such a bad person as you make yourself out to be. I think you do need to be the first to appologize. Your original opinion:
I'm just glad that GWB is willing to bring the fight to these extremists and take out the world's trash.

Is still very valid and does not need to be apologized for. However you do need to apologize for the inflamatory words you used and for contenuing to bait people (even if they were stupid enough to take the bait.) Furthermore your apology needs to stand even if some people refuse to accept it. I'm sure that many people on here belive you would never do any thing of the sort, but I am sticking my neck out here for you because I think you can prove them wrong.

Second, all of you that insulted [censored] should apologize to him. Nobody deserves to be talked to that way. And many of you need to apologize to the board in general for feeding the flames that, in his second post, [censored] was willing to let die.

Now, I realize that I've probably just made alot of enemies. I also realize that I'm probably not going to get everything I want. So be it.
Posted by: loren

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 19:35

word.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 19:46

Side note: In the past, his prior user name was banned because of a PHP exploit attempt on the BBS code, not because of his language or views.

Nah, you're thinking of someone else. I was banned for "empegbot", remember? I do recall you mentioning once that only two people have ever been banned here -- me and the php guy.






As for all the allegations of name-calling, racism, etc.... Why don't you scroll up and see who started the personal name calling? I guess it's okay for ninti or anyone else to make a blanket statement about people from the south because it's a politically correct insult. But as soon as someone mentions anything about anyone who's not a straight white male, all the libs start getting their panties in a wad. The fact of the matter is the terrorists are hairy, yellow-skinned, allah-praising, barbarians with towels on their heads. That is a fact. I don't give a shit if it doesn't fit in with the politically correct liberal world view of the evil republican christians. I want to see all the jihading ragheads die. That is also a fact. If you don't like it, then that's okay with me. I don't particularly like the fact that ninti smokes poles, but it doesn't bother me either. I'm not going to call for him to be banned for his words or opinion. But it seems like some people think it's perfectly okay to make derogatory statements about rednecks or people from a certain region of the world such as the southern United States, but as soon as someone calls a Saudi a ragheaded sandnigger terrorist or call a heterophobe a fag, it's suddenly unbearably offensive. Yet they don't receive the "troll" title as well. Yes, I do occasionally enjoy personal name-calling, but 95% of the time it's in response to someone else's insults. If you don't like demeaning terms such as raghead to be used, even if it's not directed to an individual, it doesn't help your case by calling southerners rednecks or by telling someone to go fuck themselves. Don't get me wrong -- this doesn't bother me, but if you want to call names, don't expect other people not to.

I think customsex was right. Some insults are politically correct and therefore are deemed okay. You can insult the racist, ignorant redneck all you want. It's cool. But God forbid you insult any of the privledged people guarded under the PC umbrella like fags and arabs. Call me a stupid southerner all you want, but don't in the same breath call me a troll. I'm not the only troll here!
Posted by: speedy67

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 19:49

But when he crosses into religious and ethnic slurs and personal attacks, it's no longer about an open debate of ideas, it's about attacking cultures, races, and individual BBS members

I think, the offending posts are never a debate of ideas, his "more creative" posts sometimes are. But do you really think, words like "sandniggers, ragheads" or similar words are attacking cultures, races or even BBS-members? Perhaps i have an other level of feeling offended, i don't know if it's me in person or because i belong to an other culture, but it takes a lot to make me feel attacked just by words. Words typed by someone i don't know personally. Would be something different, if those words came from someone i met and know at least a little bit.

If he doesn't draw a reaction, he keeps reeling off more and more inflammatory comments until someone snaps. Once the thread is poisoned with responses to his trolling, he loses interest and moves on

good point, but this shows for me the fact, that he's trolling for being a troll, and not to hit someone special. He flames the one who snapped.

For instance, we have had good political debates in some of the threads here recently completely derailed by this. You say you laugh at it and ignore it

don't get me wrong. I don't laugh about the ones who react, it's just the obviousness of his comments, which make me laugh, or sometimes make me think "Ohh no, Yz, not so often..."

