You said it!! LOL 

I thought we had heard it all from Joe Z. but "White people take it in the ass as hard as any other people in this country" takes the cake!

Marc

Okay, if people take offense from it, I apologize to them.

But I will also say...  GET A GODDAMN SENSE OF HUMOR! Do I think that making fun of someone's name was funny? YES. It stops there. It was a pun.

We all need to lighten up a little these days. Not to the degree of exploiting others or exercising privilege... but any second now, the chicken is gonna say "Fuck it" and go back to her side of the road.

Maybe we need a topic of non-guilty jokes... just jokes with no insult intended.

Nobody was offended by your joke or asking you to apologize. YOU need to lighten up. 

And again, the only reason I made the white privilege comment was to highlight how something that you think is harmless and funny can be hurtful to others in the context of the history of ridiculing people with nonstandard names, especially POC. It’s just pointing out a blind spot, not a demand for an apology. Although, the “GET OVER IT, IT’S JUST A JOKE” is not the best response if you are trying to disprove my point. 

I like and respect you... we've both been members of this board for a VERY long time.  I've never ever had an issue with you, you know that.  

However in the last couple of days you have said something that to YOUR ears seemed perfectly harmless but to this gay man's ears seemed a little homophobic.  Then a day later you "appear" to make fun of a Black person's name, which is a HUGE deal for Black people, as they OFTEN are victims of having their names made fun of by people who don't know, or care to know how to pronounce them.

Again, I don't think for a NANOSECOND you meant to be homophobic or racist!!  Nor do I think the things you said were even per se homophobic or racist, but keep in mind, some people do.  

However, I think what you engaged in was a good example of the "institutional racism and homophobia, etc." that we have been discussing in this and other threads.  "institutional" in this case simply meaning, it's "ha ha' to you not so "ha ha" to others for whom it hits closer to home.

Marc

Marc B. - It is entirely possible I stepped over an invisible line unintentionally. That's why I apologized. But it doesn't mean I'm not going to make jokes. I am trying really hard to be color blind (so to speak) in those spectra.

It is painful to me when I have to censor myself on something that I consider harmless. But my considerations aren't very accurate for the modern world. You've given me something to think about. I'll reflect on that, and we'll see what happens. Thanks for your kind comments.

Sorry Marc, but you are doing that as well, albeit on a limited scale. Telling him to keep in mind that some people might find what he says offensive, you are silencing him and imposing an internal censoring mechanism, a tactic which is widely used over here. How is Eric supposed to "keep in mind" what some people might take offense to what he says? Does he need to ask everyone first before he knows what to say? 

Same with the issue about "white privilege". MIchael believes that something Eric said was hurtful. Hurtful to who? How is one to know? 

It is just safer to keep your mouth shut, in case you might offend someone. You know, just like they do in China. 

No one was telling anyone what to think and speak.

He was not.

No, it is not. It is literally pointing out that we need to be mindful of the unintended consequences of our speech. No one is stopping it. No one is being silenced. Some people don't unintentionally want to be a dick. Others don't give a shit about being a dick. If you don't mind being a dick, feel free to be a dick.

By listening?

Nope.

By listening instead of reacting?

Pick a lane.

There is no frenzied involvement. Just a discussion. No tempers other than people being annoyed with Joe being Rod. Which has nothing to do with you.

Re-read my comments to Eric.  Never, not once did I tell him to "watch what he says" or tell him he "shouldn't or CAN'T say this or that".  People are free to say whatever they want - and I would defend to the death their right to speak.  What people on the right, like you and Joe Z., ALWAYS seem to fail to grasp is that free speech runs both ways - say whatever you want, but when someone speaks BACK at you, don't get all squeamish and claim you are being "silenced" - no on here has shown up on your doorstep with a warrant for your arrest for speaking your mind.  So stop being so dramatic!

By the way, how DO YOU feel about the N-word or the F-word or racist, sexist, homophobic or anti-semitic jokes intended to hurt and offend?  I would bet real money that even YOU draw LINES that you won't cross and hope/expect others in a civilized society won't cross either. 

Well, guess what, I draw lines too. And like you with those previous examples, it's all just a matter of degrees, isn't it?    While I leave you to draw those lines for yourself, you in your mildly controlling way are trying to tell me where to (or where NOT to) draw MINE.

Marc

CONTEXT!!! Was this professor using the correct pronunciation in order to "hurt" people?  Of course not. Was Eric? Of course not. So why even bring it up in the first place?

Not directly telling anyone what to think or say but commenting on a perceived offense is exactly what I am talking about. China claims they have the freest and more open internet in the world. Just watch what you say at all times or there will be consequences. Don't know what to say? You better figure it out quickly. That line changes all the time. 

I am a fat guy living in China. I get called fat constantly by the locals, who have many times touched my gut and burst out laughing. I get noticed constantly and little children point at me and gesture to their parents, while yelling "foreigner!" at me. Am I offended by their use of Asian Privilege? Of course not. CONTEXT! They find it funny to point this out and it is not designed to hurt my feelings. Since I choose not to be hurt or offended by it, they are free to say anything they want about me. 

PS. By calling me right wing and lumping me in with Joe, a person I have the feeling you dislike somewhat, you are making a comment designed to hurt and offend. I am not "right wing", nor am I 'left wing". Feel free to label people all you want though.