Being Patriotic Now Unamerican?

[Nexlev]

We had theme nights when I was in high school, I thought they were the norm.

 

[Commodore]

If on Beach Night, the girls showed up wearing bikinis and/or thongs, I've for it.
If on Costume Night, the kids showed up wearing KKK sheets and hoods, I'm against it.

So...you are into underage girls parading around in bikinis? Congratulations! You are now on a government watch list!

 

[aelf]

Assuming they actually wanted to offend the other team by chanting "USA, USA!" this is exactly the kind of bullying I can get behind. A pity that these days everybody responds with bursting into tears instead of accepting the challenge.

What has become of the world that it does not appreciate a good rivalry with people exchanging low blows?

True enough. And we do see an example over here:

By teaching our youth that the worst in us will assume the worst of them based on the color of thier skin?

It's reverse racism!

 

[Farm Boy]

It's reverse racism!

Not all instances of people being d-bags are instances of people being racist. Just let them be d-bags in peace. Might even learn the kids something too. Hopefully not that worrying about the feelings of others is bait-y, pseudo-intellectual, self-righteous meanness. That would be the primary danger.

 

[aelf]

"assume the worst of them based on the color of their skin" is racism (or, in this case, reverse racism).

It's okay, I don't mind you crying. But you might have to worry about the other white dudes thinking you're not man enough to accept challenges.

 

[Farm Boy]

"assume the worst of them based on the color of their skin" is racism (or, in this case, reverse racism).

It's okay, I don't mind you crying. But you might have to worry about the other white dudes thinking you're not man enough to accept challenges.

Is presuming somebody is racist actually the same thing as being one? Half interesting, perhaps.

But happy to entertain you with crying. Challenge forfeit. I know your testicles are huge, rich boy.

 

[aelf]

Forgive me for not being a poor sinless rural, oh St. Billy of the Hills!

Now, if I may say something, I don't care whether people are man enough to accept challenges or not. You have the wrong guy. To find the right one to direct that reply to, you'd have to scroll up the thread.

 

[Farm Boy]

Forgive me for not being a poor sinless rural, oh St. Billy of the Hills!

Now, if I may say something, I don't care whether people are man enough to accept challenges or not. You have the wrong guy. To find the right one to direct that reply to, you'd have to scroll up the thread.

Sinless now! That's pretty rich. Seems to be a common theme I suppose.

 

[Commodore]

"assume the worst of them based on the color of their skin" is racism (or, in this case, reverse racism).

I'm sorry to point this out, but it really bothers me when people use the phrase "reverse racism". There is no such thing as "reverse racism", there is only racism.

For example: A popular use of the term "reverse racism" in the US is if a minority does something discriminatory towards whites. Saying such a thing is "reverse racism" is wrong as any race discriminating against any other race, regardless of the current social and political dynamic of society, is just simply racism.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

And again, I'm not saying the assumption is wrong, nor can I think of another explanation. I am just pointing out that we have reached a point in our society where no one examines things anymore. We just take everything we read at face value and whatever conclusion we draw from our initial knee-jerk reaction is what we stick with, without any further exploration into the issue at hand.

This is not a good place for a society to be intellectually.

Problem...the bolded statement is contraindicated.

YOU say that you "can't think of another explanation." There is an implication there that you did try. I tried. Like someone else, I did a quick search to make sure we were not dealing with the "Mansfield HS Patriots" or some such and found they are the Hornets. We have the combined brain power of the forum on the case, and no one has proposed any alternative theory that has any merit at all.

There does not seem to be a failure to examine. The examination just seems to not yield any likable results. Which leaves the "assumption" that this was racial baiting of the low sort as the default explanation unless effectively challenged.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Dear America - never has nationalism not been a mess.

It is bad enough when an individual quits reality and embraces a virtual reality of cartoonish greatness.

A collective of people doing it is stuff for late news, to make us all wonder and/or laugh at them or stuck up our superior nooses at them.

Millions and millions of people doing it? And referring to the vast unaddressable mess they are?

That is such an overload of delusional thought that all I got are feces and confrontational genitalia to respond.

Oh and right - changing the name to patriotism because you won't out-right annex other areas... It is somewhat progress, but not really.