He sees this somehow as his job on the BBS,

Right, and we should be glad we have only him. I don't know any other Board without many trolls, and even ignore-features or banning will help them out. I also saw a good german car-related board go down, because the only things to read about were about the "bad guys"
I don't want to say he's doing a good job, i just want to calm down everybody a little bit.

Maybe you're okay with it, and get a chuckle out of it, but he's attacking a resource (this forum) that a lot of us really enjoy, and that's why we get pissed off.

No, you didn't get me right. I'm not OK with it, but i can (for me) deal with it. Don't think of me sitting here laughing loud about "sandniggers" I don't even chuckle.
As i have said before, i love this community and i give it the title "best community on the whole web" anytime someone asks me what the hell i'm doing in front of my computer for hours and hours. And i can fully understand, why you are pissed off. I am, too, only not as worse...

Thomas
Posted by: speedy67

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 19:57

And may I note that this community currently has only the one troll. And that prior to his arrival, it had none.

Your totally right, Tony, but as i said just before, this is a damn good troll-rate for an internet-BBS

Side note: In the past, his prior user name was banned because of a PHP exploit attempt on the BBS code, not because of his language or views

I know this, but newer calls to ban him again are about his language.

cheers, Thomas
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:05

wow, I have to agree with Loren. word.

Sometimes when talking about politics like this, it's just so easy to get carried away. Especially when you're in the minority and nobody will listen to what you have to say anyway. It's just so easy to say the magic words, like "sandnigger", and watch them piss their pants. I apologize for straying off of a mature and intelligent debate about carbon rods.
Posted by: tfabris

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:05

Nah, you're thinking of someone else. I was banned for "empegbot", remember? I do recall you mentioning once that only two people have ever been banned here -- me and the php guy.
You're right. Sorry about the mistake. I remembered it was because of some sort of coding exploit, but I clearly got the details wrong.
Posted by: RobotCaleb

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:07

Perhaps i have an other level of feeling offended, i don't know if it's me in person or because i belong to an other culture, but it takes a lot to make me feel attacked just by words. Words typed by someone i don't know personally. Would be something different, if those words came from someone i met and know at least a little bit.

i had pretty much this same thought typed up, but i closed it before i posted. it wasnt stated in as nice language as you have managed to.

i feel that, if someone is truely offended by words used on this board, speak up. but... only do so if they hit home to you. 'mommy, that man said ass.'
if you are a 'raghead' or a 'gook' (i use the terms as they were presented by others. as a personal thing, i never use derogatory words of racism except against myself) and you take offense to being called such, speak up. if you are not the one being talked about, or you dont feel as if you could be who he is talking about, let it go. look what this has turned into.
Posted by: ninti

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:12

> What a nice mature loving community we have.

I don't really want to get into your post too much because it is a one sided diatribe and it is really has no basis in any kind of reality. You neglected to mention EVERYTHING else he said, and all his history of offending people here.

All I do have to say is that people get what people ask for. He asks for this, he gets it. No one else asks for it, no one else gets it. We do have a nice community, and he ruins it on a regular basis

> nti, you seriously need to withdraw that statment.

It was not a blanket statement. Some people say they couldn't believe people could be like him. I said they can, and I have met many people in his neck of the woods who did. Never did I say, or even imply, they were all racist. Yes I believe that more people there have racist views than in other parts of the country, and I back that up with personal experience, and facts. Segregation in the south happened up until 40 years ago, to say that racism is not more prelevant there is silly. But even disregarding that, comparing that to calling an entire race of people niggars and ragheads is stupid. You should be ashamed for trying to make a comparison there, it is a complete non sequiter.

> I don't think he ment a word of what he said

Why do people keep saying that? He has made his meaning clear for years now, this is not an act, though it may be an exaggeration. His is what you see here, and how you can defend him is beyond me.
Posted by: speedy67

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:14

m6400, my thoughts in other words...

