OT: Not racest

[James Takac]

Hi Guys

On Monday 04 May 2009 11:29:48 Steven Susbauer wrote:
> On Sun, May 3, 2009 at 8:17 PM, Karl F. Larsen <klarsen1 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >    I am an American. Most of you are not. In America the average person
> > looks like what? They may be Brown or Black or Yellow or White like me.
> > In the State of New Mexico a large number of Brown people were here when
> > it was made a state. I married a Brown person 50 years ago. Our kids are
> > White and Brown. Our maid is Brown. Our yard men are Black.
> >
> >    I have not liked the French country for a long time. They did not
> > fight well and waited for another country to save them. I do have
> > French-American friends who also dislike France as a country. It is that
> > way.
> >
> > I do not hate any race. I dislike some people who are so ignorant that
> > they can't tell the differance between a person and a country.
> >
> >    We support groups that help people with money every year. We can do
> > this because I was a successful business man during my working years. I
> > was color-blind to people applying for work. I was not interested in
> > there color, I was interested in where they went to school. I had at
> > least one Black, Yellow, Brown and White working for my company and they
> > learned fast the color was not important.
> >
> >    So do not call me racest. I can prove otherwise.
> >
> >
> > Karl
>
> Regardless of any claims of racism, true or not, beginning
> nationalistic flame wars does not help us as a community in any way,
> nor does it keep the essence of the Ubuntu Code of Conduct, which
> should be respected even if you have not signed it.
>
> I am sure there are a great many contributers and users of Linux who
> are French, just as many are American (or Finnish, or of Earth).
> Ubuntu and Linux as a whole are multinational, one's country of origin
> should have no bearing.
>
> The user was being annoying, yes. Everybody got the same out of office
> replies. He was not a kid, was not swearing, and his country had
> nothing to do with how annoying the messages were.
>
> It would be nice if the whole topic was just dropped.
>
>  -Steve


I agree that beginning or more accurately contributing (as one can begin it 
inadvertantly) doesn't help. Sadly all it does is fuel it. There's a saying 
that basically states that something only has the power that we willing give 
it. Intolerance in its many forms is one such example. Combine that with 
another age old idea borne out by psychology of us attacking in other that 
which we detest in ourselves, i.e. we attack the mirror of ourselves as it 
were, and we sadly have a deeper understanding of ourselves. Those who keep 
attacking it and those who keep empowering it by keeping it going only add 
fuel to it keeping it much alive. These things draw power from the attention 
we give them. If we were to ignore them completely (ideal notion and not 
necessarilly possible due to complex human reactions) then they would cease 
to be

Otherwise I would say from watching the vids re Ubuntu philosphy that these 
threads defeat the Ubuntu philosophy, or more accurately are against it. 
Ubuntu philosophy appears to be about helping unconditionally. These threads 
appear to do the exact opposite. Another thought comes to mind in that we oft 
become the very monster we wish to destroy :(

If we could just learn to ignore such threads they'd hold no power whatsoever

James