Posted by PS on September 21, 2005 at 09:31:44:
In Reply to: Re: Crackers posted by marcos on September 21, 2005 at 01:45:06:
: : Good! -- an opportunity for deeper understanding.
: : (Of course, who needs understanding when we have bombs, right?)
: :
: : I guess I'll just throw in a note right here that the ethnic references are gone from the thread below. I do agree w/ Marcos, and think we need to be respectful of other human beings of any race or ethnicity. I have wonderful Mexican in-laws and great Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Columbian friends. I could say more, but have to go now--there's another whitey at my door to see me. (Lord, I wish those cracker slave-owner colonialists would leave me alone.)
: ~Thanx, I knew you would come through. I'm sorry if I over-reacted, as I remember when we had the open-mic in the building 2 years ago, we actually had some comedy with racial tones, but we knew the spirit of the person telling it, and esp. that person was of that same race, which made it different. I don't remember the person's name, just he was a friend of Jason's. But on this board, we don't have the same clues as to where the person is coming from.
Exactly. (And his name was Chris.) If African-Americans (or members of any ethnic group) want to deal with issues related to their cultural identity or history, whether seriously/thoughtfully OR in a comedic, self-deprecating way, it can be argued that they have the right. We who are outsiders have no right to speak disparagingly or pejoratively about their culture or make light of the history of offenses against them. No outsider should ever address such sensitive issues except in a fully respectful manner, for the purposes of promoting and affirming cross-cultural understanding and furthering reconciliation.