Thomas
Posted by: Jerz

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:20

You don't? Well, they are both are...um...south.


And Florida is even further South than Georgia but you may as well call it NY or NJ.

Texas is way too close to Mexico to be considered "the South" IMHO.

Seriously, as shown here the "South" is definately debateable. I imagine if I didn't live here I *might* be as stereotypical as you. But since I do...
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:25

ninti, bxgurl and anyone else, sorry for my choice of words, and I will really try to use more considerate and mature terms in the future. Let's all try to end the name-calling on both sides including myself, and I will try to be more thoughtful of other people in what I say. I don't want to hurt anyone on here even when I totally disagree with them on something. I admit I do get some sort of sick enjoyment out of pissing some people off.
Posted by: speedy67

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:30

Just a final question, neither google nor my translator-page gives me a hint:
what means "The Inanimate Carbon Rod" ?

cheers, Thomas
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:33

I believe it's a Simpsons reference, where each employee of Homer's workplace had gotten a turn to be Employee of the Month, if I remember correctly. And when Homer was overdue for his turn, they decided to give the award to an inanimate carbon rod instead.
Posted by: speedy67

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:39

OK, thanks, now i got it...

cheers, Thomas
Posted by: tonyc

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 20:45

Your personal majority opinion, of course.
Er, um, not really, I was going by a straw count of the opinions expressed every few weeks when this flares up again. If you're trying to paint me as someone who thinks his opinion represents the majority on its own, please look elsewhere. I only speak for myself, if that.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 21:04

I cannot disagree more. (Sorry, Loren.)

I will tolerate him and appreciate him when he makes useful comments (which does happen occasionally), but casting aspersions on an entire race of people remains unforgiveable.
Posted by: Folsom

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 21:08

One thing about segregation: I came down from Chicago to Atlanta, and I think Chicago is way more segregated than Atlanta. Atlanta is much more mixed than Chicago could ever hope to be.

Atlanta may not be typical south, but the north can be as segregated as any place in the south.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 21:12

casting aspersions on an entire race of people remains unforgiveable.

So you must be unforgiving towards the millions of people around the world who hate America?
Posted by: tonyc

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 21:26

The problem I have is not just with the insults themselves, it's the fact that you can't see any gray areas that most other people (and not just liberals) see. I'll point out just a few from this one post:

The fact of the matter is the terrorists are hairy, yellow-skinned, allah-praising, barbarians with towels on their heads.
All of the terrorists? What about the terrorists in Northern Ireland? How about Columbia? Or maybe The Philippines? Oh wait, how about Spain? Or how about this group of terrorists who just happen to operate in our very own country?

Your narrow view of the world on television only shows you the terrorism stories that are sexy in response to the September 11th tragedies -- terrorism happens all over the world, it just so happens that the "ragheads" attacked your country and mine.

Secondly, it's not like being an Arab or Muslim makes you a terrorist. Your black-and-white view says that if your skin is brown, you've got a beard and a turban, you're absolutely 100% a terrorist. Are way too many Arabs terrorists? Yes, way too many of them are. But to paint everyone with the same brush is doing what the terrorists do to us. They see all Americans as evil, manipulative, imperialists that just want to take their oil. Are some of us that way? Sure. Are we all? No. IT WORKS BOTH WAYS.
I want to see all the jihading ragheads die
Take out the raghead reference and I couldn't agree with you more. I am all in favor of immediate death to anyone who sees attacking America as a way to be a martyr and do their religon proud. I'd push the button for the electric chair for anyone who assisted in the Sept 11th hijackings, or organized any kind of terrorism against America or our allies. I think you and I can agree on that, right? Where you and I differ is that you see an Arab as a "jihading raghead" and I see an Arab as an Arab. I see way too many Arabs involved in terrorism, but I don't assume they're all the same. You do. THAT is the fundamental problem I have with your tirades.

but 95% of the time it's in response to someone else's insults
Comlpete and utter horseshit and you know it. This all started with sandniggers. A vast majority of the other similar flame wars start with you. You're NOT always the first guy who says something controversial, but you are almost ALWAYS the one who takes it from being about the issue to being about the other person, or you bring in the same kind of ethnic slurs, or belittle someone else for being a liberal.

