Originally Posted By DVC_Pongo >>>Look at it this way. The far right is a-okay with sacrificing someone's son or daughter for the greater good in a war that they created, but when it comes to taking their money for the same reason, that's a sacrifice that's sacrilegious.<<< YES this is true. So?
Originally Posted By DVC_Pongo It's an all volunteer military. ^^^ (before you go there with the sending of toops that belong to Left families who are against war, fighting, dying for a cause, etc.)
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter Re: post 39: calling Texans rednecks and muscleheads is a bit bigoted, don't you think? Making sweeping "jokes" that the US would be better off if Texas did secede is a bit bigoted, don't you think? Sweeping negative stereotypes about a group of people is not okay in my book, whether one is perpetuating those stereotypes against persons living in a certain region, of a certain ethnicity, of a particular sexual persuastion, etc., etc. My point is that it's hypocritical to scream foul when someone disses *your* group while at the same time dissing a different group yourself. And my bigger point is that I personally find this sort of behavior nauseating in every form, no matter which group is getting dumped on.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "YES this is true. So?" Are you serious? You'd sacrifice a life before a paycheck?
Originally Posted By DVC_Pongo >>>My point is that it's hypocritical to scream foul when someone disses *your* group while at the same time dissing a different group yourself. <<< The voice of reason, I think she has something here.
Originally Posted By DVC_Pongo >>>Are you serious? You'd sacrifice a life before a paycheck?<<< No not at all. But you know and I know, war is far more complicated than simply, "Hey fellerz, lets go over yonder and bomb that bastage Sadam. Who cares is a few jillion jar heads get kilt? It'll be fun! But remember, ya'll dont pay no taxes tho, ya hear?" I seem to remember EVERYONE signing on for this war. *ahem* Oh wait, except that one...I forget his name. Your position that the GOP and Conservatives value the dollar above human life is... wait for it .... inappropriate, unacceptable, unseemly, reprehensible, unfitting, and wrong ... *deep breath* You know it, and I know it.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<B. I always find it amusing when many of you who are so quick to champion your own personal "don't be bigoted against _____ population" causes---fill in the blank with gays, atheists, minorities, conservatives, liberals, what have you--- fall all over yourselves making ignorant, bigoted generalizations about a different group of people like, say for example, Texans. So bigotry is okay so long as it isn't aimed at you or your pet group, right?>> Fellow LP'ers, I'll take this one. I think it was pretty much aimed at me. Pixie, I stand by my statement. I've traveled alone in third-world countries, I wandered the streets in foreign places where I was the only white person in sight, I've walked "out of bounds" in downtown Detroit. But none of those experiences made me feel as threatened as I've felt walking around various places in Texas. Texas is the only place I've been to that greets you with a proudly-displayed threatening slogan. In the tourist zone in San Antonio, I felt safe. As a gay man anywhere else in Texas -- including the airports, for heaven's sake -- I have never felt such a desperate need to try to pass as straight. There's a palpable vibe of macho and xenophobia and hostility. OF COURSE, I don't think all Texans are rednecks or potential lynchers. You know that I adore you and your family. I know that SuperDry and Labuda are also friendly Texans. But... C'mon. Given the way that Texas presents itself, I have to think of y'all as exceptions to the rule. It may turn out that that 90% of Texans are exceptions to the rule. But that other 10% is enough to scare me away from avoiding unnecessary contact.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney >>>I seem to remember EVERYONE signing on for this war. *ahem* Oh wait, except that one...I forget his name.<<< That would be me, I was NEVER in favor of this war. Oh wait, neither were my brothers. That's three....
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Sweeping negative stereotypes about a group of people is not okay in my book, whether one is perpetuating those stereotypes against persons living in a certain region, of a certain ethnicity, of a particular sexual persuastion, etc., etc.>> FWIW, I think that gay people need to own up to some generalizations that have been aimed at them. After all, those generalizations are statistically true. That's been my basic premise since... well, forever. Similarly, Texans should accept responsibility for some factual generalizations.
