Paging poindexter, hondo, et al

While I appreciate Alexander's attempt to soften the beating Hondo is taking here, let's make it clear that the beating is, in this case, well-earned. While fear and distrust may be a natural reaction ... who among us maybe hasn't wanted to lock our car door when we see someone on the street who makes us a little nervous ... it's another thing entirely to take action (i.e., having them pulled off the plane). When you let fear overrun better judgement, you've crossed the line and let racism rule the day.

If Hondo or you feel so uncomfortable with the term racist, then either argue the title but not the point, or come to grips with the reality of your fear.

 

I used Germans because is seem to be vaguely aware of the Germans committing some kind of horrendous act a few decades ago.

It seems at the time we were at war or something and we removed the Japanese people from society because they looked different from us and therefor were a threat.

Germans looked just like us so weren't really all that threatening.

Ponder on if that might have something to do with fears about Muslims today.

 

Is it, though? You're more likely to be killed in a hundred car crashes than you are to die in a terrorist attack. You're more likely to be killed cooking in your kitchen than you are by a suicide bombing. So why doesn't anyone freak out in the street, or at the stove?

The world is only frightening if you let your fears take over.

And terrorism has been around a helluva lot longer than 5 years and 2.5 months ago. We just ignored it when it happened "over there."

 

You can thank Fredo, Cheney and Chris L's superhero Rumsfeld for the Fear Factor that permeates the culture.

 

You keep saying ridiculous. I'm not sure you know what that word means.

 

How has terrorism "radically changed" over the past few years? Talk about ridiculous -- terrorism was exactly the same before 9/11 as it is afterward: destructive as fuck.

The only difference is you saw it on CNN that morning.

YOUR perspective changed ... terrorism didn't change. You did.

 

Uhm, no, actually terrorism hasn't changed that much over the years. Just ask the Marines killed in the Lebanon bombing. Just ask all those who died in German disco bombings. Just ask...aw fuck it. There's too many cases. These guys are right...terrorism didn't change on 9/11, your perspective did, though it sounds like you're going to deny it because you'd rather be right that concede the point.

And argue the real defintion -- not the dictionary version -- of racism all you want, when fear overrides reason, and a sperson's race is at the center of that fear, then it's racism. You can't argue your way out of it.
And ask yourself. Do you really want to? Is it worth it?

 

Nope. The Bush administration's rhetoric, their "terror alerts", the charade of airport security checks--to name a few--and their general fearmongering have heightened people's reactions

 

Why do you hate lederhosen, Alex?

 

You're kidding, right?

There have been more than 100 documented terrorist attacks since 9/11 alone. Including 22 in Israel, 16 in Russia (including the Beslan tragedy), 15 in India, 12 in Thailand ... and that's not even counting the London 7/7 bombings, or the two Bali bombings, or the 58 coordinated bombs that exploded in Bangladesh on 8/17/05, or the car bomb that killed the former Lebanese PM on 2/14/05, or the commuter train bombings in Madrid on 3/11/04 ... and on and on and on ...

Don't tell me the world hasn't dealt with what we did on 9/11. What an insult.

 

Ace...that is classic. I immediately saw Inigo Montoya in my mind.

 

Uhm, actually it does, although if you twist logic enough, I'm sure you can have it your way. If you experience racism, even momentary, you're a racist, even if only for a moment.

And, unfortunately, we're all racists at one point in our life. Everyone.