My poll was satire, a comparison to the other thread which has all the Democratic nominees. Since GWB has no opposition, I decided to make the Simpsons reference (my original idea was just to have one option being GWB.) Maybe there's a little bit of it that was attacking your guy, but you had to respond to that with sandniggers. Can't you like gradually work your way up to that?

I know you seem to feel like you're in the minority, but remember that political leaning quiz a bunch of us took a while back? Remember how many people were on the RIGHT? The funny thing is I don't see other conservatives rushing in to be with you on these topics. Probably because they realize there are gray areas. They don't see all Arabs as terrorists. They don't see all democrats as pinko liberal faggots, either. I can totally respect someone who disagrees with me, but I can't respect someone who not only disagrees but refuses to acknowledge any opinion but their own.

If you don't like demeaning terms such as raghead to be used, even if it's not directed to an individual, it doesn't help your case by calling southerners rednecks or by telling someone to go [censored] themselves.
I don't think that stuff was called for either, but it's a perfect example of what happens. You fire the first shot, and everyone else is so angry they fire back. If you didn't take the first shot all the time, nobody would be calling you a redneck.

Finally, I for one accept your apology, it shows a lot of class. I hope you really mean it and can work on keeping the insults out of your arguments. I think you've contributed some interesting opinions around here, I just really wish they weren't drowned out by the severe negativity and disdain towards anyone who's not exactly like you.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 22:35

So you must be unforgiving towards the millions of people around the world who hate America?
Yup. (Well, the ones who hate all Americans based on the actions of some, not necessarily the ones that hate America's policies. Hell, I fall into that camp a lot of the time, especially lately.) Nothing steamed me more than seeing those masses of Pakistanis celebrating in the streets on 9/11/2001. (<-hyperbole) I'm not a hypocrite (despite the conclusions other people have drawn based on my comments); I'm just a grudge-bearing asshole.

At the same time, I don't want to kill them just because they're misguided. If they instigated an attack or realistically planned to, that's reasonable cause, but just because they hate us is no reason to kill them.
Posted by: Ezekiel

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 22:53

And seeing the mother-loving Bert with Bin-Laden was the last straw dammit! Evil, evil Bert.

So, was the guy playing the hobbit w/the pumpkin in the last Green Dragon scene Andy Serkis?

How's things at Fedex?

Flame wars are boring. Go home all of you!

Stumbles off to bed...

-Zeke
Posted by: Heather

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 23:14

Second, all of you that insulted [censored] should apologize to him. Nobody deserves to be talked to that way.

Ahh, more fun with taking the high ground today. Sorry, but I couldn't disagree with you more. If some one wants to act like a piece of shit, then they deserve to be treated like one.

Lemme give you some background as to why I'm so pissed off, and why I'm probably getting arrested when I go into work tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to type this out clearly.

Let's look at the avitar for a minute. Now who here suspected I had any middle eastern background from looking at that picture? Probably one maybe two people.

How many times a day to you think I hear something like raghead, sandnigger, or camel jockey said in my presence in an average day of dealing with the public, under the assumption that it's OK to say that in front of me because I'm obviously white, right?

Today I got to hear it from a representative of a corportaion who does business with my company. And myself and four other people who all stood there quietly for a few minutes, some of whom had that embarrased nervous look on here face where I continued the typical breathe deep and stare blankly reaction. Said [censored] then proceeds to make suggestions about a co-worker of mine who is an afghani, that I also happen to be very fond, of being a terrorist and an expert on bombing things. I really didn't even notice I'd punched him till he was already on the floor. Amazing how easy it is to knock someone over when they're not expecting to be hit. Was it wrong? Probably. Did it feel good? Hell yeah. Would I do it again? Most likely.

