Author Topic: To be PC, or not to be PC.... (Read 6754 times)

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #270 on:** April 10, 2004, 01:57:59 PM »

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Originally posted by Sixpence
It does not say you have a right to be racist. You interpret what it says as a right to be racist.

This would also be covered as free thought. Which is a natural right Which would be covered under the ninth ammendment which covers all natural rights not specifically mentioned in the other ammendments .

While you cannot discriminate because of race, Right or wrong you certainly have the right to like, or not like whomever you want for whatever reason you want.

And free speach is just that free speach. basically you may indeed say whatever you like however popular or unpopular publicly those views are.
You CANNOT have free speach only for the things you or I may agree with or like. Then its not free speach

It is neither the thoughts or the words that are not protected indeed you have the right to both however unpopular

Its the actions which are not protected.

On another note..
Since someone before mentioned the "Patriot Act."
Alot of good people were willing to sacrifice their lives and often did to insure I had these liberties. and Im supposed to be willing to give them up just to gutlessly save my own scrawny prettythang?
I dont think so.
Not I. I for one am not willing to give up one. not one solitary liberty for the illusion (and it IS an illusion) of security.

A few quotes apply well here

"He who is willing to sacrifice liberty for temporary security deserves NEITHER Liberty or security."-- Benjamin franklin

"Those who suppress freedom always do so in the name of law and order."--John V. Lindsay

A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.---Edward Abbey

Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. --William Pitt

Sixpence · « **Reply #271 on:** April 10, 2004, 02:06:36 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by DREDIOCK
While you cannot discriminate because of race, Right or wrong you certainly have a constitutional right to like, or not like whomever you want for whatever reason you want.

His sentence was " I have a constitutional right to be racist". Now thinking is one thing, and I can go along with that. But he also adds this:

Quote

Originally posted by mietla
No, it says that I can say (and therefore think) whatever I please. The Constitution does not grant me this right, it just affirms that I have this right, and it forbids the government from encroaching on it.

Now you could interpret that as saying you have the right to call people racial slurs, and it doesn't say that either. I do not interpret freedom of speach as to mean that. Maybe some do, but that is an interpretation.

What is being said is the constitution gives you a right to be racist, and I do not believe the constitution was written to be interpreted that way.

mietla · « **Reply #272 on:** April 10, 2004, 02:07:36 PM »

thank you. For a moment here I thought that I'm the last dude who believes in fundamental human rights.

Leslie · « **Reply #273 on:** April 10, 2004, 02:08:07 PM »

To me the term political correctness sounds like it doesn't leave much room for mistakes. Why do I need to be politically correct? Because I'm in business, and have to watch out every step of the way. Reputation is all I have. I'm a bohemian artist. Bohemian artist's have to be cool and hip, it goes with the territory. This is a constant struggle for me.

Though I have to tell ya. In my opinion, PC is most prevalent on college campuses. It's not the real world.

Nowadays, if you use a racial epithet of any kind to someone you don't know, you stand a good chance of getting in serious trouble. In more ways than one. Of course, if you use it in a bad way to a complete stranger face to face, stand by to be beat up or worse. That's the problem with written text, is you can't see the other person's face, and see how they react.

I'll tell ya a story about a Japanese guy who couldn't speak English. He was over here for about 2 or 3 months, and was a black belt in Judo and some other strange martial art I'd never seen before... He trained with our Karate club for several weeks.

Couple other guys brought him over to my house, and we were preparing to go to Pensacola to the beach and to see the Naval Aviation Museum. Anyway, I have two model B-29 models hanging from my ceiling, one has a little boy bomb hanging from a wire, positioned over my computer.

I couldn't believe it when my friends pointed that out to Koshi, because not only was Koshi Japanese and also my guest, he became very upset. I didn't blame him, and after consoling him, suggested he and I teach my friends a lesson, (cause Koshi coulda killed 'em), and then everyone laughed and Koshi wasn't upset anymore. We went on and had a great time and got along great.

But that one time I saw how it did hit to the heart. It's a form of belittlement imo. I think those guys did that without thinking and were probably drinking or something.

