Courtesy and Interest or Politically Incorrect?

[Domitianus]

I think the way this entire thread has developed indicates the kind of wishy-washy, runny-brained, anti-intellectual, pro-zealot, pro @I can be more easily offended than you" type of "thinking" and reasoning that is a consequence of so-called political correctness. Reasonable, innocent people having to defend and justify themselves in the face of dreary, unimaginative Thought Police whose sole task is to sift through every utterance in the hope that they can identify something they can magnify and exaggerate in order to pretend to be offended. It utterly sickens me!

[Jah Lush]

atila the gooner Wrote:

>

> Jah, I can assure you I don't hate you at all, far

> from it. We have disagreements sure, but I don't

> dislike you, I've never even met you so how could

> I hate you. From your postings you seem like a

> decent bloke with good taste in music if not in

> football. ;-)

Atila, the feeling is entirely mutual.

[Cassius]

Slightly off topic here, but I thought one of the nicest things about an internet forum is NOT knowing who people are. I would feel very differently about posting if I kept bumping into people on LL or in the pub (I probably do but don't know it). I like being anonymous. Does anyone else feel the same way?

[mockney piers]

I really like the bumping into people thing, and have made genuinely good friends out of this.

That said I still know 20 odd posters, regularly see about 10 people from the forum, and half of them I knew anyway; weigh that up against the 2000 odd registered users and the dozens of regular contributors and anonymity remains.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I would say plenty of people on here feel the same Cassius

I was one of them! (and look at me now.....)

[*Bob*]

Domitianus! My Hero! I take back all those terrible things I (probably) said about you.

it is interesting though. Atila's inital response was this:

*Bob* Wrote:

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> Kebab and chips, please. Ta.

Atila Wrote:

Clearly you are a very funny man, have ever considered a career on the stage? Or are you just another dumb Anglo-Saxon?;-)

Which was exactly what I expected. No problem. There was even a jovial winking smiley there. Three pages later, however, I'm a xenophobic moron.

[Rolo Tomasi]

I've only met one person and thats Mark. I know few others from before anyway & I'm pretty sure I've seen MP/Keef/Sean around ED (from flickr). I will probably come to the next forum drink-up as for once it's on a date i can actually make!

BTW this is post 300 for me which is quite suprising as I thought i'd never bother making it to 50.

[blinder999]

gang? no way.

It's Sean, Keef and Mockney's Circle of Trust.

[*Bob*]

They're all in it together. Especially Mockney - the swarthy one. Watch out for him.

[mockney piers]

xenophobe!! xenophobe!!!

[Keef]

Wow, how did I miss all this, this is great!!!!

atila the gooner Wrote:

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> And too much xenophobia has rotted your diseased mind, you make racist comments and call it irony. You must be an egg chaser who thinks it's ok to go into any take away establishment and crack tasteless, Alf Garnett type jokes and expect to

get away with it. Think before opening your mouth or posting remarks in questionable taste.

Ironically, the Alf Garnett character was ironic, as Warren Mitchell (AKA Alf) is in fact a Jewish man who has had to deal with no end of abuse in his life, and was poking fun at all that.

Just thought I'd throw that in there.

[mockney piers]

Actually I quite like to think of myself as a xenomorph, but that's just the geek in me :D

[mightyroar]

geek all through the night til the early morn?

[citizenED]

Rolo "BTW this is post 300 for me which is quite suprising as I thought i'd never bother making it to 50."

Is that since the name change, or after it?

[annaj]

Just to go back to the original question for a minute, I'm caucasian English, but apparently don't look it and I'm often asked where I'm from. Even the ever tactful Sean MacGabhann asked me when he first met me, because apparently I have 'a kinda hispanic thing going on'.

It does get a bit dull; I've had the same conversation with pretty much every cabbie I've ever met -

'where you from then'

'London'

'Naaaw, I mean originally like, your mum and dad'

'well, my father is from the west country and my mother from Peterborough'

'Oh. You sure?'

- but I've never found it offensive.

Recently though, I've had the odd experience of having vaguely anti-semitic comments directed at me, I'm not Jewish either as it happens, I just look it. For me, it was more odd than offensive, because it didn't feel that personal, but it gave me a tiny insight into what it must feel like put up with constant, casual reference to race ironic or otherwise.

I find *Bob*(those *s are a pain aren't they)very dry and funny and read his comment as irony, but however it was intended it caused offence and so is, by definition, offensive. I would say the thing right to do at this point would be apologise for the unintended offence caused, not because I'm the thought police or a politically correct zealot, but because it would be polite and sensitive.

[mockney piers]

"geek all through the night til the early morn?"

I only do it in a star trek outfit ;-)

[Keef]

Annaj, you are my new hero. What a lovely reasonable post.

[Rolo Tomasi]

I'm Jamaican (but born here) and on many an occasion (the last time being Tuesday) I'm asked if I'm Arabic/Middle Eastern????? (this happens loads in Peckham, less o in ED). Never taken offence to it even when I was stopped on the tube by three heavely armed officers and questioned long and hard about where i come from.

[SeanMacGabhann]

the problem with xenophobia is it's a Greek word..

© Al Murray

[annaj]

Blimey, Keef's hero, it doesn't get much better than that.

I might never post again, just so I can go out on a high!

:))

[*Bob*]

annaj Wrote:

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I would say the

> thing right to do at this point would be apologise

> for the unintended offence caused

I did - thirty posts back:

*Bob* Wrote:

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> Seriously Atila, you really have got the wrong end

> of the wrong stick, for which I sorry.

And I'm sorry about the asterisks. I used to be just plain old (unregistered) Bob, but then another Bob came along, registered the name and then disappeared into the ether without so much as a by your leave.

[lozzyloz]

Second that. Annaj *Bob* has apologised:

[annaj]

In that case I'll practice what I preach, sorry *Bob* I missed your apology in amongst all the other posts.

[*Bob*]

I have been to an Arsenal match. Does this help?!

My brother and his girlfriend are season ticket-holder fruitloops and took me to some important cup match, where I stood, bored stiff for 90 minutes (plus half time) waiting for the next waft of fart and/or cheap meat to float past my nostrils.

[SeanMacGabhann]

re Asterisks and the OTHER Bob

he is still around

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,81877,82224#msg-82224