Thanks for Racism?

[Chris Rapier]

Jemmy jemmy jemmy...

I was replying to the original person who started this thread
*specifically* with regards to the portion of manny's message that he
quoted.

As for Manny's usage of the term swarthy middle easterners looking for
a quick buck. Well, I personally took it as a tongue in cheek comment.
Of course, it might have been meant in a racist way but Manny is not
racist and never has been. If he was he would not have been pushing
the Muslimgause for all these years. You can fault Manny for many
things but racism? No. Also, the owners of the Sphinx may have been
swarthy middle easterners looking for a quick buck. I don't know as I
wasn't there. Kinda had a shindig that night.

> Let's not be silly here. Manny said that someone made a mistake by
> doing business with what he called, "swarthy Middle Easterners looking
> for a quick buck." Manny was clearly talking about race, not culture.
> Manny is clearly saying that the owner of the Sphinx Cafe is
> untrustworthy based on the fact that has dark skin.

You really are just reading too much into it. Are you sure your own
prejudices aren't coming into play here? Everyone has them and they
color many of the ways we interact with other people.

> Farsi or Persian peoples

Same thing. Farsi is a persian language after all. At least you knew
that Arabs and Persians are different things. Of course, Manny's own
people are a bunch of swarthy middle easterners (well, a good number
of them are at least).

> Conversations like this really depress me in every sense of the word.

Either you live in a box or you get depressed a lot.

> They make me sad, and they make me question the potential of trying to
> do anything worthwhile at all. It's the 21st century, and we still
> have to explain to Manny that his light colored skin doesn't make him
> better than anybody else.

Oh that is such bullshit. Please, this whole thing with manny? Be the
bigger man and let it go. Oh wait, that phrase engenders heightism and
explicitly relates tallness to being superior. Shit, that last
sentence uses the word engender which carries connotations of gender
issues which tie back into the whole 'bigger man' phrase.
OHNOES!!!11!!!1
How will we ever create a wonderful cruelty free world with such hatred!

I suppose we could always go the Lathe of Heaven route but I do so
hate the color grey.

> I know that I live in a social bubble when
> it comes to problems like this. I guess it just makes me pretty upset
> to be reminded that this is how many people in the world think. I'm
> sorry if dragging this conversation out aggravates people, but I feel
> like if somebody doesn't speak up against this kind of dangerous
> thinking, the problem will get worse not better.

And you are just the man to do it!
Shit, there goes that gender thing again.