The USA and political correctness issues :)

[Boethius]

It's not about guilt.  Unless you are attracted solely to a skin colour, you can find people of all races who have a particular "look".

[GQBlues]

It's not about guilt.  Unless you are attracted solely to a skin colour, you can find people of all races who have a particular "look".

"Hello Mom!...Hi, I just wanted to let you know I got engaged. Mark. Mark O'Malley from down the street!"

"Honey, what's wrong with Tsang Li? He has such a lovable heritage. Or even our next door neighbor Charles' son, Jerome. Such a nice young man!"

"Ma...I told you. I'm not attracted to either of those two. I'm sure they're both very nice, but I'm attracted to Mark."

"Oh well, then that makes you a racist!"

 

[BC]

Just wait for the times when the police are prohibited to use the racial features in the description of the people wanted [/font]   I'm sure they are yet to come 

And I often wonder why race is even still asked in some US states, guess it's a remnant of the old times.  Any state drivers licenses that still ask for it?  Think North Carolina still does. Birth Certificates?

Seems we don't need such over here.  Can't recall ever being asked or having to list race or ethnicity on any form, official or otherwise.

[BillyB]

you can find people of all races who have a particular "look".

That might be a problem for me when it come to the various Pygmy peoples around the world. Not into midgets either.

And I often wonder why race is even still asked in some US states, guess it's a remnant of the old times.  Any state drivers licenses that still ask for it?  Think North Carolina still does. Birth Certificates?

My drivers license doesn't mention race or skin color. I was born in Saigon and my Dept. Of State USA birth certificate doesn't mention my race either, just place of birth.


When you see questions of race being asked, it's usually for the benefit of the minorities. Most minorities benefit since colleges will make it easier for them to be admitted. Only Asians are penalized more than Caucasians since they do very well in college. If men can claim to be a woman, I'll tell my son to claim he's African American when it comes to competing for a spot in college. Not all colleges are the same though.

[tfcrew]

In 1997 the Orleans Parish School Board voted unanimously to change the name of a newer George Washington Elementary school, at 1116 Pauline, to Dr. Charles Richard Drew Elementary to comply with a policy prohibiting school names honoring ''former slave owners or others who did not respect equal opportunity for all."

Presidents who might not get New Orleans schools named after them...
Would you believe Abraham Lincoln is on this list?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_who_owned_slaves

According to the above policy...anyone who failed to vote for equal 
opportunity concerning women...Native Americans...gay people etc ....should be 'prohibited'.

[Nat]

I think anyone who would dismiss an entire race and claim anyone of that particular colour is not attractive probably is racist.

And that's exactly the tolerance-extremism I was talking about a bit earlier

Why should anyone have to be fed with *guilt* simply because they *prefer* a black/Asian/Latin 'look' instead of white? Has nothing whatsoever to do with harboring any feelings of superiority over another, which is the essence behind 'racism', but rather being attracted to a certain look.

Exactly.

I have no problem being friends with, working with and being in-laws with people of certain racial heritage (as well as with people with certain body built), I could adopt a child like that, but I have no sexual attraction to them (people, not children, although I don't have that, either  ) - and this makes me a racist?    

I'll tell you more, I don't feel sexually attracted to women, either, so, as being LGBT is absolutely normal, as we know thanks to pitbull, it means that my inability to embrace my supposed-to-be-normal desires is an indication of homophobia! )) Oh, and one more thing. I don't like skinny men   No, really, sorry, skinny guys, I can be friends with you, but there won't be any chemistry between us... Which, to top it off, makes me a body-shamer, following Boe's way of thinking 

[pitbull]

And that's exactly the tolerance-extremism I was talking about a bit earlier

Exactly.

I have no problem being friends with, working with and being in-laws with people of certain racial heritage (as well as with people with certain body built), I could adopt a child like that, but I have no sexual attraction to them (people, not children, although I don't have that, either  ) - and this makes me a racist?    

I'll tell you more, I don't feel sexually attracted to women, either, so, as being LGBT is absolutely normal, as we know thanks to pitbull, it means that my inability to embrace my supposed-to-be-normal desires is an indication of homophobia! )) Oh, and one more thing. I don't like skinny men   No, really, sorry, skinny guys, I can be friends with you, but there won't be any chemistry between us... Which, to top it off, makes me a body-shamer, following Boe's way of thinking 

Geeez.... Why are you so emotional, even hysterical about this? Since when is tolerance-extremism is an issue in Ukraine honey? you can be as openly racist and homophobic as you wish there.


As to the US, I live in one of the most liberal places in the country, and guess what - no requirements on sexual attraction to women, or other races, or anything else.


