Touched a Nerve!

Well, that set off the dogs!

Which is to say that, as expected, there has been some local "feedback" over my "Obnoxious" post ... doble entendre intended of course :)

Now, if my readership hasnt noticed in the past, I usually modify and clean-up my posts for upto about a week after I first post them. There are some small but significant changes that I would make to that post, and I have done so, but I have in this instance used a different text colour so that the changes to the original post are still clear. I will also try to contain all comentary on that post to this post rather than getting it all spreadout and interwoven or for that matter on-going!
So, lets get on with it...

What are the "touchy" dogs barking about?...Well racisme of course!
Is the content of my post racist?

Well, to start with, I think the word "Racist" has a whole lot of baggage that goes along with it and in this case, I think a definition of that idea would be "Descriminating based on ethnic race in a socially unacceptable way". - I just "cobbled up" (or is that "hand crafted by local artisan"?) this definition myself but I think it is pretty good for its current purpose.

My answer to that question, with that definition is NO, I do not think it is "Racist".

But, now if we use a simpler, "less baggage laden" interpretation of "racist" like: (and I insert the "ethnic" here because it is clearly not a "genetic" issue) : "Descriminating based on ethnic race"

Clearly the answer here is Yes, absolutely it is!
But, it is to the same degree "ageist" and "travelerist" but of course those descriminations dont get the same response.

I tried (and faild of course) to be clear that I was not descriminating against the more general group of a particular ethnic origin by stating very early on that I have some good friends who are older and from that ethnic group and who do not demonstrate the "Obnoxious" behaviors...
Actually lets be VERY clear about this right now, This is the most significant and very important change that I will make to the post:
IT IS NOT THE SUBGROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE OBNOXIOUS TO ME, BUT RATHER THEIR BEHAVIORS THAT ARE OBNOXIOUS!
I freely admit that failing to be clear in writing about this was a serious oversight on my part, but one that I believe I would have changed of my own accord without any feedback needed. - For your part you can disbelive that if you want.

But that dose not eliminate the charge of Descrimination!
And, Yes I wholeheartedly admit that I descriminate...We all do!...
If we did not descriminate, we would all be very quickly dead at one of the next few red traffic lights we drove through....obvious point made.

But I descriminate against certain people!...Yep, again, we all do... Its called "freedom of association" and sadly is of course one of the first places that people hide behind defending their Racisme... So it does me and my argument no good at all! :)

So, why do I think (for the present at least) that my descriminating againts a particular subgroup of people is OK?
Well, to try to keep this post somewhat bounded...
Because of these two things:
1) The Ethnic Race is only a portion of the definition of the subgroup (one third of the definition)
2) Because the definition of the subgroup is based on personaly gathered "statistics" rather than hear-say social stereotyping.

The first point is clear enough. - You will either accept it as a partial argument or reject it, but I wont explain it further.
The second point could do with some more explaining though:
I am not identifying the subgroup based on what other people think or have said or what I have heard. Rather, I am referencing my own personal experience, based on multiple samples over a period of time and a range of locations (Yes, I truely have had these experiences over the past 20 years of my travels on every continent of the world!!!). Now the "statistics" involved here are far from "rigorous" (personal-anecdotal would be more accurate) but the fact is that I have had overwhelmingly negative personal experiences from some people and my analysis of those experience leads me to identify the subgroup in question.
But is that an acceptable process?

Well, I believe it is yes (though you each may not and thats your choice).
I would argue, that if you reject this "statistical basis of identifying and acting on probable future results" then I think you must also reject the acceptability of, for example "a health insurance company choosing to charge higher premiums to people who choose to smoke".
I think thats a reasonably fair analogy and I think its a reasonably socially acceptable way of descriminating - though again you may not :)

So, based on that, I am standing by what I said in the earlier post.

And what are the "disasterous" consequences of my "discrimination"?
Two things....
1) I will in general, choose to avoid the subgroup of people if possible.
I will NOT be abusive or disrespectfull, and I WILL continue to provide feedback to individuals who I am having an unpleasant experience with and am unable to avoid (regardless of ethnic background etc).
Note here for example, that if life turns such that my next girlfriend happens to be from that identified subgroup, I will in no way feel hypocritical :)))

2) The little rant of my blog posting.
And this is a big one!...
Should I publish my personal opinions about this sort of subject in a public blog on the internet!
Well, as I stated at the end of the post, Yes I think it is acceptable because thats what blogs are for and it is very clearly stated that it is personal opinions. I think that is reasonable because it is NOT a widely read blog (The statistics are right there on the blog site)... It is not advertized anywhere and the known readership are my friends and possibly a very few others whom my friends have "invited". Yes, the wider public can see what I write, but they have to go looking for it and I dont know what the motivation for that would be.
My opinion of a verbal equivelent of my blog is a group of (mostly close) acquaintences sitting and listening to one of the group expressing their opinion about unpleasant personal experiences in a minorly public place...like say in a largely empty town park somewhere. Yes there are a very few passers-by and they can stop and listen if they want (and could be offended by what they hear).
Some of the little group of friends may be deeply offended by what the speaker has said...they may choose to leave the group and not listen any more.
Some may choose to express their own opinions to the speaker - I take this risk.

But does what I wrote constitute a "Hate crime"?
I very much doubt it, but to be honest, I dont really know ... But this post is getting way out of hand so Im just gonna let that one slide for the time being and trust that offended readers dont feel that I represent too significant a threat to their interests :))


And a closing thought...
It would of course be wonderful if we could each disregard all of our personal past experiences and take every new interpersonal experience as if it were the very first one, with absolutely no preconceptions or expectations. It would also be wonderful if we could each accept and forgive and never comment about our disapointing interpersonal experiences...Sadly, but not at all suprisingly I am not such a person... and I have never met such a person.

So, for those of you whom this applies to:
While I am not at all sorry for being the person that has disappointed you, I am sorry that you are dissapointed by me. :)))

I will continue to share my thoughts openly and honestly on my blog site!

And now that Ive had my say, I am open to any further feedback from my friends... If you feel the need to tell me what you think then please send me your thoughts. I promise I will read and consider every one of them though as always, I will not publish any of them on my blog (though I may respond personaly) - You are of course welcome to start your own blog and invite me and others to read it. - If you want, I will even include a link to it in this post so that the other readers can have the benefit of your opinions too - really I will.
Ohh will you just look at me pandering to the "god" of political correctness here!! - Honestly, you'd think I'd have more spine than that!

And one last comment... While I believe that my post was not racist, I freely admit that it absolutely was "stereotyping and generalising"... But I also think that it wasnt "rigidly" so since I have very occasionally met individuals from within that identified subgroup who wer not "obnoxious"... and I truely hope and am open to the idea that I will meet more people like that in the future. :)

At this stage, I think thats "quite enough", so
Good night, and Good luck!, and maybe you will read me again in the future... or maybe not! :)