"When is it Bigotry?" Topic

I believe this is why such discussions are not proper for the whole membership. They always seem to end in locked accounts, doghousings, and deleted posts.

This is why I think a small number of people who are influential should be consulted on these issues, rather than the whole membership.

People who have posted tens of thousands of times obviously care about TMP. The people who came to this post and made a comment care about TMP. I am sorry this had to happen to Terrement, and Mitochondria and the rest.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

This is why I think a small number of people who are influential should be consulted on these issues, rather than the whole membership.

That seems anti-democratic to me.

People who have posted tens of thousands of times obviously care about TMP.

Someone got his nose out of joint because I wouldn't take the advice he was shoving down my throat. Now I've already had to lock out a sock puppet account from him. He's previously had trouble on the forums, to the degree he was one of the few who I had to tick out of the Blue Fez for getting too aggressive with other members. And you've seen how obsessive he gets about global warming…

This is why I think a small number of people who are influential should be consulted on these issues, rather than the whole membership.

And who is to decide who the 'influential' ones are? Bill, or a self-selecting group of frequent posters? Frequent posting has no correlation with influential that I can see. Many of the frequent posters that I come across are just white noise to me, and their opinions hold no weight. On the other hand, the most influential poster that I see is Piers Brand. His body of work is inspirational and beyond compare IMHO, yet you will never find him contributing to the various topics on TMP Talk etc.

Being 'unreasonable' would certainly include 'one who regards or treats the members of a group (such as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance'

Without doubt.

Whether the viewpoint is held 'strong'ly or 'obstinate'ly seems to have little to do with it, as I suppose bigotry can come in various degrees.

You chose to post the definition that included the word ‘obstinately'. I was merely pointing out that being obstinate is insufficient evidence upon which to label someone as a bigot.

But, further to your point, anyone who believes that race or ethnicity defines a person in any way would be 'unreasonable', correct?

Not necessarily so I think. For example, in the UK a great many official forms and various surveys etc. invite you to self-define your ethnicity. You are generally not obliged to respond to that question, but when I do I choose White European as my self-defined ethnicity. There are a host of other choices. So any person subsequently reading my self-defined ethnicity could reasonably assume that I look like a white European, and they would surely not be bigots for making that assumption? My chosen ethnicity accurately defines my appearance so to say "anyone who believes that race or ethnicity defines a person in any way would be 'unreasonable', correct?" is incorrect in this instance. Beware of blanket statements.

@Bunkermeister: "This is why I think a small number of people who are influential should be consulted on these issues, rather than the whole membership … People who have posted tens of thousands of times obviously care about TMP. The people who came to this post and made a comment care about TMP."

@Editor: "That seems anti-democratic to me."

This is a democracy? I thought it was a business. If the latter then YOU are the one who should get to pick the consultants, "think tank", "focus group" or whatever other representatives of the membership you want to tap into and are willing to take suggestions from.

Preferably picked from people you know have no ulterior motives, and who have the community's best interest at heart and want to guarantee that the TMP forums have a long and happy existence.

If you want involvement from the entire community I guess you could post a list of 15-20 people and let all members vote on them, and then pick the top 5-10 as your group. Either way, it's up to you. You can take the community's vote under advisement and pick your own.

You don't need to take every recommendation that the selected group of members offers, but you should be ready to hear from them things that you may or may not want to hear. If that's not your thing then don't go through all this trouble in the first place.

Dan
PS. @Editor: "And you've seen how obsessive he gets about global warming…"
Then you wouldn't want me in that group. I get too obsessive about people or media trying to push on me global warming as the sole root of all the world's problems. :)

Another sock puppet account (Vocisuferous) bites the dust. This is the bully who keeps going after Legion 4. Sometimes uses the name Alan Sotheran, if that means anything to anyone. Claims to be from South Yorkshire. Has had TMP accounts under the name Abwehrschlacht, ItchyandScratchy, The One, and WaltRUs. First banned from TMP in 2015.

Yes … Another one bites the dust … I have to wonder what I could have done to "upset" him/he/she/it/them ? No matter … As I said on another thread, if some have that much time to go after me or anyone here. They have a number of problems. First of which they should grow up … and/or seek professional assistance.

What is the TMP record for topic with the most deleted posts?!

I do not hate IPAs, but they've become like anuses: everybody has at least one, and many of them stink. Be it bitter, stout, lager, pilsner, or whatever, a bad beer is a bad beer!

Now what were we discussing?

The one on the right is

Going back to the OP

a generalization about "all Haitians" might not be; similarly, a statement about "all Arabs" might be allowable if you specify that you are referring to culture and not race.

No Bill, that one doesn't float. it's exactly the same as

If you find yourself saying "all (fill in the blank) are (fill in the blank)", you are probably committing bigotry if the group is defined by the way they were born. All Arabs, all Jews, all white people, that sort of thing.

No culture is so monolithic that everyone within it actually thinks exactly the same.

@jhancock

We are discussing the merits of IPA's, you Ruffian!

You are besmirching IPA's and I don't like it. It's high noon tomorrow, you Dynamiter!

The small association you make to bad beers and IPA's is repugnant. Take your skinny glass, your pilsner, and "sip off!" (but do it on a hot magnificent summer day if you would).