One would only be required to keep their opinion that being a lesbian is "not normal" to themselves when interacting with two moms on the playground for an example. Or a co-worker, etc.

[Nat]

Geeez.... Why are you so emotional, even hysterical about this? Since when is tolerance-extremism is an issue in Ukraine honey? you can be as openly racist and homophobic as you wish there.

Dear pitbull, you like telling other people what to read, so I strongly recommend you to go and educate yourself on what the following smiles mean:  , and especially this one:    (as you fall for this one each and every time   so well that I'm starting to feel ashamed for my deeds here ). Maybe then you will finally get who's being emotional and even hysterical here, who is trying really hard to be perceived as a representative of a culture she doesn't fully belong to and thus doesn't fully understand, and who's just having fun


Ann if you still wanna carry on about who's embraced "two cultures", and who knows "only one", I'll be glad to unzip my pants and put my long fat list of countries I've lived in and languages I know on the table against yours. Believe me, your "several years living in the US" experience won't come even close to experiencing "another culture". So let's try not to be condescending towards each other

[pitbull]

Dear pitbull, you like telling other people what to read, so I strongly recommend you to go and educate yourself on what the following smiles mean:  , and especially this one:    (as you fall for this one each and every time   so well that I'm starting to feel ashamed for my deeds here ). Maybe then you will finally get who's being emotional and even hysterical here, who is trying really hard to be perceived as a representative of a culture she doesn't fully belong to and thus doesn't fully understand, and who's just having fun


Ann if you still wanna carry on about who's embraced "two cultures", and who knows "only one", I'll be glad to unzip my pants and put my long fat list of countries I've lived in and languages I know on the table against yours. Believe me, your "several years living in the US" experience won't come even close to experiencing "another culture". So let's try not to be condescending towards each other

\


Hmmm.. you opened a thread to ask Americans about the US culture, from Ukraine. You certainly are not in a position to judge my understanding of the US culture. Just be thankful for the answers, even those that do not fit your own views 


And keep your pants zipped please. 

[Nat]

And keep your pants zipped please. 

That is so discriminating of you towards both my female and possibly-immigrant heritage 

[Boethius]

"Hello Mom!...Hi, I just wanted to let you know I got engaged. Mark. Mark O'Malley from down the street!"

"Honey, what's wrong with Tsang Li? He has such a lovable heritage. Or even our next door neighbor Charles' son, Jerome. Such a nice young man!"

"Ma...I told you. I'm not attracted to either of those two. I'm sure they're both very nice, but I'm attracted to Mark."

"Oh well, then that makes you a racist!"

 

You missed the point.

[GQBlues]

You missed the point.

Please. By all means..

[2tallbill]

Geeez.... Why are you so emotional, even hysterical about this? Since when is tolerance-extremism is an issue in Ukraine honey? you can be as openly racist and homophobic as you wish there.

as you fall for this one each and every time

We have very few FSUW here. Do either of you see a need to sharpen your nails?

There are a couple members here that irritate me. I doubt that they try to irritate
me but that's what happens most of the time. I put them on ignore, the software
eliminates over half their posts but I see others, so then I mentally put them on
ignore, and don't read their annoying post(s) so I don't debate their birdbrained 
theories, ideas or absurd comebacks and the bonus is that I save that time for more
productive and enjoyable things.

I value having each of you here.

Udachi!

Bill 

[Nat]

We have very few FSUW here. Do either of you see a need to sharpen your nails?

Oh, come on, there have been tons of catfights here even though there are not many of us on the forum , and no one has ever left after that (you wish!  ). Besides, pitbull has been here for a while, and I've been here, like, forever, so we both are not that phyhologically fragile to be scared by such shit ))

[mhr7]

Oh, come on, there have been tons of catfights here even though there are not many of us on the forum , and no one has ever left after that (you wish!  ). Besides, pitbull has been here for a while, and I've been here, like, forever, so we both are not that phyhologically fragile to be scared by such shit ))

I am ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED  by such shit. Please stop before the nightmares begin again.

[tfcrew]

 ..there have been tons of catfights here... 

                         

There is a British [sorry..Chicago] girl band called Catfight....
I haven't heard them but maybe I'll go to a youtube video in a minute

[Anotherkiwi]

Oh, come on, there have been tons of catfights here even though there are not many of us on the forum , and no one has ever left after that (you wish!  ). Besides, pitbull has been here for a while, and I've been here, like, forever, so we both are not that phyhologically fragile to be scared by such shit ))

Please!  I love the posts that I see from both of you, and it's very upsetting to see two such wunnerful hooman beings descending to gutter level.  As was stated above, we don't have enough FSUW members to risk them pissing each other off! 

I need my occasional fixes from you two. 

