Can we talk about the sterling/silver thing?

[Mecca]

It's no great revelation that we all have our demons when it comes to prejudices. I'd be lying if I said I've never done something like hold onto my wallet when a character I feel is questionable is near me and have race play some part in that. I'm not proud or comfortable about it and usually feel stupid afterwards, but it's programmed response and I'm an anxious person. I'm willing to concede race can play a factor in said scenario, but it's usually body language that triggers that thought in my head and more often than not this person is either homeless or has an odd behavior they're exhibiting.

The problem I think someone in Laments position would get at is that the problem is that these reactions are hard wired into your behavior at some point. Just because you're covertly racist doesn't mean you have to empathize with someone being overtly racist, either. It may be a lesser of two evils, but it's still bad.

[Lament]

There seems to be a very basic truth about Harry Lime that runs through everything he does on this board. It's a very ugly truth, and honestly, I almost regret that I didn't just ignore his input from the get-go, because I've had always had a hunch he was this type of person, and this thread has only hammered home the point. He seems to feel that he can attribute personality traits to himself and that, because he's decided he embodies them, his action obviously embody them as well. Harry told us he's a "nice guy" so obviously his treatment and attitudes towards women can't possibly be misogynistic because he's a "nice guy," and nice guys aren't misogynistic. "Nice guys" aren't racist either, so obviously none of his actions and attitudes can be racist, cause "nice guys" aren't racist.

The problem is these aren't traits you get to assign to yourself. They're not traits that define your actions. Your actions define whether or not other people are going to assign you these traits. Not everybody is going to assign traits based on the same things. At a certain point though, if a lot of people seem to look at your words and actions and say "Wow, that Harry Lime guy is a racist," then guess what, there's a good chance you're a racist. In fact, to some people you already are. I'm one of them, and I would stunned if I were the only one who thought that.

Now, if you're comfortable with people thinking you're racist, then good for you. You're the one who has to live with your actions. While your delusions make me worry that you might be the next privileged white male to open fire in a public place, the odds are actually unbelievably low that you will, and I find comfort in that.

Honestly, I have far more respect for someone who has gone through enough reflection on their actions to say "Y'know what, I'm a racist, and I'm ok with it because I don't think racism is wrong," or "I don't think there's a such thing as a 'good person' so I choose to embrace racism for whatever reason" than I do to someone who has just decided he can't possibly be racist and therefore none of his actions can possibly ooze or reek of racism. At least there's a line of logic and consistency there that isn't present in "Racism is bad, I can't be bad because I've decided I'm not, so I therefore can't be racist, no matter what I do."

This will probably manifest itself in various threads pretty regularly here until either RM or Harry Lime are no more.

[Kaius]

jesus fuck

Go on...

[Heathen]

If I saw another RMer on the sidewalk, I would definitely cross the street.

What if you saw Harry Lime on the sidewalk across the street, would you cross it and muggle him?

[Norah]

Do you talk about Harry Potter a lot?

[Heathen]

who, me?

[Heathen]

some questions are probably best left unanswered

[Harry Lime]

Lament, I don't know how to be more clear.

1. The one minor prejudice I have (or had) was at school in Milwaukee, walking alone at night, and seeing what I perceived to be sketchy individuals (this is following a hand full of muggings in the area). That was my knee jerk reaction. That's it. And I'm not content with it, as you keep suggesting that I am.

2. I am not defending Sterling's racism. I'm just not abandoning him and leaving him with his prejudices. That's no kind of progressive state. I would open up my door to anyone who sought to improve. When I say empathizing, I only mean to get to the root of his thoughts. Like a psychiatrist in a way. Otherwise the process will be a difficult one.

We both want improvements, Lament, we're just taking different roads to get there. Okay? There's no harm in that.

3. The questions I asked about gang violence and the stereotypes that follow the black community, I only took from the likes of Bill Cosby and Stephen A. Smith. They have passionate ideas about how to improve the black image. That's them talking. If you have a problem with what they're saying, take it up with them. Forgive me if I thought this was a good place to test those ideas, to debate and talk over them civilly. I guess it wasn't.

[ABNorman]

If I somehow managed to live permanently in the USA, I would be a white African American.

[Alex]

jesus fuck

Go on...

[Alex]

the funniest part of all this has to be turned2black's spurning of harry lime after his initial mistaken support of him.

[Norah]

the funniest part of all this has to be turned2black's spurning of harry lime after his initial mistaken support of him.

easily

[lennytheweedwhacker]

i don't understand why God would make black people and expect them not to be discriminated against

[E.H. Ruddock]

If I somehow managed to live permanently in the USA, I would be a white African American.

[Alex]

if i were to choose to reveal the real name of the man behind the harry lime account, it would be the killing stroke--we'd be rid of him forever. it's not easy to be burdened with this kind of power.

[tommymtcom]

if i were to choose to reveal the real name of the man behind the harry lime account, it would be the killing stroke--we'd be rid of him forever. it's not easy to be burdened with this kind of power.

I thought Harry Lime was a real person and Harry Limb was the fake one.

[Alex]

if i were to choose to reveal the real name of the man behind the harry lime account, it would be the killing stroke--we'd be rid of him forever. it's not easy to be burdened with this kind of power.

I thought Harry Lime was a real person and Harry Limb was the fake one.

you are correct. i know which existing poster is harry limb. although, further, through an e-contact that occurred years ago, i was able to note the full christian name of the actual harry lime (at the time known as i hail randy moss) and have lived with this fact for what seems like an eternity. to know that i could vanquish evil with one stroke, yet choose not to... perhaps i am complicit in the treachery of the harry lime account.

[Alex]

the second-funniest fact of the harry lime reputation implosion is that mecca is his only real ally

[Mecca]

the second-funniest fact of the harry lime reputation implosion is that mecca is his only real ally

what?

[Alex]

the second-funniest fact of the harry lime reputation implosion is that mecca is his only real ally

what?

i mean, you know, you're you, and that's a funny thing