How often do you have to put up with that kind of [censored] in a day?

As for people with the who "all the american killed on september 11th" who seem so connected and personally attacked by something they were no where near or knew what it was like to live with every [censored] day, who seem to think we should go turn an entire region of the planet into green glass, I just plain don't get it.

Do you know where all your friends and relatives were that day?
How many funerals did you go to for your former co-workers?

I just don't comprehend the kill em all let god sort em out idea from people who didn't have to wake up smelling it every morning for weeks, looking over and seening something that's been out the window on the right your entire life not there any more. You weren't there sitting outside in my back yard watching it crumble waiting for the phone to ring to hear if someone's OK. Or even worse, the poor arab bastard trying to drive home that afternoon with a terrified look on his face and a small american flag wedged into his drivers window as if to say "please don't kill me, I like it here".

This is why I have issues with Paul, and others like him who think this is such a good thing (debatable) and it's great that we're over there, but won't put their money where their mouth is and enlist. Then their family can get the fun phone calls from someone who very well may be in a wooden box the next time they see them. But it's so much easier to sit on your ass and talk about how wonderful it is that "we went over to get em" from the comfort of your own sofa.

I hope I made some sense. I need my sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be loads of fun.
Posted by: lectric

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 23:31

No offense, I am certainly not saying everyone down there is like that, especially in the cities. But you have to admit there is a LOT more of that kind of attitude down there than anywhere else in this country.
I, personally, find THIS to be an extremely offensive statement. I live in the south, and was raised in the DEEP south. I currently live in a large city, but I have also lived in much more rural areas. I would say, in my experience, that racism is FAR worse in an urban area than in any rural one.

For the record, I'm a WASP. (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) All my life, I've had friends of different races. Until I moved to New Orleans. Here, the blacks want nothing to do with the whites, as a rule. I have a few black friends, but most of them are co-workers and we were able to develop a friendship over time. Never in my life have I been exposed to racism such as this.

On another note, racism is alive and well in the North and West. Chicago, LA, and New York all have serious gang related problems. Ever noticed that gangs are often one race hating the other? One of the issues that mankind needs to overcome is the fact that as a rule, people tend to feel more comfortable around other people that look and act like them. This can be seen everywhere. I mean, why does chinatown even exist? Do you think there was a law that said only orientals may inhabit this part of town? Of course not. It just sort of grew that way. Or litle Italy, for another example. It's not necessarily a bad thing inherently, it's just the way people work. Do I live in a predominantly white neighborhood? Yes. Do I live in an exclusive white neighborhood? No. Do I wish I did? No. Would I like to live in a predominantly black neighborhood? No. Why? I really can't say. I'm just more comfortable where I am.

I'm not sure where I'm going with all this, it's just that something as complex as racism cannot be simply "fixed". I do NOT, however, feel that it is a regional problem, as many have stated. I do feel that southerners take a bad rap simply based on what occured 150 years ago. Granted, much of that history ended only fifty or so years ago, but that is STILL much greater than my lifetime. And yes, thre are places in the south that are still stuck in the 50's socially, but not as many as some would have us believe.

On a last note, one of my two best friends in college was in an interracial relationship for 3.5 years. This was in a small town in Alabama. (You know, part of the "deep south" that people are so fond of making fun of) Did he ever have a problem with people accepting his relationship as anything other than natural? No. He DID, however, when he took her to Jersey (where he was from).
Posted by: lectric

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 07/01/2004 23:42

In response to Heather, slandering another ethnic group is NEVER a good thing. I honestly can't believe people in the corporate world could possibly ever think it's an acceptable thing to do/say. Regardless of a persons personal feelings, saying something like that to a business associate is not only offensive, it's just plain stupid. I mean, what's the point? The only thing it could possibly do is alienate someone or completely bite you in the ass and cost you your job. Where I work, making a racist comment like that guy did would certainly cost him his job. Immediately. And the higher up the ladder the person was, the faster they'd escort him to the door.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 00:36

This is why I have issues with Paul, and others like him who think this is such a good thing (debatable) and it's great that we're over there, but won't put their money where their mouth is and enlist.


