Getting punched in the head by an adult male can have devastating consequences. That is not appropriate even for rudeness.
I would, if he actually exchanged racial epithets. It doesn’t seem like a stretch to call someone who uses racial epithets a racist, even if the other side did too.
magellan01, you are the one speculating. I just stated the facts in the article I read. The article uses the word “confront”. I never said that only the white guys were using racial epithets.
If the men thought a crime was about to transpire, the responsible thing would be to call the police or the hotel management. Not go out there and confront them or bring their gun next time (as was stated by the non-bigoted man who got into an altercation using racial epithets, near his buddy’s truck with a confederate flag on it) .
I agree. I overstated the case.
No. I’m the one NOT speculating. And I already explained where you were making your error. If you don’t see it, ::shrug::
Contacted hotel management or the cops and say what? “Uh, there’s a bunch of guys outside in the parking lot. And they’re standing near my truck.” :eek:
I didn’t want the term to get in the way of discussing all the different ways the decision making process of these fellows was wrong and biased. Everybody is susceptible to these biased thought processes and if you don’t think about what you’re thinking then you end up having a confederate flag on your truck and a bloody nose. The article that started this thread appeared to show how people who do not wish to be racist might change their behavior when the consequences of their actions are made clear to them. These fellows, when the consequences of their actions were presented to them seemed to believe they should bring a gun the next time they do the exact same thing.
On a side note, I can’t think of anything more awful then being stuck in such a well of stupidity and inbreeding that I thought a confederate flag was cool.
But they must have been doing something beyond your description that would grab the attention of the police or hotel management. I wonder what additional words he might use?
If a person slaps a person in the mouth because they are mean and want to hurt someone does not mean they are racist. Saying a word, even racial slurs, meant to hurt doesn’t mean the water is necessarily a racist. This is why I disagree with hate crime laws. The actions are what should be judged. Not subjective and in many cases unknowable thoughts.
Bringing a gun is the right response. Violently assaulting someone over a word has consequences.
Slapping someone doesn’t make one racist (though it may make one an assaulter or abuser), but calling people racial slurs definitely is racist. That’s the action that’s being judged – calling people racial slurs. It’s not as bad as murder, but it’s still worse and more racist than not using racial slurs.
No it’s not. You might want to invest in a dictionary. I have been called racial slurs meant in a non racist way at least a thousand times playing various sports. The black people I played basketball with, paintball with, wrestled with who used these terms directed at me may have been racist but their use of the racial slur was meant respectfully and was not racist. Dictionaries are cheap.
These fine gentlemen in Utah may or may not be racists. I don’t care one way or another. Using the racial slurs was meant to inflame just like the SJW favorite word “asshole”, or words like “fag”, “jackass”, etc. these words are a tool when used in a confrontation to provoke or injure pride.
On a side note I am curious to how many people who post on SD have competed seriously with different ethnicities on their home turf and seen with their own eyes how language is used and the social dynamics.
Using racial slurs meant to inflame is a racist action, just like making Holocaust references meant to inflame Jews is an anti-Semitic action. It’s not particularly complicated. And it’s not the end of the world – I’ve done it before, and so have most of the kids I grew up with (and played sports with) of any race. I strive to not do or say racist things any more, so I don’t use racial slurs meant to inflame. It might be a tool to inflame, but it’s a racist tool.
Growing up in Louisiana and Arkansas I heard tons and tons of racial slurs (very rarely against me, very often against others, most often against people who weren’t present) – some of it was joking, but none of it was “respectful”, in my view. In my time in the Navy I heard racial slurs, though not as often as in my childhood.
I don’t think it should come as a shock that many and maybe even most people have said or done racist things at some point in their lives. I think people should strive to be better, and I think this requires acknowledging the racist things one might have said or done in the past.
I understand what you are saying. I just think that actions and thoughts are two different things and people can do actions for completely different reasons. And I think words ought to be used accurately instead of trying to stretch or make up new definitions to further an agenda. Otherwise we get into these never ending and unresolvable debates about what micro aggression is racist, sexist, speciesism, ageist, etc. And some of the stuff labeled that way gets so ridiculous it becomes difficult to take seriously.
This is fine, but I don’t think calling it “racist” to use racial slurs to inflame someone is inaccurate or a stretch in any way. If you feel the need to provoke or inflame someone (which I recommend against!), on a basketball court or before a fist-fight, there are plenty of ways to do so without using racial slurs.
I understand what you mean about separating action and thought, but I think a lot of (often relatively minor) racist things are said and done without thought. For example – when I was in the Navy, a watchstander subordinate to me had this habit of literally blaming the Jews for anything that went wrong: he lost some money? “Goddamn Jews!”. He failed a qualification interview? “Goddamn Jews!” He stubbed his toe? “Goddamn Jews!”. It didn’t matter what happened – the Jews were always to blame for him. After I heard it a few times, I ordered him to never again do this in my presence, and he (mostly) complied.
I don’t know what was going on in his mind, but I think it’s pretty reasonable to condemn his actions as anti-Semitic, whatever it was.