Les

Sixpence · « **Reply #274 on:** April 10, 2004, 02:22:17 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by mietla
For a moment here I thought that I'm the last dude who believes in fundamental human rights.

Like not to be discriminated against?

mietla · « **Reply #275 on:** April 10, 2004, 02:32:45 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Sixpence
Like not to be discriminated against?

now you are getting outright silly. Of course you have no such right. Where did you get this idea?

yeah, a "right" to not being offended? Jeez..

Sixpence · « **Reply #276 on:** April 10, 2004, 02:49:00 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by DREDIOCK
While you cannot discriminate because of race, Right or wrong you certainly have a constitutional right to like, or not like whomever you want for whatever reason you want.

His sentence was " I have a constitutional right to be racist". Now thinking is one thing, and I can go along with that. But he also adds this:

Quote

Originally posted by mietla
No, it says that I can say (and therefore think) whatever I please. The Constitution does not grant me this right, it just affirms that I have this right, and it forbids the government from encroaching on it.

Now you could interpret that as saying you have the right to call people racial slurs, and it doesn't say that either. I do not interpret freedom of speach as to mean that. Maybe some do, but that is an interpretation.

What is being said is the constitution gives you a right to be racist, and I do not believe the constitution was written to be interpreted that way.

Like I said, you have the right to think what you want. But words are very powerful. And this is not meant to offend you, but it offends me when people interpret the constitution to justify racism.

Now i'm not comparing you to Hitler(plz don't take it that way). But Hitler used words to convince people to turn a blind eye while 6 million jews were terminated. Now you can say our constitution would have given him the right to say what he wants. But when free speach was written, my interpretation is it was written to let the people speak out to the government, or about the government, or not let the government keep the people from speaking their mind about the government. Now free speach is good, but I don't think it should be interpreted as a right to be a racist, i'm sorry, I don't see it that way.

AKIron · « **Reply #277 on:** April 10, 2004, 02:53:50 PM »

Kinda outside the discussion but weren't the writers of the Constitution themselves racists?

Sixpence · « **Reply #278 on:** April 10, 2004, 02:56:32 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by AKIron
Kinda outside the discussion but weren't the writers of the Constitution themselves racists?

Lol, not Thomas Jefferson, but maybe his descendants are, I hear the family reunion has become a mess;)

AKIron · « **Reply #279 on:** April 10, 2004, 03:21:39 PM »

Thomas Jefferson didn't help write the constitution but he did own slaves. I'm not sure about the guys that did write it. Anyone that was a slave owner was obviously a racist though. I have no point to this other than to point out the Constitution, (minus the ammendments) if written by racists, obviously would not prohibit racism.

Steve · « **Reply #280 on:** April 10, 2004, 03:30:34 PM »

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Anyone that was a slave owner was obviously a racist though.

Hmm, ya I agree with you but having slaves was somewhat the norm 200+ years ago. Tell me, what do we call the people in Africa who captured the future slaves and sold them to the slavers?

Sixpence · « **Reply #281 on:** April 10, 2004, 03:33:23 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by AKIron
Thomas Jefferson didn't help write the constitution but he did own slaves. I'm not sure about the guys that did write it. Anyone that was a slave owner was obviously a racist though.

He had a love affair with an afro-american woman and fathered afro-american children. The descendants of Thomas Jefferson used to have a family reunion. From what I was told, the afro-american descendants starting showing up, so they cancelled the reunions. Just heresay mind you.

Nilsen · « **Reply #282 on:** April 10, 2004, 03:34:53 PM »

pimps...

....some would say

....but not me, cause i have a new avatar

Leslie · « **Reply #283 on:** April 10, 2004, 03:37:02 PM »

They're still there today Steve, ask them. Anyone whose serious about battling slavery, has plenty to work with in Africa and Eastern countries even today.

Les

AKIron · « **Reply #284 on:** April 10, 2004, 03:37:49 PM »

I'm not denying these brilliant men their humanity by calling them racists. It was the norm for their day and from their perspective the belief that white Europeans were superior to black Africans may have seemed justifiable. Interesting to note that one of the more well known framers of the constitution, Benjamin Franklin, owned slaves and thought them to be uneducatable. As the years went by his opinion changed and he eventually became the president of an abolitionist group.