Don't worry. I can't wait to go kill me some terrorists. Yeehaw!
Posted by: canuckInOR

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 01:03

Word.

I hope you broke the [censored]'s nose.
Posted by: peter

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 04:06

All my life, I've had friends of different races. Until I moved to New Orleans. Here, the blacks want nothing to do with the whites, as a rule. I have a few black friends, but most of them are co-workers and we were able to develop a friendship over time. Never in my life have I been exposed to racism such as this.
That's quite surprising -- is the integration all a show put on for the tourists then? When I was there a few years ago, the best street-corner jazz band I saw in the French Quarter was three black guys, two white guys, and a Japanese guy, the city mayor at the time was black, all the restaurants and bars I went too seemed sensibly cosmopolitan, and all-in-all the place had every sign of having outgrown its unfortunate racial history. It's sad to hear that that's not actually the case.

Peter
Posted by: JeffS

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 05:08

If it is his real opinion, everybody else should respect that, like everybody wants his opinion respected by others.
It is not his opinions that offend. It is his way of expressing them. I don't respect his language, nor should I be asked to.
Posted by: JeffS

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 05:21

Ninti, I let the origional comment go because there ARE some pretty bad attitudes in the "south", but it's by no means a good way to characterize the place. There are bad attitudes everywhere in the U.S. and I'm sorry you have to feel like isolating out a particular region. I love Texas, and while we have problems here (like anywhere else), the people here are more considerate and kind that most other places I've been. In fact, I appreciate a lot of what I've experienced as "the south" and believe it to be truly a great place to live. Don't let a few bad apples ruin the batch, and please don't characterize an entire region of people by a few negative attributes you might have isolated in your experience.
Posted by: JeffS

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 07:34

Oh, and this is a little late, but I have to try:

What does it feel like to be "offended"? I honestly don't know what's it like. Please, someone try to offend me. I would like a taste of my own medicine.
Liberal!

Posted by: lopan

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 07:59

It's sad to hear that that's not actually the case.


Sad to say but it's true from what I saw, we went there when I was in college. We stupidly had never been there and chose a cheap hotel, one night as we were walking back a fairly nice cab driver pulled over and pretty much asked us to please get in, in a drunken stuper we agreed. He was a black gentleman who explained we were risking our lives walking down the street in that area because we were white. He was actually very cool, he dropped us off at our hotel and took what money we had (we'd spent most of our money at the bars, he basically gave us our cab ride). So yeah he was cool, but still a scary situation. We asked and confirmed this with a police officer the next night when our carriage was struck by a cab, no animals or people harmed. So basically we learned some areas just aren't safe for white people, and cab drivers there drive like maniacs.
Posted by: lopan

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 08:01

Ninti, I let the origional comment go because there ARE some pretty bad attitudes in the "south"


I grew up in Kentucky, live very close to DC now. I've spent some time in California and a few other places throughout our country. It's the same every where you go. I used to get offended, but I'm so used to redneck jokes it doesn't really phase me anymore, funny how the mentallity that it's OK to stereotype certain groups of people work. For the record, I'm not racist, I'm very liberal, don't have an accent and yes wear shoes in public.
Posted by: JeffS

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 08:07

I'm having a hard time understanding why this branch of the discussion has continued past this point.
Well, what happened is that the offensive language he was using struck a chord with someone on the BBS. Using a derogatory term for any group is very demeaning to anyone in that group, even if the person offended wasn’t the intended target. While racist language shouldn’t be used at any time or place, doing so on an international BBS is just inviting someone to be hurt and offended by your words.

