[jws43yale]

I have read and scanned most of this thread and find the expected social conditioning in almost all posts. We have had a thread in OOT making fun of WAPSs (of which I am one save for 1/16 Native American) and Guidos. But if we had a post that said look at the stupid black guys (with a more derogatory term used), people would have blown up. Society has conditioned us that some groups are ok to make fun of and others aren't I know this conditioning primarily comes from historical precedent. Even so why it is that if a black person calls me a cracker or talks about "how white" it is no big deal, but if I did the same it is much different.

The same people who are overly PC about racism and sexism actually are just as bad. They have no problem being derogatory to WASP's, and although society says this is fine, someone who is truly not racist would not feel the need to treat anyone different.

Last I just want to say that I still feel a majority of real "racism" is based on socioeconomic status and all the things that go with it (affluence, intelligence, etc.). I have friends of all races who I respect. There are also people of all races who I do not respect (e.g. white trash and the unmentionables). Would I ever openly use the n-word, no way, but to me it means the exact same as white trash applied to a different race. There probably still is something wrong with drawing these lines at all along race, but ultimately, race is not what matters to me, it is the ability to be intelligent, well-spoken, and an upstanding person.