Ann doesn’t usually have the gumption to use the term ‘racist assholes’ ;).
- Tamerlane
Does not follow.
Would you say, “I’m not a mugger, but if you walk through the bad part of town you might get mugged”?
Or would you just say, “if you walk through the bad part of town you might get mugged”?
You might notice a difference between those two statements. Or you might not. Then you might actually understand what I actually posted, instead of what you appear to think I posted. Or you might not.
Why would a non-prejudiced person need to make such a disclaimer?
Oddly enough, I don’t remember saying that it was impossible to not want a friend to be the target of bigots/bigotry and to not be a bigot yourself, all at the same time. In fact, upon review, I didn’t say that.
Might I suggest you actually read what I actually posted, instead of what you seem to think I posted?
Regarding the whole “I’m not a racist, but…” comment, it’s sort of like when someone prefaces an insult with “no offense”. It’s true the speaker may sincerely intend not to offend you, but usually, the real reason the speaker throws in that “no offense” disclaimer is so that when you do take offense, they can act innocent and surprised. "Well, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings when I said your face looked like the south end of a emaciated dairy cow, but please remember I did say ‘no offense’ "
It seems to me that SHAKES’ relatives are projecting their own discomfort on to others, in order to hide their true feelings. Of course they’re not going to come out and say that they want SHAKES to stay with his own kind, because they know how that would look.
Hmm… Maybe because “You shouldn’t be dating a black woman! Think of the consequences!” is really ambiguous.
“We care for you, and although we are not prejudiced against blacks, lots of people still are here in Texas. You might encounter some problems if you continue in this relationship. If it makes you happy, then do what you need to. We only want the best for you and whoever you love” is NOT ambiguous.
Any more questions?
Years ago I was dating a black gal. One night, we were out at dinner and some guy came up to me when I was in the bathroom and said “How can you date someone of that race?” I looked him right in the eye and said “You mean human?” and then just walked away. Asshole abound everywhere, I hope that y’all are able to stay strong in the face of them.
No offense against any regional slang but there’s a lot of gals and fellers in this thread. It’s like a hoedown or something.
Bless your heart.
I mean I’m not prejudiced against cowpokes or anything.
I-75.
I don’t know what that means and I don’t know if you’re mad at me.
I hate the pit.
Awww, bless your heart. 
I-75 is a large interstate that provides a convenient route for damn Yankees to get out of the south. It was a joke, and no, I’m not mad at you.
squints Y’all get a problem with that, Yankee? 
I take strong exception to the posts claiming that America is still crawling with racists. I’m white, married to a half-Oriental, half-black woman who looks black. We’ve lived in a red state and a blue state. We’ve been together for 15 years now, and I have never, not even once, encountered anything that could be remotely construed as racially motivated disapproval. If there is still widespread discomfort with interracial marriage in America, people are being damn polite and restrained about it. Or maybe I just look like a mean sonofabitch and people are afraid to say what they think.
Well, if he/she is, harmless is going to have some zombie competition.
As to the OP, fuck them all and enjoy your new girlfriend. One of my former foster parents threatened to have my social worker move me to a new home and school because I wanted to date a black guy. She wasn’t even slightly concerned about the fact that he was 6 years older than me. She only cared that he was black.
If your friends and family can’t be happy for you, it’s their problem and you’re probably better off without them.
Yes. Why does a question or statement of concern need to be prefaced by “I’m not prejudiced, but…”? when it’s not necessary?
Because they are telling a person they have a problem with an inter-racial coupling, which some could think is because they are bigots. In fact, they may actually only be wary of it because of other’s bigotry. In a world where there were no bigots, this person would have no reason to say anything. But because there are bigots, he or she may be genuinely worried about their friends safety, and feel the need to say something which some, like apparently you, can only imagine comes from a bigot, and not simply one who is perhaps overly wary of their friend’s safety.
You said
This seems to say it’s impossible for a non-bigot to use those words. What magical force prevents non-bigoted people who genuinely don’t want a friend to be target of bigots from saying “I’m not prejudiced, but…” ?
If you simply meant a lot of people who say that are prejudiced, please clarify.
Damn straight. Racists in America don’t have to crawl - they stand on their own two feet and say things like “Vote for me!”.
My apologies if the analogy is unclear. A clearer one would be “Your house looks very flammable, but if you pay me I’ll make sure it doesn’t burn down.” Am I a fire safety consultant, or am I extorting money with threats of arson?
waves cheerfully I’m Canadian! 
That probably explains a lot.
If they have a problem with inter-racial coupling, then they are a bigot, disclaimer or not. And again, might I suggest you actually read what I actually wrote? According to you, I can only think that someone could warn of bigotry if they, themselves, were a bigot. Since that’s not what I posted, I can only wonder in bemusement what you’re actually reading.
What magical force makes non-bigots proclaim their non-bigotry? Or in less-snarky terms, how often have you heard someone start a statement with “I’m not prejudiced, but…” and immediately follow it up with a prejudiced statement? Replace “prejudiced” with “racist” or other, similar type of bigot as needed.
I would ask what you thought I meant, except that you apparently think I believe in magic.
Sidenote: how the hell do I do nested quotes without having to manually nest them?