Man Murders Nine in Charleston Church

[Manfred Belheim]

Isn't that sweet? They must have felt sorry for the fellow racist...

Surely he was talking about the people in the church? It would have been a bit late to not go through with it based on how the police treated him. Unless you mean that the people in the church are/were all racists too?

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Nah its cool... There isn't any question for me to ask that your avatar doesn't answer mmkthanksbye.

Well I'm glad your psychic abilities allowed you to divine why I chose this avatar out of the myriad possibilities that exist. I'm absolutely confident you picked the right one

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Well I'm glad your psychic abilities allowed you to divine why I chose this avatar out of the myriad possibilities that exist. I'm absolutely confident you picked the right one

I think the symbol speaks louder than any intention you might have. I might choose a steaming turd and have people try to guess what it means to me, and maybe some will play along, but most will just point out the smell.

 

[Sommerswerd]

I think the symbol speaks louder than any intention you might have. I might choose a steaming turd and have people try to guess what it means to me, and maybe some will play along, but most will just point out the smell.

Agree...First... there are a few flags you can pick as your avatar where there really isnt much else to say (Rhodesia for example).

Second, what you correctly point out is precisely why the flag has to go. Inasmuch as I can imagine some of the people who support the Confederate battle flag have some deep philisophical reason that isnt (directly or indirectly) rooted in flat out racism (or a treasonous attitude towards the US)... most people will just point out the smell... and if it smells like...

 

[Farm Boy]

The sniff test is desperately lacking when it comes to cultural understanding. I've had to argue against the sniff test in relation to hoodies to people who read the blotter enough times that... oh forget it. It never works on them either.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Should a black wearing a hoodie run if he sees a white with a Confederate battle flag?

 

[Farm Boy]

Nope. They don't here, least not that I've ever seen or heard. Nor is the hoodie justifying of unreasonable fear. Despite the near constant flow of blotter news descriptions that are so terribly... predictable? Is that probably the right word?

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I think the symbol speaks louder than any intention you might have. I might choose a steaming turd and have people try to guess what it means to me, and maybe some will play along, but most will just point out the smell.

Your monitor must have some cutting-edge odorant-based technology that mine doesn't have

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Second, what you correctly point out is precisely why the flag has to go. Inasmuch as I can imagine some of the people who support the Confederate battle flag have some deep philisophical reason that isnt (directly or indirectly) rooted in flat out racism (or a treasonous attitude towards the US)... most people will just point out the smell... and if it smells like...

So... some people might like to display the flag for reasons that don't offend you. But you want to ban them from doing so anyway because you're not willing to invest the effort to see if that is the case or not for any specific case. You'll just assume it must be for reasons you find offensive. And you being protected from being offended is of paramount importance and trumps the individual freedoms of others. Gotcha.

 

[JollyRoger]

Why would anyone put a flag as their avatar?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Your monitor must have some cutting-edge odorant-based technology that mine doesn't have

Nope. I just know that my dog really loves to sniff poop so I don't need to shove my nose into the grass to guess why he is shoving his in. Maybe you'll pick up a steaming turd because if you look from a certain angle you see Jesus on the cross in the wrinkles, but I'm satisfied that we both know the smell. Apparently you don't mind getting a little stink on you, but don't try to make out that it's someone elses fault when they smell it.

 

[Sommerswerd]

So... some people might like to display the flag for reasons that don't offend you. But you want to ban them from doing so anyway because you're not willing to invest the effort to see if that is the case or not for any specific case. You'll just assume it must be for reasons you find offensive. And you being protected from being offended is of paramount importance and trumps the individual freedoms of others. Gotcha.

See, you're doing it again... typical FOX News "some people" ... Were not talking about some people. We're talking about you. Why do you have the Confederate flag as your avatar? To offend me? OK so then what is your point again? Something about what some hypothetical some people mean by flying the Confederate flag and them not intending it to offend people? Huh?

As for Farm Boy... pretty sure I know exactly what his point is... totally different from yours... and I know what yours is too... If you got a better explanation lets hear it... Another quip about my "supernatural psychic abilities" will be another blatant failed attempt at misdirection. BTW I hear that all the time (complaints about my "mind-reading abilities") and I find that I usually get that comment when Im on the right track... "truth-hurts" as the saying goes...

And I don't want to ban individuals from displaying their precious Confederate flag, because as I have already said, I find it a very convenient shorthand to getting some clue as to who I'm dealing with. I want it to be discontinued in terms of official government use. That way there is no more ambiguity about its "acceptability" anymore, and those who want to display it privately and proudly can do so and let everyone know who they are.

Finally (and this is more @ Farm Boy) as I have said numerous times in our various discussions. I never want to ban people from offending me or anyone else. Offensive content, speech, ideas etc is often a very effective way to learn and/or get a useful message across. If you remember our discussion about the Lincoln Osiris character, I said I found the character offensive, but useful at conveying an important an entertaining message all at the same time... So offend away! I'm a big boy, I can take it Just be aware that I bite back

 

[Kyriakos]

Agree...First... there are a few flags you can pick as your avatar where there really isnt much else to say (Rhodesia for example).

Second, what you correctly point out is precisely why the flag has to go. Inasmuch as I can imagine some of the people who support the Confederate battle flag have some deep philisophical reason that isnt (directly or indirectly) rooted in flat out racism (or a treasonous attitude towards the US)... most people will just point out the smell... and if it smells like...

