<B>When someone says "I felt like screaming my head off", do you ever see their head fall off? </B> Two of my friends lost their heads this way. We were able to reattach them though.
Clutch, No, but it's not far from the truth. Both you and DoD expressed anger coupled with a violent response to what this Pakistani kid said. I tried to paint a similar picture in which I might have the same feelings, ala an extremely racist kid. I thought maybe DoD and yourself might also be "anti-racist", and have a similar (if lesser) reaction to such an incident. I was right. Both of you said you'd be just as "outraged" in my hypothetical situation. Also, the image of someone driving by in a car and hitting a kid on a bicycle with a bat isn't as outlandish as you might think. That very act of hatred has happened to kids right here in the U.S. for their ethnicity, therefore another reason I brought "racism" into the discussion. I also drew the analogy of Osama bin Laden and a well known KKK member, David Duke. The KKK, other racist organizations, and racists in general have been responsible for the slaughter of thousands of people too, right here in our country, right here in our state. Therefore, I think my analogy was a valid one. I was offended by the idea of wanting to hit a kid with a bat, I replied. "Obviously it's going to provoke some emotions." And, I literally would have liked to break the guy's jaw. There are a few differences though. 1. He was an adult. The kid in question, obviously, was not. 2. He said what he said standing right next to me, in public, in my country, in my state, and in a very diverse city. 3. I didn't want to kill him (which is a more likely outcome from hitting a small kid from a moving vehicle with a baseball bat). 4. He was, by his words and actions, teaching that very same racist mentality to his children, which I think is worse than actually just being a racist all by yourself. Just because I (and others) don't carry around a camcorder with us 24hrs a day, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Why do you (or others) need a video of something to be outraged about it? ------------------------ DoD, So, it's not about race, it's about word usage and the difference between me typing the word "heard" or "read". In reality, when I read it, I heard it, in my head. Another flawed argument. Did you have a "desire" to hit the kid? It sounded to me like you did. Does a person who says they want to smack someone have a "desire" to actually do it, regardless of whether they do it or not? Usually. Does a person who uses the phrase about the head have a "desire" for their head to fall off? 99 times out of 100, I'd say, "No". Totally different meanings behind each of the two phrases you're talking (typing/writing) about. I like how you try to tear down my argument by using equivocaton. Obviously, I mistakenly typed "Afghan", when I should have typed "Pakistani". Would me changing that make it "okay"? I would be saying that same thing, you know.... I didn't say you had anything against the Afghan or Pakistani people. I apologize if that's how it came off as sounding/reading. I meant what I said, but I meant it directed at the same type of children as the one you were referring to in your original post. I know you're a pretty smart guy. I think you realize what you said/wrote/typed/meant/conferred/etc... was offensive. The image of hitting a kid with a bat is repulsive. You should have, and should apologize for that statement. Children are innocent. Adults are held accountable for the children in their society. When those extremist kids become adults, or start killing other people, then they too will be held accountable. Until then, let's hope for a change instead of wanting to bash their heads in.
DREAMer -- As far as the topic of racism, which you consistently bring up here, it's not for me to address because I'll be honest: I don't really have much respect for you on the topic, if any. I've watched you try to paint several people on this board, people I respect, as "racist" for one outrageous reason or another. Though you'll never admit it, you tried to do the same here with DoD by trying to point out hypocrisy because he never once mentioned wanting to knock a <em>racist</em> kid off his huffy. Ludicrous. You've got a lot of issues, and I do mean <strong>a lot</strong> of issues, with it. I also think your justification for violence is pretty wacked, to say the least. It's apparently OK to bust someone up if the victim has hit puberty, lives in your country, makes these types of comments in a diverse town and so long as you don't actually kill them. This also throws your argument of innocent until they actually <strong>commit</strong> a crime out the window. I mean -- look at you: You have now tried to paint the comment about knocking the kid off his Huffy in to a club <B>upside the head</B>, a <B>drive-by</B> (a DRIVE-BY!!!) in a <B>moving vehicle</B> and a <B>murder</B> and that these are his <strong>wishes against young Afgan children</strong>. You should be thrown in jail for what you're trying to do... or go in to politics at the very least. I know you get a thrill out of your high horse posts, but you should open your eyes and realize you're intentionally skewing this picture... But it really doesn't matter what picture you try to paint because the bottom line is this: Both DoD and I made it perfectly clear we wouldn't <I>really</I> hurt the kid. Period. Your persistence on the subject and statement that this clarification is a "flawed argument" just makes you look blindly bitter.
Dream on, Dreamer, Dream on. You're living in your own little world, but just because you think it is so does not make it so. Simply because state you know what I wanted to do doesn't make it so. I can keep telling you exactly what I felt and how I feel, but my guess is that you in all your presumed wisdom will keep saying "no, that's not what you thought". I can keep pointing out flaws in which you let emotion r****d your comprehension, but it won't matter. I'm not going to defend myself any further because doing so against you is pointless. You take anything and everything and turn it into a argument of racism - at that point I figure I've lost you. And just to set the record straight, I still feel like bopping that kid with a baseball bat - a really big and heavy one. Oh, and no... no apologies will be given as none are necessary, but thanks for the offer just the same.
From your responses, I'm not sure you read my entire post. Good lawyer-talk. That old, "though you'll never admit it, when did you start molesting small boys"-type of statement. There is no way you could answer that. Just like there's not way for me to answer something you've already answered for me. I was not trying to make DoD seem like a racist. I haven't in the past thought DoD showed racist tendencies, and I don't think so now. However, in my opinion, there are posters here on this BBS that do have racist tendencies, and if some of them are people you respect, then so be it. I've already apologized for coming accross like that. All I can do is apologize again, and try to clarify what I was trying to do. APOLOGY 1: I apologize if anyone reading my post felt I was trying to label Dr. of Dunk as a racist. That was not my intention. APOLOGY 2: DoD, never said he wanted to hit the kid from a moving car. I guess that's just the image that popped up in my head. I shouldn't have put words in his mouth. CLARIFICATION: I was trying to create an analogy. An analogy in which I could conceivably have the same violent reaction. Because "racism" is such a hot issue with me, I chose it. What I was trying to convey is that even in a situation where some racist kid said something similar to what the Pakistani kid said, it would not be right for me to say that I wanted to "I wanted to pull a baseball bat out and knock him off his Huffy". I don't think it's possible for DoD to hate anti-American sentiment more than I hate racism. And, if I can realize that it's not right for me to say something like that about a racist kid, then I don't see how DoD cannot see that it's not right for him to say something like that about a kid spewing America-hate from his mouth. I was not the only BBS member to find your statement offensive. Basically, the analogy went like this Original situation: (Kid+anti-America+anger+reaction) Hypothetical situtation: (Kid+racism+anger+reaction) The only difference between the two situations was what the kid said. But, there are similarities in the statements. Both, statements (Anti-America & Racism) are topics which create very passionate responses. I think DoD recognized the similarities when he said he would do the same to the Vidor kid. But, that wasn't the point I was trying to make. I was trying to show that such a reaction should not be acceptable in our society. DoD, you have the right to think/feel/say/type what you want. But, I have the right to say how I feel about what you think/feel/say/type.
