Actually, what you are doing is akin to praising the pilot for the fine airplane he or she invented and built.
Well, heck, Razorsharp, I’m fine with that. I mean, as long as you don’t, you know, care about such things as the design of our nation’s capital. Gorgeous place. You know, the original plans were destroyed in a horrible fire, and the planner remade them from memory?
Not important, though, because my question remains… What is your point? What are you debating?
That’s all the arguement needed to convince me of the value of diversity. I just don’t understand the desire to have a heterogenous society, it would be boring and bland.
And the ignorance (and dishonesty) continues.
It is true that scientists do not invent oak trees. However, scientists do invent the categories into which we divide the objects we find in nature. With luck, in the life sciences, the scientists will use nomenclature that correctly recognizes the path of descent (since we follow an evolutionary model–if we followed a different model, we might group the categories very differently). However, the very act of categorizing anything is invention. You, of course, then dishonestly try to link back to the category genus which is not what is being discussed. Even the genus Homo is not set in concrete, with a number of people arguing different aspects of the merging (or the different placement of members within) Homo and Australopithecus. However, we were discussing “race” which is an invented category (sometimes) below subspecies which is below species, below genus. We are three or four categories removed from your “genus” claim. (And given that there is more genetic diversity between neighboring troops of lowland gorillas that are not categorized into separate subspecies than there is among the six billion humans who are scattered across the globe, claims of “subspecies” and “race” for humans are pretty clearly inventions.)
As to your claim that people from Africa had no part in founding this nation, you are dishonest. It was their labor that established huge sections of this country as commercially viable and the fact that they were precluded from participating in the direct governing decisions does not reduce their importance. (And I noticed that you ran away from the point that various Europeans that you cited would also have to be excluded from your claim.)
Ignorance is unfortunate. Willful ignorance (particularly of information readily available on this very message board), demonstrates a serious desire to promote ignorance which is truly sad.
I finally got around to reading this thread and had to make sure it’s not my racist brother-in-law who is posting. One sick puppy.
Oh god, don’t let him move here. We have enough bizarro-world nut jobs
Another mixed-ancestry Doper chiming in: I’m half Filipino, and parts Irish, Czech, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Algonquin, French, and I can’t even remember what all. My wife is part Jewish (Russian and Austrian), WASP, and Welsh. So tell us, O pilot of the Spirit of St. Louis, what is to be our fate?
Let me ask you this Charles: If White people like so much about being White, why would they want tans?
A Appreciative Comment from Charles A Lindbergh
I just finished reading through all of the more than one hundred replies that have appeared on this thread since I last viewed it one day ago. I appreciate the degree of interest that my original proposition has evinced. I notice that there have been about 2,500 views of this thread. The post with which I began this thread was my first post on Straight Dope. Thank you wery much for maintaining such an excellent forum in which to debate the issues that will determine what our grandchilrdren’s world will be.
If I may add a thought here: after spending a great deal of time studying the speeches, writings, and diaries of the historical Charles Augustus Lindbergh (1903-1974), I believe that every statement made by me in this thread would garner approval from the actual Mr. Lindbergh if were reading it right now.
Oh, how about my cousin: Mother - Born in Jamaica to Jewish refugees, spent childhood in USA (eligible for citizenship) and Japan, lived in England, Sweden…Father, born in Ireland, lived in England (met aforementioned), Sweden, had son, who was born in Italy…??
Excuse the typos that are sprinkled through me posts on this thread. My practice as a poster is to a final edit after a post goes up, but it looks as if I don’t have that ability yet on The Straight Dope because I’m new. That’s understandable…it’s a good policy for protecting a board from disruptors. I’ll try to remember to finish my proofreads in Preview mode.
All right. Let’s go over this one last time. What you said:
Now I turn to my handy copy of Webster’s and see that founded means:
Thus, the millions of Africans in the United States in 1776 did contribute to founding the country, because their work contributed to the survival of their country. So when you said that the United States was “founded” exclusively by people from “European” nations, you were lying. And when I called on you to admit that your original statement was a lie, I was being perfectly honest. Of course, considering that your usual tactic in this forum is to post something that’s obviously bullshit and then either vanish or try to change the subject when someone calls you out, I should have known better than to expect you to admit to your dishonesty. After all, I’m still waiting for you to fess up for you outrageous lies in this thread and many others.
possibly, but that doesn’t mean your contributions are any less a festering swamp of poo.
THE BRITISH ARE COMING!
THE BRITISH ARE COMING!
I believe everything I have said would pass muster with Admiral Nelson, Abraham Lincoln, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Boudica, and Mohammed. Does anyone have any objections?
yes, j/k
i hope that doesn’t come across as an ad hominem.
Charles, what you have posted to this thread is nothing short of xenophobic and racist. I believe that you are taking the thoughts of a misguided individual who was espousing the fears and ignorance of a set time in history and trying to apply them to a situation in todays world which isn’t comparable.
Not so much historical, as hysterical, only not that funny.
Like Bugs Bunny would say: “You don’t know us really well do you?
Check your roast in progress here:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=231285
No edits for anyone. At least, not for regular members.
Only mods can edit. Too many people used to abuse the feature, and thus, spoiled it for everyone else.
And yes, I do believe that your namesake would have agreed with your beliefs. So much so, that in his time, he professed admiration for one Adolf Hitler.* Is that REALLY something to be PROUD of?
I would NOT want to see a completely “white” America for my descendents. Or completely of ANY race. I like variety, aka “the spice of life.” I don’t like plain, boring things.
Besides, if we only stick to our “own kind”, sooner or later, we run the risk of inbreeding. shudder
As far as “Caucasian” goes, one of my professors often liked to joke that he was the only true Caucasian on campus-having grown up in the Caucasus region. He said he was quite surprised when he came to the US and was considered a “white man”. Because he never thought of himself in those terms.
*[sub]I hope I haven’t Godwinized myself-but since this thread IS about racism and the “White Race” and mentioning Charles Lindbergh and all, I thought it appropriate. Nor am I suggesting that the OP is a Nazi.[/sub]
I can’t believe nobody has called me on the homogeneous/heterogeneous mixup earlier. I’ve been worried since about 2 when my brain told me I screwed up while rephrasing my comments and forgot change that part.
Of course, the flight attendants, generally speaking, don’t have to die in droves to build the plane.
You know, with Lindy, Paradoxical, and Lindy being newbies, I think what we’ve got here is the beginning of an invading army of hostile alien criminals who want to occupy the Straight Dope. Hmm.
By the way, Lindy, the original Charles Lindbergh was known as a great and famous pilot, not a genius politician, philosopher, or geneticist. So unless this is an elaborate attempt to discredit him, citing his agreement with your comments on this topic is quite irrelevant.