Well, not by anyone but Jesse Jackson. One thing I've noticed about this thread and this BBS in general is that the only response people seem to be able to come up with to posts or questions they strongly disagree with, on an emotional level, is sarcasm. Sarcasm is an extremely ugly way to respond to a post. If you don't like what they poster had to say, there are much more polite and mature ways to express yourself. I know that many of us would like to think that we were born enlightened and didn't have to grow into our adult perspectives, but that's pretty much not the case. UT Baller asked what, from his perspective, was a fair question. He obviously doesn't understand US-China relations, and his personal experience with the Asian community (and his response to it) obviously differs from most of us. I don't think that's any reason to respond to him in such an ugly fashion. He's hardly the first person to view another race as a monolithic entity. From what I can gather, it makes people feel much better about themselves to attack people who post views that most of us consider politically incorrect. That is the primary reason, I think, that the response I get from people when I mention the Clutch BBS is a combination of rolled eyes and the remark, "Ugh, that place". This is by far the least tolerant BBS community I've been a part of. Posters whose views fall outside the BBS' mainstream are attacked and made to feel stupid, whether in the Rockets forum or in the Hangout. I don't know why that is. Most places, they're simply ignored. I suggest that might be a better approach in the future. I can tell you one thing: approaching a poster like UT Baller in this fashion is not going to help convince him to rethink his positions, which I would hope most that disagree with him would want to do.
Brian, I have been sitting here for several minutes and still am unable to think of what would be be defined as the <i>mainstream</i> in the Hangout Forum. Jeff BrianKagy rimbaud glynch HayesStreet treeman Mango Haven Refman MadMax JuanValdez DaDakota Rocketman95 F.D. Khan Batman Jones mrpaige dylan are amongst the regulars in the Hangout Forum and they are a diverse lot. They have various political viewpoints and styles of discussing subjects. If you were shown four posts on a topic and were asked to match them to their respective authors, <i>example: RM95, DaDakota, mrpaige, MadMax</i>, you could have a certain degree of confidence in matching correctly. Could you define/illustrate <i>mainstream think</i> in the Hangout Forum?
Haha. That is so funny. BTW, I'm Chinese, but I'm more olive in color. BK, hope you weren't referring to me. I really meant that. Alot of races do congregate, and I think Chinatown is just a convenient nickname. I have no disdain towards it. I compare it to a section of town that people call "little Italy." Nothing wrong with that. My post had no intened malice or wasn't meant as a flame. I think alot of Asians in Houston live in the burbs, really. They just shop there. When I was a kid, we used to drive 3.5 hours to Houston just to goto Chinatown. Prettty fun.
No, that was just a joke. Jesse Jackson called New York "Hymietown" in 1984. I was making a pun on that.
Behad, You are a regular in the Hangout, but not a regular in the threads with the controversial topics. Maybe you participate regularly in the racial threads (that I try to avoid) and I am unaware of it.
I read them, but have no interest in joining in. One thing I've learned about this BBS is that if you wait long enough, someone will point forth a viewpoint similar to your own. No need to be redundant.
Yes. (I was assistant conductor and got student of the year) You can email me if you want, but the last time I put my email address on the BBS, a bunch of p*rn, spam, and viruses made it into my mailbox shortly after. Try to click the "email this user button". Otherwise, it's cool if you just want to talk here, but it might throw the thread off too much. Oh, and I think I remember your orchestra teacher too. She was the short, young, long curly hair, cute one that just graduated from Rice right? I forgot her name, but I took a few private lessons from her at her apartment near the Flour Daniel company.
Why do you still come here then? Go find a more tolerant board. Mango, as he consistently does, nailed it.
Gee, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm an administrator and I've promised to help Clutch, a friend of mine, out. Do you ever think before you reply to my posts?
I completely understand that Clutch is a friend and you've been helping a friend out, but it sounds like you have a lot of disdain for this board. I know you think I'm a complete idiot, but I do understand this. However, if I hated something Major did as much as it seems you hate this board, then I would stop helping him out. Just the way I work I guess.
Fair enough. So what's your response to Mango's post? The only posts I see that are unilateraly dismissed with sarcasm are the ones that are in the extreme...it doesn't happen that often.
I already answered his post with an "illustration" of relevant mainstream BBS thought. Most posters, especially the most vocal ones, would agree with that statement, because we've been conditioned over the years to be extremely sensitive about making racial or ethnic generalizations. UT Baller was apparently unaware of this, and when he asked a question about the Chinese and the Asian community, he got personally hammered for asking a question.
Well, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't really understand what all the commotion was about. Plus, he did get a couple of good responses from Major, gr8-1, Juan Valdez, and Kim (I thought). You're slipping with your use of bold in that last post though.
Duh, I don't know. If a guy can make some crazy statements about sensitive issues without much actual thinking by himself, and pretending he's asking a legit qestion, why can't he take some gentle sarcasm for a wake of reality? Sarcasm is a strong form of arguement, and there are actually a lot of info there if one can put down his ego and read into it.
That's awfully condescending, don't you think? You're assuming he's making the statement(s) without "actual thinking" and that he's "pretending" to ask a legit question. No, sarcasm is a juvenile method of avoiding argument by mocking a premise or statement and dismissing it out of hand.
What was offensive about UT Baller's question? That he missed that other nationalities also congregate in cities? If it was true, would there be anything demeaning to the Chinese people about this comment? What about the Japanese? Their borders were closed to the outside for ages...don't you think that may have resulted in isolationistic and, for lack of a better word, 'congregational' tendencies? So what? How is that demeaning? We can get a little too PC when we start slamming people for ANY type of generalization...I mean, more Italians drink Chianti...so what? Also, what's the problem with sarcasm? It can be condescending, but it can also be a subtle way of teaching (not that the sarcasm exhibited in this thread was necessarily 'subtle'). One alternative to constructive sarcasm is a lecture which is very condescending, IMHO.
