<p>Everyone has a right to their opinion, including those who took offense at the stereotyping. I for one cannot imagine why people have posted that they were “cracking up”, “doubled over”, “giggling at their computers” etc. Nothing was even remotely funny.</p>
<p>And if I posted about a certain race/religion/nationality, and people that belong to that group are upset about it, I would not have the gall to call THEM overly sensitive.</p>
<p>right on, chocoholic.</p>
<p>How can anyone say that the offended person had an agenda??? That’s definitely looking at the whole thing BACKWARDS.</p>
<p>Chocoholic, I am sorry that you were offended. I’ve explained repeatedly that what was funny was the visual of standing in that courtyard and walking slowly and then everyone started speeding up till they were funning. If you don’t find that funny, that’s fine. But I did, and so did the people running. We all had a great giggle, and others here thought it was funny, too, so there is legitimate disagreement on both sides. My perception (which no one needs to share) is that stereotypes are mainly unacceptable when they relate to something physical about members of a group (straight hair, short build, whatever) but that we are all responsible for our own behavior. This was a story about behavior on a specific day. I made very clear that I didn’t think this was a bad thing in any way, too, and I still don’t think those parents were wrong to want those seats, although there were likely twice as many seats as students on that day.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, As I’ve said about a dozen times, I should have used a different title. Full stop. I should have used a different title. Full stop. The choice of words WAS insensitive, as I’ve said also and I regret that particularly with such posters as Alumother who have taken the time to really discuss this. I do not, however, regret posting the anecdote because I think I did learn from what I’ve heard here and would genuinely like to know why the stereotype exists on such scale here on CC (not questioning the real world existence, specifically here). Again, I am sorry if you were offended, acknowledge things I should have done differently, but do think I had the right to post. The only argument I’ve had here with anyone is whether I had the right to post.</p>
<p>“Stomped?” Okay, I’ll tiptoe in quietly from now on…</p>
<p>Z-mom, do you stop to think about what you say? I would urge you to calm down and think, not just react. YOU chastised ME right after my first post, when I suggested that the thread die, do you remember that? You asked if I had something to contribute, which I did and which I restated to you; however, that contribution (that people may take offense at their foibles being laughed at from people outside their own group) you never once have responded to. You keep repeating that you are open to “dialogue,” but then whenever a person disagrees with you, you tell them that their opinion doesn’t matter to you and that you don’t respect that opinion. You have from the start refused to attempt to understand what others have tried to tell you. You keep telling me that I “know nothing about you” yet you seem to know all about me even though I’ve just joined days ago (for instance–you somehow know I am “obsessive”??), and you have not stopped trying to discredit me from my first post, especially after you dished, probably with poetsheart, about me (I took objection to Obama’s use of the phrase “typical white person”–not the only one in this country, I think, to do so).</p>
<p>I have not once personally attacked you though you have called me name after name. It seems as if you believe that calling others names will obscure your own obfuscations. It doesn’t work that way, at least in my world.</p>
<p>Chocoholic, Ilsa’s presence on this thread was to bash me, put words into my posts and insult me, as other posters have articulated. You may disagree with me, that’s fine, but it doesn’t change certain behavior as unacceptable.</p>
<p>“I have not once personally attacked you though you have called me name after name”</p>
<p>Another poster courteously pointed out to you a problematic post and you actually apologized for it. I then engaged you in an actual discussion and you ignored that. I was willing to talk with you, open to listening, and genuinely interested. You chose to continue to attack. I AM STILL willing to hear anything you have to hear about the topic, would be delighted to hear your insights on the questions I posed and hope to learn from them. You chose not to take that path. You chose to take your time to pull my posts out of context to continue the argument. How you choose to respond to this post is up to you. I asked you for a courteous dialogue yesterday and you didn’t grant one. Will you do so now?</p>
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<p>I skimmed through, as most of the stuff posted here is quite puerile. I don’t see anything here that was a “learning” about another race or culture.</p>
<p>I am not here to defend Ilsa, but nowhere did I see insults from Ilsa. Maybe they’re gone, and if they are, then its senseless to talk about insults.</p>
<p>Nothing has been edited on this thread. The mods have removed nothing. My posts stand as they were written.</p>
<p>I am afraid to even imagine what people think they have “learned” in this thread about Asians.</p>
