# The equality of the Iraki savages and the avoidance of racist **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 7, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711 "2014-09-07T00:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DingoelGringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DingoelGringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DingoelGringo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711/81 "2014-09-13T00:52:34Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > I’m fucking _gobsmacked_ that some can argue – apparently with a straight face – that “one band of primitive savages attacking another” isn’t racist and hateful. > > Wow. Those doing the bombing are of the same race as those being bombed. SO what’s racist about that? Anyone whether they fly the Stars and Stripes or whatever is a primitive savage if they are out bombing people whether of their same tribe or not. SInce we are all of the human race I don’t even understand the term racism. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711/82 "2014-09-13T00:56:05Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > If you honestly think he broke no rules and wasn’t engaging in racism then why do you think I should have reported it? I would think it was obvious, Ibn. You - all posters - are encouraged to report posts that YOU think violate a rule. That is no guarantee that a moderator will agree with the report - and we have reporters who seem to believe that a report WILL generate swift punishment, God knows - but it will bring the post to the forums moderation staff. So go ahead and report. It costs you nothing but time and is the best way to call to our attention things you think are infractions. I don’t usually object to getting reports and I try to review all of them, though I admit some may take a while depending on my schedule for the day. Sadly, I don’t sit at my machine - or my phone, horribly enough - ready to pounce on reports. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711/83 "2014-09-13T00:57:09Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > I do not know whether or not **Jonathan Chance** considered that statement a rules violation. However, he addressed it with a Mod Note and both of us have used Mod Notes simply to tell posters to ratchet back the vitriol before a rules violation occurs. FWIW, since I’ve been a bit harsh on the mods the last few posts I’ll say that’s how I took it. That JC was concerned if he didn’t step in we’d wind up derailing the thread and one or both of us would escalate the situation to where he’d have to warn one or both of us, not that he felt I’d violated any rules. I’ll admit Dingo had really, really offended me and I doubt a continued conversation between us would have been pleasant. Frankly, the only reason I jumped into this thread was because people were suggesting that I was engaging in “junior modding”. That said, I think Irishman like Left Hand thought I was being accused by Dexter of engaging in personal insults which my post wasn’t, though it was certainly less than flattering. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711/84 "2014-09-13T04:54:15Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > Those doing the bombing are of the same race as those being bombed. SO what’s racist about that? Anyone whether they fly the Stars and Stripes or whatever is a primitive savage if they are out bombing people whether of their same tribe or not. SInce we are all of the human race I don’t even understand the term racism. Your post made a broad brushed characterization of two groups of the apparently same ethnicity and very different behaviour. It’s by no means clear that the Iraqi pilot was bombing a hospital with intent. FTR, I don’t think you meant it: I think you were making an American isolationist argument. Methinks the best thing to do is apologize and move on, like you did on the previous page. That said, I think **DingoelGringo** ’s post deserved some sort of response. I mean I think he can see how a bigot _could_ have typed something like that. Seriously: I’m not being a wise guy. Now there were no warnings issued, but I honestly can’t see how\*\* Ibn\*\* substantially diverged from best practice. You don’t report a possibly racist post (that’s not actionable in GD): you confront it. The post that is, not the poster. But that’s what Ibn did. I’m not sure snarking about broad brushes would be better. A certain **terseness** seems appropriate. Whenever I see a poster or moderator criticized, I look for some sort of indication of how he could have made his point better. JC prevented a thread derailment which I suppose is a good thing. But I honestly can’t figure out an appropriate improvement for Ibn’s post. Maybe I lack creativity. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711/85 "2014-09-13T05:32:58Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Indeed. I issued the note to - hopefully - prevent actual rules violations when I saw a thread begin to get overheated. I don’t have a problem with that. My concern was with remarks Dex was making as how they applied to this situation, though he was probably speaking in a more broad generality than the situation that existed here. That wasn’t clear. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711/86 "2014-09-13T09:53:50Z")
Yes AK > [@AK84](#): > > Arabs and S Asians are not white, except when its a convenient shield to hide behind. Like when defending allegations of racism. But the other method is to claim no race is seen. > [@DingoelGringo](#): > > Those doing the bombing are of the same race as those being bombed. SO what’s racist about that? Anyone whether they fly the Stars and Stripes or whatever is a primitive savage if they are out bombing people whether of their same tribe or not. SInce we are all of the human race I don’t even understand the term racism. It is amusing in a sour fashion to see this kind of statement, even more so when credited. > [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Whenever I see a poster or moderator criticized, I look for some sort of indication of how he could have made his point better. JC prevented a thread derailment which I suppose is a good thing. But I honestly can’t figure out an appropriate improvement for Ibn’s post. Maybe I lack creativity. Yes, this is in fact why I made this thread. > [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > OP was that she believes the board’s mods are treating racist attacks on Muslim Middle Easterners differently than they’re treating other groups. I did not say middle easterners, it is more that the sensitivity on saying a statement is racist or prejudiced is as great or greater than to statements of this nature. > [@](#): > > If someone on one of our rather tiresome Gaza threads declared “Never underestimate the savagery of the Palestinians or their willingness to engage in terrorism” would you have given them a warning for hate speech and then an instaban? It is doubtful because perhaps like Iraki pilots are bombing children on purpose… ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711/87 "2014-09-14T02:42:00Z")
You know, this is so not About This Message Board. We have explained the moderation view. Stop trying to open new battlefields in forums on the board where fighting is not allowed. This thread is closed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-equality-of-the-iraki-savages-and-the-avoidance-of-racist/697711.md?page=4)