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Iran's President: "No One Likes Americans"


Ken

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I wasn't part of the Nazi-talk and was going to steer clear of it, but I don't think it matters when World War II ended. I can think of about 6 million other folks that don't think it matters either....

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Making fun of Nazis has been going on for a long time. Mel Brooks included "Springtime For Hitler:A Gay Romp with Adolph and Eva at Berchtesgaden" in his movie "The Producers" in 1968. Brooks was Jewish and served in the Army during WW2 and saw for himself the evil of Nazism but yet he was able to make fun of the Nazis in this movie. I don't think anybody here intended on hurting anyone by using the word Nazi. Eepecially our German friends. If it did,then I apologize for my part in it all.

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Making fun of Nazis has been going on for a long time. Mel Brooks included "Springtime For Hitler:A Gay Romp with Adolph and Eva at Berchtesgaden" in his movie "The Producers" in 1968. Brooks was Jewish and served in the Army during WW2 and saw for himself the evil of Nazism but yet he was able to make fun of the Nazis in this movie. I don't think anybody here intended on hurting anyone by using the word Nazi. Eepecially our German friends. If it did,then I apologize for my part in it all.

I know you didn't mean to be offending :) and I'm not even sure I was hurt or really offended. it's just that German's in general are very (some would say 'overly') sensitive when it comes to this issues...

and I don't have anything against satire - that's a very good thing ("The Great Dictator" is one of the best films ever)

I was just talking about the use of "Nazi" as a 'normal' swear word, which relativises and belittles the real, original criminals - satire doesn't do that :thumbsup:

but that's just mho

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The problem with "casual xenophobia" (of which I can be as guilty of as anyone) is that it's the first port of call on the continuum towards ethnic-cleansing. One starts off by, for example, mocking their crazy foreign names, follows it up with a risque reference to their dress-codes ("towelheads" and burkahs) and apparently alien cultural practices: the process of subhumanisation has begun. Before you know it, you're in Abu Ghraib / Lindy England territory.

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I agree totally, B-F. And it actually does more harm to the sender than the receiver. I used to manage a retail steelyard (hence part of the moniker) outlet and had many longterm customers, most of whom were tough guy steelworker/builder/construction-types. Initially many would attempt, through casual conversation to size me up and sometimes the conversation would sound like this: "So, what do you think of blacks/gays/Jews/etc?" My reply was always, "Well, give me a name and if I know them well enough to have formed an opinion, I'd be glad to share their best qualities with you."

That was usually the end of those conversations.

In my establishment, I would never abide slurs and always suggested to anyone who really cared about the world to adopt the same posture. If someone does not stand up to stop it - it just continues. And if someone laughs, quietly nods or says, "Yeah," they just keep it going.

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The problem with "casual xenophobia" (of which I can be as guilty of as anyone) is that it's the first port of call on the continuum towards ethnic-cleansing. One starts off by, for example, mocking their crazy foreign names, follows it up with a risque reference to their dress-codes ("towelheads" and burkahs) and apparently alien cultural practices: the process of subhumanisation has begun. Before you know it, you're in Abu Ghraib / Lindy England territory.

Xenophobia is quite natural. Animals tend to be attracted to other animals who share the most similar physical characteristics; those who do not are shunned. It's a simple and obvious observation that goes back to Charles Darwin :beatnik: Once this is in mind, one tends to roll with the punches in the cesspool of people. Depending on the city and how I am dressed, most of the derision I'd encounter from folks of other races are:

1) Physically unattractive due to racial features

2) I'm probably a criminal/gangster

3) I'm probably an illegal alien

4) I'm probably an uneducated drop-out with a long line of kids from different mothers, and taking govt. assistance

I can't really blame other people for being discriminating. It's natural. All those ideas they have about me, however wrong, are founded by what they see day-in and day-out. I turn on the tellie and all I see are news stories after news stories after news stories of "mexicans" shooting it out all over California; killing, robbing, raping, and destroying property is their m.o., you'd think. I'm sure MarcM can chime in on this to explain whether they're being sensationalistic or if this is true. How do I respond to someone who bases their idea of me when what they see as "representative" of me is all bad (and true)? Likewise, using one example of another stereotype, how does an arab justify their collective treatment of women (although it's kinda ironic that the words "machismo" and "chauvinism" don't have an arabic root :beatnik: )?

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- what is a "German Chocolate Cake"?

I have absolutely nothing to contribute here except to say that German Chocolate Cake is one of the most delicious concoctions we Americans have ever come up with. It's just a light chocolate cake with a thin coconut frosting. It has as much to do with Germany as French Fries have to do with France. But Martin, if you ever get the chance try it. You'll love it, and you can call it American. ;)

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Is it just me, or is this topic woven with subliminal, or, even worse, overt racism. I got banned for several weeks for using the mildest epithet whilst rebuking, privately, a mod for deleting a vague photo I had posted of half a beautiful nipple...and you lot can go round making the most outrageous generalisations about entire ethnic groups without a murmur.

:(

No doubt we should ban breast feeding whilst agreeing to the death penalty. I, for one, can't figure.

:o

:blush:

:(

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Is it just me, or is this topic woven with subliminal, or, even worse, overt racism. I got banned for several weeks for using the mildest epithet whilst rebuking, privately, a mod for deleting a vague photo I had posted of half a beautiful nipple...and you lot can go round making the most outrageous generalisations about entire ethnic groups without a murmur.

:(

I'm glad somebody else noticed this: I thought perhaps I was just imagining it. I held back my comments for fear of being banned, what with the primary offenders being Site Moderators and all.

If I were a Muslim, I would not feel welcome on this web-site. I feel that some of the unpleasant statements posted in this thread do a grave disservice to the posters themselves and to the site's good name.

Iran and Iraq have always been trouble makers of the middle east in my lifetime. The US needs a weapons/military test area, anyone have any BETTER suggestions? My point exactly.

Thousands of innocent people die because of beliefs like this. Whatever happened to "Smile on your brother?"

Signed,

Disgusted UK

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