I found that part of Lowery's speech trite and inane, but not offensive.

I stuck with NBC yesterday. I really like Brian Williams, his commentary was pretty funny at times too.

So I can't criticize a statement because he's respectable?

Please show me where I said he's a loser or a jerk or shouldn't be allowed to make a speech, or isn't deserving to do so. Where did I say that, CP? You cut ME a fuc.king break. I criticized something he said. Grow the hell up and read what's written and get down from that high and mighty holier than thou crap.

Generalities are sometimes perfectly fine.

When talking about race in the United States I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with the fact that improvement means things get easier for minorities and white people behave better than they have in the past.

Does this mean that there are no bad people in the minorities and all white people are bad? No, of course not. But at least in this country when talking about an approach to racial unity and peace (which is a "general" and not so much a specific concept) it is a simple fact that "white" as a group moves in a fundamentally different direction than everybody else.

For the record, I have zero problem with the phrases "that's so gay" or "jew him down." I'm a gay and a jew ... so go figure.:p

But you're comparing apples to oranges. Those generalities are not made as an insult to people who've done you harm, but merely as an insult.

So ... I don't think it's ok for me to use generalities to insult a black man, but I find it perfectly understandable when a black man uses generalities to insult whites, of which group I happen to be a member.

By the same token, I don't find it understandable if a black man insults gays or jews, of which groups I am also members ... by virtue of the fact that gays and jews haven't done systematic harm to blacks.

Get the difference? Now go complain to your ancestors, because they saddled you with this lasting animus. Use a Ouija board if necessary. But stop whining about your poor aggreived insult when it's an absolute act of surreal amazement that a black man just now became president of the United States in 2009.

However, I know several African Americans who in dislike Jews because they believe that they have been held down financially by Jews.

Is it OK for Jews to talk poorly Germans? Is it OK for Jews to speak in derogatory fashion about Palestinians or other Middle Eastern people? Or vice versa on that last one? Because you don't have problems with "that's so gay", does that make the phrase OK when I beleive it was SzczerbiakManiac (sp?) that had a thread about working to eliminate that phrase?

I think that such conversation only hardens lines and bad feelings between the peoples that hold such thoughts. As Jazzman put it, in an environment embracing unity, why say that?

By the way, just so CP is clear, he can say whatever the hell he wants. I just don't think he should get a pass anymore than someone using racial generalities about any other race should.

Boggle!

Um, honey it was Lincon's Bible fer crissakes!

JW, I feel for you, really I do!

Actually that's not quite right. People make general negative statements about fat people all the time and they are quite accepted by nearly all skinny people and a lot of fat people too.

These makes me happy: