Liza May,

You are branding almost everthing "racist", including "ignorance".
Give me a break, will you?

Carol is in fact correct to some extent - it depends on the situation,
and what the intent of the speaker is, and the relationship to
the listener, etc, etc.

Come on guys, enough nonsense.

This is the most absurd, irrelevant thread I have ever seen.

On Mon, 12 Jun 2000 12:24:00 -0400, Liza May <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>Carol said:
>>  Racism, after all, is an attitude; it is not in
>> the ear of the beholder.
>
>That is incorrect.
>
>If you call me:
>
>        "You Black *&%**^!!!!"
>
>Then I don't care what you THINK your intentions are - your words
>are racist. Racism is, in fact, "in the ear of the beholder."
>
>The attitude you've expressed above is itself racist, in its
>ignorance.
>
>You said:
>> To say that someone who does not hold racist
>> beliefs is a racist just because their words have offended someone
>
>Ah! Look what bubbles up when the pot is stirred!
>
>You may THINK that you "do not hold racist beliefs." But if you
>offend someone with your words - if you make racist statements -
>then you do, indeed, hold racist beliefs - that you yourself aren't
>even aware of!