I’mm goiiing too hayve tu lurn tah tighp mauch moar cairphullie.

To me, it’s a matter of the heart. What is in a person’s heart, their intent that makes a universe of difference.

I think a person can tell a stereotypical joke or make an off color remark without being a racist, sometimes we’ve all done it to fit in, sometimes we overreact in traffic, Hell sometimes we’re just in a bad mood and take it out on someone, even if it is in our head only.

To be a racist, to truly take that into your soul, mind and spirit, I believe you have to CHOOSE to be one.

It’s like, oh say shoplifting. You can think about it, joke about it, even put something in your pocket and walk around, but until you actively decide to walk out the door with it, you ain’t there yet.

I know that is a waaaaaaay imperfect analogy, but it’s late and my brain is wallpapered. Bear with me on that one.

I also realize you can NOT mean to hurt or offend, but say something that might offend anyway. I believe that’s what this cartoon by Delonas did. He, IMHO, never at all intended people to be offended or infer he was calling Obama a monkey – he was trying to make a point by fusing two stories. ‘Toonists do that all the time.

Hejust gid a really weak job. I believe people honestly got offended, but I just don’t think anyone can climb in Delons’ heart and say there is harbored racial predjudice because someone else interpreted his work that way.

I think it is very dangerous to go down the road of saying we can do that to people, because sooner or later someone somewhere WILL make the same claim against you, me and everyone else.

Anyway, this horse of a thread is DRT (dead right there) and whipping it ain’t gonna make it smell better.

I appreciate the points you made, thanks for using a civil and reasonable tone to jawed with me. I’ll try to remember to do the same in the future.

But I’m still feeling terribly vicitmized over my avatar creeping someone out. Why would it do that?

I have to say I don’t entirely believe you when you say you don’t harbor racist stereotypes–but I won’t insult you by pressing the issue or by operating under the assumption that you do and just don’t see it. If you truly don’t, then you are one in a million, pal.

OK, now I feel better! You ain’t no one ’til someone tells ya’ yer going to Perdition!

Of course, most of them Prods was Presbyterians, not Baptists, but you’ll all burn in the same hell fire anyways, so we don’t make them subtle distinctions, doncha know … ;-)

Maybe I could cartoons for the NY Post, too….

You said:
“The fact is, I truly don’t harbor racist sterotypes. I know I don’t. I know that is not a lie. That is what is at the heart of the anger people like me feel when we are told “Oh yes you do, you have racist underpinnings whether you know it or not. You just need to admit it.” That is essentially what Mr. Holder said, and on a national scale.

I’m saying he is wrong. Most people don’t harbor ‘racist’ tendencies – oh, they may tell jokes or play with stereotypes, but that is no more being racist than thinking “I’ll kill you’ about someone makes you a murdered. People are more complicated and more intelligent than that. I just think that type of thinking gives people so little credit and adjudicates them harshly and unfairly.”

There’s a lot of the …. “Oh, yes you do, you have racist underpinnings whether you know it or not. You just need to admit it.”…going around. Telling or inferring that someone has these attributes, when they don’t, is, RACIST.

My girlfriend was called a “snow bunny” by a black man once. I guess we forgot to be offended…..

Still, it’s a big tent: http://tinyurl.com/dl7cu9 ;-)

I was scanning your name too fast when I read it and my Mod 1 brain housing told me I saw the name “Mike Peters”, not “Peterson.”

Well, I decided to visit your blog so next time I could correctly comment on your resume.

Interesting piece you wrote.

However, I have to correct one thing. The part about the said the Irish were “Catholic Invaders complete with hobnailed boots, revolutionary lapel pin, gun in belt and bottle in back pocket” was stunningly incorrect!

I’m a Baptist.