It seems pretty obvious that he chose the Confederate flag as his avatar in clear reaction to the perceived hyperbole that that flag now must be a taboo? I don't recall him using this as his avatar before, so it seems pretty unfair to argue he does so out of being pro-slavery or other such stuff.

 

[bhavv]

I don't even know anything about the confederate flag or why its bad.

But I do know that I can freely draw and use Swastikas everywhere and anywhere I want because I am from Indian / Hindu ancestry!!!

Ahahahaha, swastikas for all!

 

[useless]

The sniff test is desperately lacking when it comes to cultural understanding. I've had to argue against the sniff test in relation to hoodies to people who read the blotter enough times that... oh forget it. It never works on them either.

Ah yes cultural understanding of a flag used to represent those who wanted to continue to enslave an entire group of people, truly we are the real bigots for not accepting this, etc etc

 

[Kyriakos]

Ah yes cultural understanding of a flag used to represent those who wanted to continue to enslave an entire group of people, truly we are the real bigots for not accepting this, etc etc

Wasn't it already mentioned that Lincoln looked the other way and allowed slavery just fine in some states just so that they would not rebel as well? (referring to posts in this thread, as i wrote i am not very well-read on the American civil war).

As noted, it is unlikely the slavery would remain in the South for much longer if it was allowed to be its own country. Surely the war was not done out of the North being noble, but out of will to maintain a vast country, when half of it did not want to be in the union in the first place.

Slavery existed, yes. That doesn't mean all other facts in the civil war must be pushed aside to make room for 'moral outrage' or high ground, cause a fallacy only perpetuates more troubles, as is obvious day after day. One should not try to shame an entire people, or collection of states. And it seems very crude to argue that all, or even a majority, of those in the south who want to keep that flag are in reality racists/pro-slavery etc. Some are, but any stats noting it is more than an outlier?

 

[Formaldehyde]

I don't even know anything about the confederate flag or why its bad.

But I do know that I can freely draw and use Swastikas everywhere and anywhere I want because I am from Indian / Hindu ancestry!!!

Ahahahaha, swastikas for all!

Only the swastika found in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism is quite distinct from from the Nazi emblem.





Merely rotating it 45 degrees is sufficient to discern the difference, much less putting it on a red background surrounded by a white circle.

 

[bhavv]

Most people consider it the same. One incidence I remember that happened when I was a child is back when my parents had me attending gujerati classes on Saturdays. In one of those classes, I drew a straight swastika like the first one in your picture in my book. I particularly remembered this because annually we would also attend these rangoli competitions around divali, and lots of people would make swastika rangolis, and also they featured prominently in Hindu books and arts.

My gujerati teacher saw the drawing in my book - What is that? That is a swastika, a nazi patern, why are you drawing that?' I replied 'erm, I thought it had something to do with Hinduism?'.

I promptly stopped drawing swastikas.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Nope. I just know that my dog really loves to sniff poop so I don't need to shove my nose into the grass to guess why he is shoving his in. Maybe you'll pick up a steaming turd because if you look from a certain angle you see Jesus on the cross in the wrinkles, but I'm satisfied that we both know the smell. Apparently you don't mind getting a little stink on you, but don't try to make out that it's someone elses fault when they smell it.

If someone else makes a judgment without bothering to make any effort to find out if they're correct, then it's always their fault if they're wrong. Are we done with the coprophilic analogy yet because it's turning my stomach. Oh and I'm an atheist so you implying that I would be attracted to the sight of Jesus on a cross is offensive to me. Please desist.

See, you're doing it again... typical FOX News "some people" ... Were not talking about some people. We're talking about you. Why do you have the Confederate flag as your avatar? To offend me? OK so then what is your point again? Something about what some hypothetical some people mean by flying the Confederate flag and them not intending it to offend people? Huh?

I'm not American so I have no idea why the words "some people" are typical of Fox News, or why there's something wrong with using them when I'm quite literally talking about some people. In fact, I only said it in direct response to a quote from you which said "some of the people who support... (etc)", so does that mean your post was typical of Fox News as well? Or does it only count when other people say it? If it really is only that specific combination of those two words which you have an irrational hatred of, then please imagine I typed "some of the people who support... (etc)" exactly as you did, because that conveys exactly the same meaning.

As for me - the reason I have it as my avatar is not to offend you personally, but is basically a middle finger to those people who want a symbol banned because they don't personally like it, which is an attitude that annoys me. However, as stated, I'm not an American, so my reasons probably have very little to do with the reasons of the "some people" in your country who are relevant.

Another quip about my "supernatural psychic abilities" will be another blatant failed attempt at misdirection. BTW I hear that all the time (complaints about my "mind-reading abilities") and I find that I usually get that comment when Im on the right track... "truth-hurts" as the saying goes...

Hmm... how do you know you're on the right track if the person you're talking to is telling you you're wrong? More psychic abilities? In fact didn't I already ask you this or was that someone else? Sounds like a rather large ego to me. The fact that you hear it all the time is suggestive though. It probably indicates that you spend a lot of time going around telling people you know what's going on in their heads better than they do.

 

[Formaldehyde]

My gujerati teacher saw the drawing in my book - What is that? That is a swastika, a nazi patern, why are you drawing that?' I replied 'erm, I thought it had something to do with Hinduism?'.

I promptly stopped drawing swastikas.

I find it odd than an Indian would assume it was a symbol of Nazism instead of Hinduism, especially if it wasn't tilted 45 degrees.