Now you may not have followed the whole conversation. Off and on, over the last few months, several of us have been trying to have conversations about race -- maybe just the kind of conversations you'd like to see! But it seems like every fucking time we start talking about racism, a platoon of white homeboys wades into rhetorical debate with no more knowledge of racism than perhaps a mandatory summer reading assignment of "Native Son." This has been going on a long time. Maybe you missed the big buildup to this week's throwdown. Who knows?
But what I've learned is this: These people really aren't interested in having an earnest discussion about race. So, what I've learned is to address posters like Canuck, Brizee and EastSideAl with a certain decorum and to basically laugh at such posters as Shollin, Bham and, to a lesser extent, HonkyTonk. [[Honk has some smart things to say in other topics from time to time.)
Oh, and I posted a picture of the KKK. Big deal. Last time I did that another poster on this board sent me a personal message to say "THANK YOU for posting something funny to break the tension and monotony and defensiveness." Isn't that rich, Downtown Lady? Seems to me that my shtick gets some laughs. Maybe you lack a sense of humor!
No, what you're doing is basically hopping into the middle of a long-running discussion and being, frankly, a nag?
We already tried having that high-toned discussion about race. It was interrupted not by me, but by the people who'd deny that white racism exists. And so we've been having what some people call a vigorous discussion. And it's been a fun brawl. It has included a lot of things that you'd probably consider in poor taste: satire, overstatement, double talk, brief plays, invented characters [[Mr. Rizzo, anyone?), and much, much more. It has been a rich and engaging and entertaining discussion -- also known as an argument.
Detroiters aren't known for their polite chatter. DetroitYES is many things, but it is not the Algonquin Round Table. If you don't like the tone of posts or the quality of discussion, why don't you just butt out and move on, lady?
Alternatively, join in and have some fun mixing it up.
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