 

[Arwon]

If you describe without context a situation where the crowd for a mostly white school is chanting "USA" against a heavily migrant background opponent, it is fairly likely to be the racist trolling that the raw description suggests. If context is added that this was related to some other theme thing, then the hurtfulness was probably unintended, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

As a side note, high school pep rallies are the single most bizarre thing about American culture.

 

[EgonSpengler]

If you describe without context a situation where the crowd for a mostly white school is chanting "USA" against a heavily migrant background opponent, it is fairly likely to be the racist trolling that the raw description suggests.

I'd add that anyone startled by or reacting against that assumption is either naive or continuing to troll. It's so obvious, like stepping on someone's foot on a crowded bus. It doesn't matter if it was deliberate, you apologize and feel sheepish, dammit.

As a side note, high school pep rallies are the single most bizarre thing about American culture.

I know what you mean. My American high school didn't have them. Or at least not that I was ever aware of. We did have a "prom" and periodic reunions, but I didn't go and neither did anyone I was friends with. We also had no "homecoming" and I doubt I even knew what a homecoming was before Wikipedia came along.

 

[warpus]

There is no such thing as "reverse racism"

That's like saying that "reverse cheese" exists. No, dude, it's just cheese, get with the program, quit making up words

 

[Farm Boy]

I'd add that anyone startled by or reacting against that assumption is either naive or continuing to troll. It's so obvious, like stepping on someone's foot on a crowded bus.

Projection Egon. It's going both ways. People are assuming others are like themselves too much to be accurate.

The people being challenged on being offensive are going to bristle because they're being challenged for flying a very generic self-identity. "Hi, I'm an American high schooler, I'm pumped up for my public high school community team, and I like my country." If the response is "BE SORRY FOR THAT RASIST!" They're going to rightfully assume they're being attacked for their self identity. Which is exactly what actual racist little trolls are counting on. The only way to fail this "respect check" and get under the bar set by the real poopers has been found by some and embraced.

 

[warpus]

Problem...the bolded statement is contraindicated.

YOU say that you "can't think of another explanation." There is an implication there that you did try. I tried. Like someone else, I did a quick search to make sure we were not dealing with the "Mansfield HS Patriots" or some such and found they are the Hornets. We have the combined brain power of the forum on the case, and no one has proposed any alternative theory that has any merit at all.

There does not seem to be a failure to examine. The examination just seems to not yield any likable results. Which leaves the "assumption" that this was racial baiting of the low sort as the default explanation unless effectively challenged.

I grew up in a time when journalists did this so that we did not have to, since most of the time there was no way to do any research to determine if it was true in the first place. So it's not that I'm not willing to double-check facts, but when there are no contradictions in the story as it has been presented to me, and no red flags going up right away, I'm willing to give the "journalist" the benefit of the doubt and assume he/she is not trying to pull one over me. Which might not be a good assumption in this day and age, but most of the time I don't really care enough about the issue at hand to write an essay about it.

 

[aelf]

There is no such thing as "reverse racism"

That's like saying that "reverse cheese" exists. No, dude, it's just cheese, get with the program, quit making up words

re·verse (rĭ-vûrs&#8242
adj.
1. Turned backward in position, direction, or order: the reverse side of the poster.
2. Moving, acting, or organized in a manner contrary to the usual: in reverse order.
3. Causing backward movement: a reverse gear.
4. Printing Printed in such a way that the normally colored part appears white against a colored or black background.

Bam, definition! English - it's hard... even for English speakers.

Probably a useless effort on my part, but whatever.

 

[warpus]

Useless because the reverse of racism would be.. a lack of racism.

Black man: "Hey, how's it going?"
White man: "Hey not bad, have a good one!"
Black man: "You too, see you at the BBQ!"

BAM! Reverse racism = no racism at all.

If there's actual racism going on, don't be daft, call it what it is.

 

[aelf]

Maybe I should have highlighted definition 1 as well.

1. Turned backward in position, direction, or order

But like I said, whatever. English is hard and some people like to ignore the actual meanings of words (e.g. socialism).

BAM! Reverse racism = no racism at all.

When you reverse something, you don't make it disappear (unless it's a decision or a change)...

 

[warpus]

Only that there is no way to logically "reverse" racism. The opposite of racism is literally a lack of racism.

No other way to spin racism around and make it "reverse".

Like I said, it's like claiming that reverse cheese exists. What is reverse cheese? I would like to try some, if it's edible.