h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yes, that is why I also had a problem with the post. It sounds rather racist. Koshana seems to basically be saying that all whites are evil, a notion that I´m rather tired of. I didn´t yikes the post, as I feel people are entitled to their opinions. I just wanted to point out that I did not particularly like it.

hear hear!
cheers
ford

Xanatic
then you were misreading the post
its quite clear that it was refering to South Africa
as to whether its unfair to white South Africans that is another matter

There is racism on all sides of the racial divide in South Africa.

How and why are you reading a racist msg into that post?!!

I sometimes think much of the process of communication is littered with mirrors. Some statements people make - unless accompanied by dictionaries of explanations of intent and a history of the communicator (and even sometimes that wouldn't help) - become mirrors into which people reflect their own stuff. Since this is a thread supposedly on what Americans dont know - let me give this example. Very broadly speaking (shamelessly in fact) a non-USian could say something like "Americans in general are arrogant, self-absorbed and myopic" and an American might hear "we - the rest of the world - are jealous of your superior xyz (you know I cant even think of anything in this moment".
Sometimes I think that less than half of communication is what people say - and more than half of it is the filters through which people hear. The filters of their own biases and prejudices, their own experiences and self-doubts.

I know what I meant, and I believe irrevocably that I wrote what I meant. My experience of this is thus complete. Other peoples issues are their own. C'est la vie!

Keep passing open windows all!


Koshana

It was refering to a South African person, I couldn´t tell from the post if it was also just referring to South African Whites as you say. I could imagine that a Black person living in South Africa would not be particularly fond of Whites. In the same way a person living in a city with a high level of crime among the Black population, might start to resent Black people. But I think that if the second person said they felt Black people were evil, the post would have been considered racist and perhaps removed straigh away.

Xanatic stop trolling. It is abundantly clear that no-one was described as evil in the post, and you are just trying to cause trouble where none is needed.

But people were described as evil in the original post. To remind you:

. . that proved (here) that not all people with light skins and European genealogy are evil and insensitive.

Whether you like it or not, it implies that, with a few exceptions, that people with light skins and European genealogy are evil and insensitive.

You cannot argue with English grammar, it can be very precise it its meaning.

Koshana implies in a later post that I had "issues" which lead me to read something into the post that was not there. It could also be argued that Koshana has issues that lead her say something in a way that was not intended.

When an emotive subject like race is being talked about, you have to be very precise with your language to avoid misunderstanding. Koshana was imprecise and said something that was probably not what was intended. It is the use of the word all without qualification that was the problem.

Donald

You are just trolling.
It is obvious even to the stupidist person that there in no inferance that white people are evil, but an acknownledgement of the perception amongst South Africa's non-white comunity that they are. And a clear positive staement that this man manage to help to dispel the myth.

There is no flaw in the grammar that makes it mean what you want it to mean.

It is interesting to note that until I pointed out the apparent grammatical anomaly no one used the word perception, which has been used a lot since. Makes a lot of difference.

As I said, you have to be precise. Perception was not used in the original post.

Donald

The word perception was used in post 273 long before you started talking this non-sense about grammar.
You are wrong. You are being pointlessly repeatative. Your point is not valid.

Yes, but it was after my first post which was 272 which first pointed out the problem with the post. It was then that perception was introduced when it was realized that it was necessary in order to convey a less derogatory impression.

Donald

Fact: it was a broadly held perception that people of European geneology and light skins were evil and insensitive. The fact that this person's example disproved the perception does not validate or endorse the perception, it merely states that a real perception was disproved. As I was describing a perception, which I really think is quite clear, and not stating an opinion ON people of European backgrounds, there really IS no issue - other than the one that Donald and Xantic have created for whatever reasons of their own.

Now . . does anyone have anything intelligent to say on this topic or can we move on???


Kosh

A fact that blindly obvious in your original post, one that I thought was quite uplifting and psoitive in it's way.

whats "keep passing open windows all" mean?
cheers
ford

Erm... don't jump out of them. Especially if you're fifteen storeys up. Fairly basic practical advice, really.

RF

but useful to remember all the same

oh! that really is the best advice that the real ford prefect has never heard before!
cheers
ford

Thanks Reddy - you really do have a great memory for bits and pieces great to see you about again!

Ford - tis originally from a novel by James Irvin - The Hotel New Hampshire - read during my formative years and just stuck in my memory as one of the most useful pieces of advice I'd ever heard (especially compared to others like - floss - no wait - dont floss - or ok, maybe floss but not everyday - flouride is good/oops no wait - bad for you - of all the advice in the world that keeps shifting in line with new discoveries - Keep passing open windows has stayed solidly reliable.)


KPOW
Kosh

What if you're on the ground floor though? Open windows are the best escape to the real world...