[quote author=Whaddapie link=topic=24077.msg587461#msg587461 date=1212532034]
Here's how I see it...
We're treading dangerous ground when the racial abuse or lack thereof committed by a person is determined soley by whether or not the target of the comment is offended by it.
Friends tease you over your skin colour... That's ok. They're friends.
Roger teases you over a cultural stereotype (which I would think would be far less potentially hurtful than the skin colour jibes)... That's not ok. He's not a friend.
Logic suggests that had a friend of yours said exactly the same thing to you today that roger did, you wouldn't have been offended, because you know them.
I do understand why you were offended. I really do. If you (anybody) don't find something funny, you just don't. And certain people have earned certain priviliges with you that roger clearly never will. All completely normal.
But if the mood of the 'victim' determines whether the 'offender' is racist or not, isn't that just giving us carte blanche to be offended by anybody for anything at anytime, without really having a grounds for that offense?
I think that roger was a prick to you this afternoon. But, though he is undoubtedly as sensitive as a drunken skinhead, I just don't see any racist in there.
Not many brains either, mind...
[/quote]
Valid point mate. I hate mentioning the race issue simply because it just makes things awkward. I desperately tried not to mention it with Rog as the thread shows. I gave him a couple of chances to retract his comment and made it very clear that I found it offensive. Now if I had simply kicked off and gone nuts at his first post then yes, your point would apply to me. But the fact that he knew I found it offensive and persisted is what makes this different. If you were to crack a joke at a coloured chap purely in jest, only to find that it caused offence, i'm sure you would apologise or retract the comment and the chap in question would maybe think nothing more of it. But if you persist in making such remarks in the knowledge that it's insulting towards him, that's different. It shows that you know your comment is racially based and is causing offence and that essentially, you don't give a shit, because that was what you intended. That's what happened this afternoon.
Good post, by the way.
Here's how I see it...
We're treading dangerous ground when the racial abuse or lack thereof committed by a person is determined soley by whether or not the target of the comment is offended by it.
Friends tease you over your skin colour... That's ok. They're friends.
Roger teases you over a cultural stereotype (which I would think would be far less potentially hurtful than the skin colour jibes)... That's not ok. He's not a friend.
Logic suggests that had a friend of yours said exactly the same thing to you today that roger did, you wouldn't have been offended, because you know them.
I do understand why you were offended. I really do. If you (anybody) don't find something funny, you just don't. And certain people have earned certain priviliges with you that roger clearly never will. All completely normal.
But if the mood of the 'victim' determines whether the 'offender' is racist or not, isn't that just giving us carte blanche to be offended by anybody for anything at anytime, without really having a grounds for that offense?
I think that roger was a prick to you this afternoon. But, though he is undoubtedly as sensitive as a drunken skinhead, I just don't see any racist in there.
Not many brains either, mind...
[/quote]
Valid point mate. I hate mentioning the race issue simply because it just makes things awkward. I desperately tried not to mention it with Rog as the thread shows. I gave him a couple of chances to retract his comment and made it very clear that I found it offensive. Now if I had simply kicked off and gone nuts at his first post then yes, your point would apply to me. But the fact that he knew I found it offensive and persisted is what makes this different. If you were to crack a joke at a coloured chap purely in jest, only to find that it caused offence, i'm sure you would apologise or retract the comment and the chap in question would maybe think nothing more of it. But if you persist in making such remarks in the knowledge that it's insulting towards him, that's different. It shows that you know your comment is racially based and is causing offence and that essentially, you don't give a shit, because that was what you intended. That's what happened this afternoon.
Good post, by the way.