[BillyB]

Gentlemen, allow the ladies to fight. After the clothes get ripped off, then politely tell them to stop.

[ML]

One of most vicious fights I have seen was between two girls in Junior High.
One had a large patch of hair pulled out.  I never understood how so  much hair could be pulled out of one area of head without taking all the skin also.

But the truly most vicious fight that I saw occurred at an underground metro station in Kharkiv.
Two very fit guys in their mid 20s.
There were very fast, furious and accurate blows by each.
I would not have withstood even the first punch.
I moved away as quickly as I could.
I understood how Ukraine has produced such good professional fighters.

[Nat]

I love you all guys 

[BdHvA]

I lived for a while close to an elite high school, the 'bitch fights' were very ugly and about one to two a month.

I was warned by my neighbour not to try and break it up! One ended badly with a young 'lady' going back and knifing to death the brother of her rival.

I moved away.

[GQBlues]

...As to the US, I live in one of the most liberal places in the country, and guess what - no requirements on sexual attraction to women, or other races, or anything else....

pitbull-

In case you're reading this, I agree with your statement above based on my personal experience comprised of my visits to Mass., and endeared local friends that now lives here in LA. Admittedly however, my last visit to Massachusetts had been in years.

So I was surprised when I read this news this morning...

~ "The group of five anti-racism protesters who brought a sign reading "Racism is as American as baseball" into Fenway Park on Wednesday and hung it over the Green Monster did so to "have a conversation" about racism in Boston, an "extremely segregated city," a group member said." ~

I probably could have assumed that in So. Boston, as those silly Irish blokes are fairly territorial, but to say the whole city being an 'extremely segregated city' is an eye-opener to me. One that's pretty hard for me to believe even when reading this.

[jone]

pitbull-

In case you're reading this, I agree with your statement above based on my personal experience comprised of my visits to Mass., and endeared local friends that now lives here in LA. Admittedly however, my last visit to Massachusetts had been in years.

So I was surprised when I read this news this morning...

~ "The group of five anti-racism protesters who brought a sign reading "Racism is as American as baseball" into Fenway Park on Wednesday and hung it over the Green Monster did so to "have a conversation" about racism in Boston, an "extremely segregated city," a group member said." ~

I probably could have assumed that in So. Boston, as those silly Irish blokes are fairly territorial, but to say the whole city being an 'extremely segregated city' is an eye-opener to me. One that's pretty hard for me to believe even when reading this.

Boston is probably the least racist major city in America - next to San Francisco - IMHO.  I was there last year and traveled around with a black friend of mine.  We encountered no racism of any type - even when going into the local mom and pop shops or on the T.

[Nat]

Getting back on topic, I was watching The Daily Show (which is, sadly, way not the Daily Show it used to be...), and came across this episode:

Appropriating a culture - another thing I don't understand. As far as I know, worldwide, it has always been considered a good sign when some features of your culture are being used in other counties' fashion, for example, or when people start taking interest in cultures of minorities and copy them - it is considered to be a successful popularization of the minority culture and is kinda supposed to bring people of different cultures closer together, destroy the borders between them, make them feel united. But now you find yourself being told that no, you are not supposed to use dreadlocks or whatever because you're not black/red/whatever enough and doing so makes you a racist! And if it's not a forced segregation, than what it is? People who claim to be pro-equality actually want to ruin equality by all means possible!

[GQBlues]

Boston is probably the least racist major city in America - next to San Francisco - IMHO.  I was there last year and traveled around with a black friend of mine.  We encountered no racism of any type - even when going into the local mom and pop shops or on the T.

jone-

It wasn't the message on the banner that raised my brow, it was on what was said in the article - contrasting pitbull's statement  (and to an extent, my personal experience), when the article stated that Boston is an *extremely segregated* city. I'm sure you understand that segregation is an *enforced* (presumably enforced by the authorities) separation of races/cultures. Calling it *extreme* just makes that even more difficult to understand.

While the implication/relationship may exist between segregation and racism, these are still two separate issues.

In the pre-60s, there were widespread segregation in Anywhere, USA. Public transportation, facilities, communities, etc...It is hard for me to believe this practice still exist in the US. Racism, I can believe very easily. Segregation however, not sure about.

Now there's self-elective separation of cultures and races everywhere. South San Francisco is a good example of that. West/East San Jose is another. In Los Angeles, you have little townships called Little Saigon, Little Armenia, FilipinoTown, Koreatown, and the heavily demographic communities of East LA, Compton, South Central...meaning, these communities are what they are by choice of its residents, and not by enforcement.

My hope is, Jonah Birembaum, the author of that article, need a couple or 3 more civic lessons before writing a news line like that. Especially considering the social state of our nation at this time.