Does race, ethnicity, etc. matter

[Disney845]

Originally posted by wvjules
Oh wait, I PM'd all the others that it bothers and told them to say that.

I know we were all concerned about that, thanks for clearing it up.

 

[wvjules]

Originally posted by Disney845
I know we were all concerned about that, thanks for clearing it up.

Anytime

 

[JAP]

I did not read the other thread and feel that jules question is a good topic.

Lets not accuse people of other motives if it is truly not warranted.

Jen

 

[minniepumpernickel]

Originally posted by JAP
I did not read the other thread and feel that jules question is a good topic.

Lets not accuse people of other motives if it is truly not warranted.

Jen

I finally read the thread in question, and I'm not offended. I'm half Asian too. So I think it involves ulterior motives also.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

 

[wvjules]

Where did I say anything about people being offended? I said it irritates ME and wondered if anyone felt the same way.

BTW, it's ulterior motives, not alterior.

 

[snoopy]

Enough, please. Take your battles elsewhere, or via PM.

Thanks.

 

[Saffron]

No, it doesn't bother or irritate me if it not meant to slander or hurt a person or group of people. I guess it's all in the context of the conversation.

 

[minniepumpernickel]

Snoopy,
I generally consider 'battles' on the internet beneath me. I have no desire to 'battle' with any said element.

I just wanted to put in my two sense, especially considering my ethnicity!

 

[snoopy]

O.K. minnie, I understand that you are of mixed ethnicity and you want your voice heard. That is fine, I have no problem with that.

What I do have a problem with is all this back and forth crap that goes on, and I think y'all know what I am talking about. Life is too short, ladies and gents, and I sure don't want to be your nursery school teacher. wvjules was asked if she had ulterior motives, she said she didn't, so lets let it go, please. I don't want to close this thread because its actually a good topic, one that will make people think, so lets keep the discussion to the topic at hand.

Thanks.

 

[wvjules]

snoopy, I didn't mean this thread as anything but the question posed in the original topic. I knew this was going to happen considering the fact that I posted it and the fact that I got the idea for the topic from a certain other poster's reply on another thread.

 

[LemonDietCoke]

I agree with Believe. I think it did add to my understanding in this case, although it would have been clearer if the poster said "Asian family, new to this country" or even "Asian family, who barely speak english"- anything to give the sense that they just didn't know better or were doing the best they could.

But, I do agree that in many situations, a racial description is not necessary. Steve H.'s family member is a prime example of that.

 

[shep]

Shouldn't this be on the Debate Board???

 

[Leota]

Shep - Why should everything that has varying opinions be shipped off to the DB? Aren't we allowed to have serious discussions with dissenting opinions here on the CB?

On the topic - I have no problems with it when it is used as a descriptor - When folks use race, ethnicity etc...in a degratory manner or as a "mascot" for how open-minded they are, then it irks me. (Which has happened to me - the mascot thing, ugh!) I haven't read the thread which inspired this one - but I guess I'll have to go take a look-see...

 

[snowwhitemom]

I'm one of those people that it bothers however I don't think it should if someone is using it to be descriptive. I am super sensitive when it comes to racial issues so I tend to think that it is not important if the man who pulled out in front of you in traffic is black or white.....just that a man pulled out in front of you. I also have relatives that drive me crazy when they tell a story and the persons race is not needed in the story.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think if a person's race/ethnicity is pivotal to the story then include it. If it's no, there's no reason to point it out.

 

[MerryPoppins]

Originally I read but didn't post on this thread. I hated to get involved in a heated debate. But it's been on my mind all evening and I feel I need to put in my two cents.

I grew up in a college town and my dad was a professor. We spent a lot of time with families of different races and ethnic backgrounds. My dad wrote books with an African American man, so we spent a lot of time with his family. I'll never forget the time we kids climbed their tree together and pigged out on green apples. I've never felt so terrible. They were my friends and I can honestly say that I didn't see the color of their skin. That is the beauty of growing up in an ethnic mix.

I am lucky (at least in my way of thinking) that I grew up not even thinking about the differences between us. I mean, I knew that at some houses we would eat unusual foods (like our friends from India who cooked things that I didn't learn to like until after elementary school), but I didn't grow up thinking some of us were "better" than others.

My mom also had a weakness for exchange students. We almost always had a guest living with us from another country. My household was an experience in geography and cultures. She felt we were being ambassadors when we taught these kids about our country. We in turn learned many things about their culture.

Now, why did I say all of that? I wanted you to know a little about me before I say what I have to say. I am guilty of sometimes saying what ethnic group someone in my story belongs to as a way of describing them. That doesn't mean that I am intending to send a hidden message. To me it would be like saying a parrot when I am telling a story about a bird. Simply helping the listener picture the bird in their mind. To see the characteristics and know that I am not talking about a starling.

I can see what some of you are saying, but my mind just doesn't work that way. To me, saying someone is Hispanic isn't a negative thing. It doesn't color my story, but it might help my listener understand who he is and what he looks like. I can see why you feel the way you do. Many people aren't like me, and some do say things in a hurtful way. I DON'T like to read an obviously negative slam against someone, no matter what the race or creed.

I think in the future I might think a little harder when I talk. It's eye-opening that people may be offended by what I say when the intention just isn't there. I guess that is how some misunderstandings start. Thanks for helping me see how you feel. Hope you understand how some of us might offend you unintentionally. Maybe you need to read between the lines and think about the intent when you read an offending post. You might find that they didn't mean to say anything offensive.

 

[SPAGo 98]

i haven't read that thread (yet), but the anecdote about the asian family that gave out bran flakes? why is it important to say they're asian? how does the fact that they're asian lead to/help describe the fact that they are new to this country? there are non-white people in this country that have been here for many generations...

 

[MerryPoppins]

If you read the thread, the poster says later on in the thread that they appeared to be new to the country and our Halloween customs. I really think that is all that was meant by the post, but it was worded poorly. I can see how it was viewed as a negative thing.

 

[SPAGo 98]

imo, i don't think the poster meant it to be hurtful, but i still found it to be a completely unnecessary detail.

anyways, i was more responding to this quote from snoopy about the poster of the bran story:

When she was called on it, she explained that she used their ethnicity in her description because she wanted to point out that they were new to the country.

i simply don't see how Asian even begins to help explain that they're recent immigrants.

 

[snoopy]

Yep, you're right Spago. She should have said, in her first post, that the people who were giving out the candy were new to the country and left it at that.

She didn't, but she did come back to clarify what she meant. So I guess I was just trying to intercede on her part, since I felt she really meant no harm in her original statement that Asian people were handing out bran cereal.

Nothing more than that. If you or anyone else was offended, I apologize. I don't care for identifying people by their race/ethnicity either, unless it somehow relates to part of the story. As an Italian-American, trust me, I hear ethnic slurs quite often - for some reason people feel its p.c. to stereotype Italians as mafia, the "Sopranos", etc. I'm amazed at the ignorance of some people, but I think in this case the original poster made a mistake and came back to clarify what she meant.