Originally Posted By Chris in Atlanta DYG I was making a reference to President Obama. But yeah, I feel ya.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney LOL! I get it now, I thought you were talking about the general population.
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter So you stand by your sweeping generalization based on, what---a vacation in Texas? Really? That gives you adequate information to state that Texas "presents itself" as somehow anti-gay? C'mon. That's ridiculous. You can't sum up the attitude of an entire state's population based on having contact with such an infinitesimally small percentage of said citizens. And you did make that generalization in your initial post. I'm not just picking on you--several others made equally sweeping generalizations with their "jokes." And what it all boils down to is that some people find it terribly offensive when people make negative generalizations about *their* groups or causes, while at the same time doing the exact same thing themselves to *others'* groups or causes. And yes, that bugs me. Why is it okay to trash Texans but not blacks or gays or women or agnostics or whatever? That's my beef, plain and simple.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<calling Texans rednecks and muscleheads is a bit bigoted, don't you think?>> Sorry, but I took most of these posts as jokes. Maybe they were a bit mean-spirited, but I see them as jokes none the less. I've heard many, many gay jokes in my time, and as long as they aren't said to be cruel, I don't get too bent out of shape. I guess that's what comes of watching shows like South Park and Family Guy - I'm used to this type of humor.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney Lots of people make fun of California. We're a bunch of granola munching, Birkenstock wearing, blond surfer, super liberal hippies (etc.). Heck, I even went to "basket weavers" college. I bet you've even heard people in Texas make fun of Californians. Eh, you gotta let it roll off your back.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Texans spend a helluva lot of time telling everyone how much better they are than anyone else. America's Team. Right. If at times those of us in the other 49 kick back, well in my mind they had it coming. Especially when they start talking secession garbage. I have two sisters and a mother who live in Dallas. On sister has lived there for over twenty-five years and has adapted. The other sister and my mother have lived there for less than ten. They both hate what they see as the arrogance of Texans. I'm not saying they are right. I'm just telling you what they say.
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter <<<Texans spend a helluva lot of time telling everyone how much better they are than anyone else.>>> I would imagine that there are people all over the place who tell everyone how much better they are than everyone else. I've lived here for nearly twenty years, and I do not recall a single incidence of hearing, directly or implied, that any Texan I've ever met feels that they're superior to everyone else. Again, the gross over generalizations are absurd. Sure there were a bunch of people at the anti-tax demonstrations in Texas chanting "Secede!" There are idiots everywhere, wouldn't we all agree? And as I stated earlier, I certainly don't agree with or support that viewpoint. Nor does any other Texas resident I know. There are always going to be extremists of all sorts making the news. That doesn't mean that everyone in their (huge and very diverse) state should be assumed to have the same opinions or attitudes. How is this different from saying blacks are lazy, and gays are all potential pedophiles out to prey on little boys, and. . . well, you get the drift. It's a fine line between jokes and perpetuating harmful negative stereotypes.
Originally Posted By Chris in Atlanta >>>America's Team<<< You know the Braves claim this title too. But we are better than Texas so go figure! ;p
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Pixie, I know... it is stereotype. But it is not really meant to be a nasty stereotype... just a source of jokes. Kind of like how everyone thinks Minnesotans talk like Marge Gunderson in Fargo. We really don't, don't 'cha know? Does it bother us a little at times? Ya sure, you betcha. But we can put up with a little teasing at times. We know that the folks doing the teasing are just a little, you know, different.
Originally Posted By Chris in Atlanta >>>That doesn't mean that everyone in their (huge and very diverse) state should be assumed to have the same opinions or attitudes.<<< VERY well said!!! >>>It's a fine line between jokes and perpetuating harmful negative stereotypes.<<< Yes while this is true, I think that line, or the perception of that line is different for everyone. Some people are far more sensitive than others, and on the jokers' side, some people are far less intentionally offensive than others. There is something to be said for someone making a joke with good intentions, and someone making a joke with malicious intentions. You can't just walk around getting pissed off all the time every time you hear a joke that MIGHT offend SOMEONE, unless that someone is you. But regardless, ye people should be careful with subject matter that is a powder keg to begin with.
