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We, the Little People
Pete snarled: "They've proven they only use his name to promote the race card they hold so dear so why should I give a s***?" Pete, I doubt you would care what MLK said or did in any case--this just gives you another golden opportunity to bring up what the black folk "ALWAYS" do. Yeah, right, Pete. "All" they do is pull the race card in MLK's name, mmm hmm. If you only could understand how terribly, sadly, sickeningly wrong you are. refried wrote: "I would rather that Pete be "offensive and tasteless" than to not say what's on his mind." Again and again and again and again, refried. Freedom of speech. How much do we actually need to hear of Pete's templated speech on why Mexicans and blacks have no soul? (They ONLY do certain things, like automatons, so I thus conclude for him what his "principles" logically lead to). Do you not hear enough racial hatred in this country, both subtle and direct? Is it really necessary that we have as much of it as possible, all the time? Do you not get bone tired and sickened of reading this from Pete, and defending (and encouraging) it, over and over and over and over?— January 20, 2010 12:33 a.m.
None
Hmmm, something mightyyyyy fishy about this here blog.— January 20, 2010 12:18 a.m.
We, the Little People
Yes, La Raza does a lot to help people, whatever you might think about some of their politics. And Mindy, saying that "wetback" offends the "politically sensitive" is like saying a serial killer just has a hard time getting along with others. When you guys toss around the term "PC," you don't seem to realize that sensitivity is real, felt by real people in real life. If you call someone a "wetback" in Orange County, CA, it is the equivalent of the N word. Again, it is a word that carries a history of intolerance and even violence--yeah, most people are "sensitive" about social discrimination and being physically assaulted. Wouldn't you be a little more than "offended" or "sensitive," if you were attacked verbally or physically for the color of your skin, or for perceptions, whether wrong or right, about your status as a citizen and human being?— January 19, 2010 4:37 p.m.
We, the Little People
Nothing is that simple, Pete. And you are not racist for simply using the word "wetback." You are racist because you hold racist beliefs, which prompt you to use the word, and signal that to us. A more interesting question might be, why are you so angry about Mexicans being born here illegally? If you found out that it is a red herring issue in regards to your concerns about state or national finances, would you still be so angry about it? My guess is yes, because in your very next breath you protest what you see as a lack of assimilation to language and culture here on "your" land. You are bothered by the expression of different cultural values? Have you considered that this country was founded on the notion of equal protection under the law, and equal opportunity for the expression of different cultural and religious values? Your idea of what constitutes "your" land, and "your" culture is going to be quite different from your neighbor's. We all have different ideas of what our dominant cultural norms are or should be. Pride in one's heritage is fine, but don't let a blind nationalism spur you on to hatred of people who are just trying to survive--were you born in their place, you'd be doing the same thing. Most immigrants are extremely hard workers, and do pay taxes, if they are working. As it stands, we now receive them with mixed messages and contradictory actions, and can't seem to figure out what we want to do. If we want to truly take pride in our country as a civilized one, we need to better organize our systems for healthcare and immigration, inviting people who work hard and are willing to work toward bettering the land they live in. I would have much more national pride if I could be assured that I lived in a country with a civilized, well-organized program and system for processing citizenship and residency, and if I could know that all people have a chance at work, and having basic human needs met, such as shelter, food, and medical care. Illegal immigration is a fact, so instead of condemning people for naturally attempting to better their lives, let us figure out ways to better manage the system, rather than resorting to ethnophobia and irrational racial hatred.— January 19, 2010 12:57 p.m.
We, the Little People
I might be good with language, but I suck at politics, Cuddle, and do not even know who Escondido assemblyman Wyland is. Generally, as that phrase goes, though, one has only a single finger on "the pulse" of something. If this guy has several fingers on it, I guess that means it is an important issue for him. I'll take a guess that he is one of these guys who uses immigration as a red herring social issue; to cover for a lack of substance in his record or philosophies, or as an easy solution to the state's economic crisis. I'm being polite, and without more info, trying not to assume that there is an underlying racist agenda. There have been many theories that what the state and country spends on caring for undocumented immigrants is negligible in comparison to how funds have been mismanaged in other areas. For example, if these same folk argued with as much passion against the two illegal wars we have been conducting, we might be better off. Sigh. You probably have more informed opinions on this Cuddle--enlighten us? ;)— January 19, 2010 11:13 a.m.
Sorry, Citizen Journalist
Awww, you know I passed my ESL class, Cuddle. Do I have to pull out my certificate? ;)— January 19, 2010 10:43 a.m.
Sorry, Citizen Journalist
Yes, imagine getting paid to explore the spirit world, and I 'aint talkin' some lame-o Travel Channel program! What a job it would be to be paid to detect flower fields in Alpine-derived hops... Not only has the print version survived, it now has a sort of "spine." (Read that in at least two ways ;) Foxxy shopper? Add one more "x" and you have another thing altogether, where the breast augs aren't priced. GLT is cool. Haven't kept up on it, though. So much reading, so little time ;)— January 19, 2010 2:42 a.m.
Coldplay Left Him Cold
"Just how separated have we all become from genuine experience? How many of you reading this would have any idea how to enter a command on a computer, rather than doing everything through the GUI?" Oh lord, Fred. What IS genuine experience, after all, at this point? Tell you what, you read anything by Jean Baudrillard on the simulacrum as beyond a kind of societal illness, and more of simply a way of existence, and I will read Cryptonomicon. We can then discuss the two, for they are bound to have much in common. Deal? Meanwhile, I'll just answer that as far as your example goes, I and many others don't care about the base command, or even the intermediary command, as long as we can get from A to B. It is one of the few areas of life of which I can say this is true for me. And as far as many many experiences go in life, we are used to reading translations of translations of translations. Ever read Walter Benjamin on translation? Kafka, maybe? Try Kafka "In the library."— January 19, 2010 2:22 a.m.
No I.D., No Comment
Oh, am I JUST like that, rickey? If I were, then I never would have attempted to engage you in any intelligible debate, and if you weren't JUST like them, you would have attempted some intelligible discourse, wouldn't you, now? The problem with you and I is that you have a strange reductionist and essentialist notion that culture does not influence the way human beings act and grow, and you simply want me to agree with you on it. For the zillionth time, rickey: If you reduce all to genetics and biblical-traditional notions of "choice," then you certainly have an agenda to support that people of racial and ethnic backgrounds whom you don't like, will always act the way you don't like, and you may see them as intellectually inferior to yourself. This is the impasse you are at, but you can't see it, so how are we to discuss culture, the vast area in which I have been working and sharing knowledge with others in for decades? Don't worry, I have plenty of people to talk to and debate with, who actually offer real debate. I suggest you go find a few, and come back to talk with me when you're ready to admit the existence of cultural and social influence.— January 18, 2010 11:54 p.m.
We, the Little People
Pete, when you decide to fulfill that New Year's "restitution" to become a better person, you might start with the realization that your racist terms DO lead to disrespect of others' humanity. Disrespect of others' humanity leads to disrespect in particular of others' right to live, and so to violence upon them. The term "wetback" led to a lot of schoolyard violence where I grew up, and it was one of the first truly evil and ugly words I ever learned. If you absolutely must have this made intelligible in terms of people you know, and your own life, then how do you think refried's family would like it if they heard you say "wetback?" When you finally get a clue that language has this kind of power, maybe you will be on the way to becoming a better person.— January 18, 2010 11:45 p.m.