In the recent weeks there has been a large amount of threads which have either begun as, or turned into discussions about race and / or racism. It is such a hot topic that it is likely to be spoken about on a very regular basis. I read the comments that we write and some could be considered 'blinkered' whilst others classed as modern socialist. I find myself reading them and forming my own judgments on the writers solely based on the 25 words they have written on the subject.

'he is a racist'

'she is anti semetic'

'they don't understand the real world'

but then I think about it and realise that my judgments are likely to be incorrect and also unwanted. i don't know the writer. I don't know their background, their upbringing, their race, their religion. Who am I to judge?

So, i guess my point is, are those of us who berate and criticise people who air their opinions on race and culture the 'politicaly correct, upstanding members of the community' or are we the narrow minded ones who don't respect other peoples opinoins and their right to freedom of speech?

Me, I just like a good debate.

At the moment calling each other 'Nazis' seems to be a fashionable way of wrecking debates.

Perhaps we should try to keep it in one thread and have a dedicated thread for calling each other Nazis. ;)

Originally posted by Lickszz
At the moment calling each other 'Nazis' seems to be a fashionable way of wrecking debates.

Perhaps we should try to keep it in one thread and have a dedicated thread for calling each other Nazis. ;)
Would be a nice thought.
Everythread that an opinion is given by someone is always subjected to mud slinging and racist attacks on the writers even though the thread clearly is a discussion about a certain race or religion.

You get the hard liners, the do gooders and the inbetweeners, when put together in a debate......it all turns to mud...with personal slagging off.

With everything around us being connected in one way or another to politics, race and religion......It would be boring to just have one side of a debate without some form of disagreement.
So I think that unless all like minded people contribute to a particular thread and those with different views abstain from contributing to that thread..........you will allways have conflict of interest.
After all!.... where would we be without indifference!!

Having conflicting views in a debate is to be expected - the issue is when the whole thing degenerates in to mud-slinging that deviates away from the debate thread.

Saying someone is an '-ist' of some sort, or saying they follow a particular '-ism', is only useful when the names used are universally agreed upon in terms of meaning. In politics, this is rarely the case with the 'isms' and the 'ists'.

I was very proud of myself in the 1990s when I managed to get one group of people calling me a Stalinist and another group of people calling me a Trotskyite and a few others calling me a right winger.....

The 'ism' and 'ist' shorthand is useless in a debating forum like this - we just need to keep to the issues and keep a cool head, even when the passion is rising.

It's bloody hard, though....

Joe

On the subject of racism, it seems Barkleys & HSBC has killed the BNPs bank accounts.

Is this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3761190.stm) the best way to eliminate racism in this country?


I too have noticed (on quite a few occasions) threads degenerating into slanging matches.

Didn't think we were like that in Sheff.

Originally posted by sccsux


Is this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3761190.stm) the best way to eliminate racism in this country?




No but it’s a start. When a Scottish Guesthouse evicted two guests for being gay and it was excluded from the tourist guide of Scotland the BNP ran a very powerful argument on it’s website about how private businesses should be free to choose who they give their custom to.

Funnily enough they haven’t repeated this sentiment since these banks have chosen who they provide custom for.


I over heard a very passionate debate between two Kurds at the weekend which i kid you not ended like this:

You are a Fascist

Well you are a bigger Fascist

No you are

Originally posted by Disco_Cat
No but it’s a start. When a Scottish Guesthouse evicted two guests for being gay and it was excluded from the tourist guide of Scotland the BNP ran a very powerful argument on it’s website about how private businesses should be free to choose who they give their custom to.

Funnily enough they haven’t repeated this sentiment since these banks have chosen who they provide custom for.


I over heard a very passionate debate between two Kurds at the weekend which i kid you not ended like this:

You are a Fascist

Well you are a bigger Fascist

No you are
Please excuse me for rolling in the aisle laughing!!!!!!

Notice how this thread has automatically gone from a good question about those that slag others and the way the threads turn into slinging matches....
to a debate about the BNP!!!!!!

Is the BNP the only subject that anyone in sheffield can relate to???? I am sure that there are different opinions in all discussions without the BNP needing to be mentioned!

I noted earlier on another thread,someone saying that calling 'darker skinned' people 'black' is racist.
When i was younger we had two schools merge. From one of the schools there were a few 'darker skinned' people. I automatically started referring to them as being 'coloured'. It did'nt take long to get a punch in the mush from someone and he reminded that he was BLACK and not Yellow or Green or any other colour. I apologised and asked him if this was the general feeling in the black community and he confirmed this.
To this day i have always said black and no one has ever complained.

Originally posted by DerekH
Please excuse me for rolling in the aisle laughing!!!!!!

Notice how this thread has automatically gone from a good question about those that slag others and the way the threads turn into slinging matches....
to a debate about the BNP!!!!!!

Is the BNP the only subject that anyone in sheffield can relate to???? I am sure that there are different opinions in all discussions without the BNP needing to be mentioned!

Why quote my post? I didn't start it

Originally posted by Disco_Cat
I over heard a very passionate debate between two Kurds at the weekend which i kid you not ended like this:

You are a Fascist

Well you are a bigger Fascist

No you are


That is so funny, on so many levels...

Restores your faith in human nature...

I look on myself as slightly right wing,but not overtly right wing.
I know some who are far more right wing than me so there are always degrees of one sort or another.
As has been said before this all makes for good debate,but like joe has stated sometimes it does get out of hand which is a shame.
I think politics affects us all whether your left or right,as derek says it's life.