The Future

@jen_jen wrote:

@panda12 wrote:

I however, have been accused of playing the race card because of a particular comment I made about ppl bringing immigration to a debate that as far as I am concerned, has other more obvious causes than immigration.

It may have more obvious causes than immigration to you; however in Terry’s mind it is a major cause. Whether you agree or disagree with him, he has the right to hold that opinion without being accused, implicitely or explicitly, of racism. If a person lives an area that has a high immigrant population and high unemployment in the young, it may appear to them to be a high contributory factor and one that they want to bring into the discussion. To accuse them of xenophobia or racism when they are simply reflecting the truth of where they live rather than entering into open-minded debate only leads to dismissiveness, personal attacks and so on, eventually stifling any meaningful discussion.

@panda12 wrote:

Terry has focused on a particular immigrant group, Polish ppl and then East Europeans in general. Terry wants to go a whole day without hearing a polish accent.

Is that xenophobia or racism on Terry’s part? You need to bear in mind Terry has focused on one racial group and immigration has come from all parts of the EU, not just the east.

If he lives in an area of high immigration and the immigrants in his area are all of that group then it isn’t xenophobia or racism, it is reflective of his area. Should he include immigrants of other racial groups if they aren’t in his area? Would that make it better?

My local Italian restaurant used to employ all Italian serving staff; now they’re all Polish or Russian, the service is brusque and it isn’t as relaxing an environment as it used to be. I would love to have the Italian serving staff back – does that make me xenophobic or a racist?

@panda12 wrote:

As for Words, well he has been lambasted by both Terry and Pepper on this thread, so I guess it’s a case of fighting fire with fire. But Words was actually right, Pepper’s post was codswallop in the sense it’s incomprehensible, IMHO.

I found Pepper’s post comprehensible and I’m sure someone with Words’ intelligence would have too. “Fighting fire with fire” doesn’t lead to useful discussion but then maybe that’s why debate rarely works in JC…too few people are capable of it.

all i can say to this is
=D> =D> =D>

For those how feel disappointed that I have stooped to a low level, please realise I am in fact, a human being.

The replies I have put in this page so far have been dismissed, abused (a new level of stupid? Purr-lease!) and ignored in the quest to label Panda as playing the race card and anyone who disagrees as being part of some larger conspiracy against freedom of speech (am I wrong in thinking we even had liberal elites brought into this? Elite???? If only I’d known!!!!!).

I always thought the race card was supposed to get you out of trouble and intimidate anyone who was supposed to try to give you your just desserts. If Panda has played the race card then she’s the worst race card player I have ever seen! And I have seen the least artful at work, believe me!

The dwelling on ‘subliminal’ points she is supposed to have made juxtaposes oddly with the subsequent insistence on explicit and concise explanations.

If this is too obscure, I’m repeating my view that I do not think she is playing the race card or the racist card, but expressing a sincerely held point of view).

I decided during the last bout of forensic unpleasantness that I was fed up with the whole shebang, would respect both Pepper’s and Terry’s verdicts on my attempts, and in the near-absence of any comments to the contrary, stop treating their posts seriously.

I had done my very best to think through what I had to say, edit it so that it would be clearer and to make my point. If as a result of thinking things my perspective changed, I don’t think that’s a bad thing, unless I really did know everything there was to know to begin with. My efforts were plainly inadequate and I had nothing more to say.

So I gave up. Thankfully my trivial contributions appear to be much less controversial and I assume, easier to understand, so I feel encouraged that I made the right choice and will continue to reflect scant seriousness in any replies to Terry or Pepper. Unfortunately the focus seems to be even more acutely on Panda, even though I think she said significantly less than me and remained more pertinent.

However I will give Sceptical’s question some thought and reply constructively later.

@terry wrote:

@panda12 wrote:

Tut! Grammar Terry! Surely you shouldn’t be ending a sentence with the word “to?” :shock:

Surely your sentence should have read:

Never mind the word “racism” Wordsworth; how about the word “stupidity” to which you singlehandedly, seem to have given a whole new meaning.

I love prepositions in the same way that you love a big mac and fries luv x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OLxLK_R6jQ

LOL ok, I confess to the fries but I don’t eat meat so you’re wrong on the big mac.

@jen_jen wrote:

I found Pepper’s post comprehensible and I’m sure someone with Words’ intelligence would have too. “Fighting fire with fire” doesn’t lead to useful discussion but then maybe that’s why debate rarely works in JC…too few people are capable of it.

=D>

@panda12 wrote:

@terry wrote:

@panda12 wrote:

Tut! Grammar Terry! Surely you shouldn’t be ending a sentence with the word “to?” :shock:

Surely your sentence should have read:

Never mind the word “racism” Wordsworth; how about the word “stupidity” to which you singlehandedly, seem to have given a whole new meaning.

I love prepositions in the same way that you love a big mac and fries luv x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OLxLK_R6jQ

LOL ok, I confess to the fries but I don’t eat meat so you’re wrong on the big mac.

If you want to argue about grammar might I suggest you actually do a bit more research on the subject . Or maybe you could phone a friend.