Should people take the moral high ground and ignore such slanders? It’d probably be the healthiest and most profitable reaction, but it also isn’t reasonable when dealing with human nature. It’s hard to ignore demeaning insults, and one shouldn’t be surprise that poking a sensitive spot should elicit a negative reaction.

I choose the words I put down on this board. I don't "react" to other people's (whoever they may be) inflamatory comments. He only puts his bait out because you take it.
Like yourself I try not to let people control me with their words. I’m not perfect in this area, however, and I know that there are offenses that would be too great that I would have to speak out, and probably in a very negative manner. It’s easy to tell someone they shouldn’t be offended when the slanderous words weren’t aimed at you. I have no idea what being called a “raghead” would mean to me if I were in Heather’s shoes.
Posted by: lectric

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 14:13

Unfortunately this IS the case. On the strip, Bourbon street is pretty safe and cosmopolitan simply because that's the way the quarter is. Just be very very careful when you start walking 2-3 blocks off the main drag. Things get a LOT darker. Less traffic lights and less traffic, less people which means less witnesses. It's a very dangerous place to be, regardless of your color, but particularly if you're white. You're obviously out of place then and as such, a target.

As far as the mayor being black, consider that New Orleans proper is more than 50% black. It makes sense that the mayor would also be black.

Another interesting thing to note is that in New Orleans, over 50% of the males of working age are unemployeed. This is what leads to much of the crime problems downtown. This is also why I don't live and work in New Orleans proper. I live and work in the burbs, and very very rarely go into the city. And then, never for fun, it's all work. When I first moved here, I both lived and worked in the city. Never again.
Posted by: DLF

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 15:24

And while I was in N.O. most recently, the lede on the news was re: white tourists murdered by black gang-bangers, and the African-American mayor was embroiled in a huge, raging scandal. Yes, the big Southern cities can still have problems.
Posted by: DLF

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 15:31

You're on the right track, but let's try this:

Only a closeted, candy-assed, liberal do-gooder would actually apologize to a bunch of losers for "offending" them.

Did I manage to get everybody with that one, or is \[[censored]]\ still unscathed?
Posted by: DLF

Re: Republicans, please cast your votes - 08/01/2004 16:15

OK, time to weigh in on "the South" (which may "rise again," according to some, may the Lord have mercy on their souls).

Having already admitted to having a lineage that includes Gen. Lee (the Civil War era historical figure, not the disco-era TV show prop), I feel that 8 generations of Southern So-Called Aristocracy (ha!) qualifies me to contribute .02+.02.

I've lived in Colorado for 12 years, having left North Carolina over *exactly* the issues some have raised here re: racism and intolerance. Funny thing about the move: when I arrived, all the watercooler talk was about how a Colorado Springs org. called "Focus on the Family" (btw, founded by a local used-car salesman) was spearheading anti-Gay campaigns. Then Matthew Shepard was beaten to death in WY. I'm not Gay, but it goes to show: everywhere you go, there you are.

SWMBO, on the other hand, believes most of the stereotypes of southerners out there (and reflected here) are driven by Hollywood's on-going "Deliverance" obsession. She insists the enclave of enlightenment around Appalachian State University where she was raised (and hung out in coffee shops with Tom Robbins and Orson Scott Card) was never like that. Fine and dandy.

In summary, I know from whence these stereotypes come. They are rarely complete fabrications, but the blanket completeness of them is clearly fabricated from whole cloth. It's always all the pesky exceptions that disprove a "rule."

The way in which 9/11 changed me is that I would once have quoted somebody with whom I share the experience of being beaten up by racist cops (and I'm white): "Can't we all just get along?" Recent history shows the unfortunate answer all too clearly. Striving for civil discource on this board is well and good, but what happens when that guy and his lawyer show back up at Heather's workplace? I'm guessing more than the exchange of kind words....