<p>Is the pretzel twisting still there Ilsa? An independent poster pointed that out to you and you ignored it. Much of the stuff is puerile Chocoholic. The thread should have died before Ilsa came on board, which may be something we both agree upon (I mean Ilsa and me, not you).</p>
<p>YOU chastised ME right after my first post, when I suggested that the thread die, do you remember that?"</p>
<p>That didn’t happen. I specifically told you it wasn’t a “retort” it was a question. It was our first exchange, you took something from it that wasn’t present and responded in a way that I didn’t care for. I responded in kind and the games began. But I categorically deny chastising you. Absolutely, categorically. the first post to you was a question. BUt of course you’ll probably imply AGAIN that I’m untruthful. Why I would do that is beyond me. I’m already on record in ways unflattering.</p>
<p>“I am afraid to even imagine what people think they have “learned” in this thread about Asians.”</p>
<p>How about the importance of education? the desire to go to great lengths to give their kids better? How about pride in themselves and their love of education? I learned about PhDs here. About the art versus science debate. Never even knew that existed. How about that some educational resources are more scarce than here? Speaking for myself, not you. I find these good things and I will take them away with me.</p>
<p>Indian kids are forced by parents to participate in spelling bee. In the past several years, many Indian kids placed top in spelling bee. This week another indian kid won spelling bee. Should we create a spelling bee stereotype for Asians?</p>
<p>[Indiana</a> Boy Wins National Spelling Bee, Jocular 13-Year-Old Takes Championship With G-U-E-R-D-O-N - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/31/national/main4142391.shtml]Indiana”>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/31/national/main4142391.shtml)</p>
<p>“Should we create a spelling bee stereotype for Asians?”</p>
<p>Maybe when they’re starting threads to complain about it on the students forums in about 3 years.</p>
<p>I did read the “twisting your brain into a pretzel” part, and it is certainly not an insult, just because an "independent poster’ called it out as such??? Where is the insult??</p>
<p>There are many relevant questions that were asked right from the start, but no-one who was laughing, chose to answer.</p>
<p>And now I am off to be entertained by a movie instead of calling this tripe ‘entertaining or amusing’.</p>
<p>“How can an intelligent person think that”</p>
<p>Yes that was an insult and Ilsa apologized. I thought we had moved on and am sad to say that we haven’t.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I was tougher on Ilsa initially than I would/should have been because she came in right after another poster (a) attributed to me words I didn’t post (which drives me nuts) and (b) took a piece of personal information from another thread and from PMs to attack me with. Some of you may not have recognized that, but the poster did it intentionally and that was very, very hurtful. So for that I apologize to Ilsa. However, she has repeatedly twisted my words into pretzels and I don’t care for that. Again, do either of you have anything to discuss about the topic or would you just like to discuss why I had no right to post? Would you like to discuss why the stereotype offends you and how you think it is wrong? Does it bother you on tht threads posted by the kids who identify themselves as Asian?</p>
<p>Is the pretzel post still here ilsa?</p>
<p>Yes it is, z-mom! In fact all of my posts are still here, as I just said!</p>
<p>For those not wishing to scroll back to post 305, here is the pretzel post in its entirety:</p>
<p>{I quoted the definitions of “stereotype” from dictionary.com} After which I wrote:</p>
<p>“Note the definitions mention simplified, standardized, generalized, exaggerated, oversimplified, distorted, too simple. They do not mention being perceived by the majority as positive or negative. That is beside the point. I am actually shocked that some people here are defending the use of stereotypes and even defending laughing at them. How is it that intelligent people can think this way? I was always taught not to generalize. You really have to twist your brain into a pretzel shape to defend this.”</p>
<p>Yep. That’s my opinion. Hasn’t changed.</p>
<p>I wonder my post #433 will be deleted by CC moderators. I did read the CC Terms of Service when I registered today.</p>
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<p>Yep. I apologized to you because, though it wasn’t directed at you, you have not ceased to insist that it was. Since you seemed to be hurt by it, I apologized.</p>
<p>“How is it that intelligent people can think this way? I was always taught not to generalize. You really have to twist your brain into a pretzel shape to defend this.”</p>
<p>And it’s still an insult in the context. Ilsa, do you just argue for argument’s sake? My question still stands to you. Do you have anything to contribute? You’ve spent two days now just arguing about posts in a circular fashion that neither of us will win. I’ve asked you three times now if you would like to share your opinions about the topic, possibly experience. Something, but you just won’t do that. I can see no other reason than that you just like to argue for argument’s sake. What I meant by “obsessive” is actually this. I keep asking a guestion and you ignore it so you can keep the argument going.</p>