It's sad this still happens here in the States

[Arathorn]

I wasn't making a joke about it.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Look, what you're saying is not about policy or opinion. You're essentially ascribing a crime to an entire region of the country and saying that it is MORE guilty of that crime than any other area in the country. Do you have evidence for that besides reputation? No.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I wasn't making a joke about it.

I didn't say you were. I was using jokes as an example of racism, which I'm saying is just as prevalent in other regions of the country.

[Arathorn]

That wasn't my intent and I'm sorry if you saw it that way.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I'm not looking for you to apologize for *my* actions. What I'm trying to do is get you to realize that accusing the South of being more racist than other areas of the US is just as prejudiced and bigoted as excluding someone from your dance because of the color of their skin.

Ie, don't apologize that *I* interpreted something you said. Because you did say what I took offense at. and you said it in a way that would be difficult to take in a way other than how I took it. If you're going to say sorry, say you're sorry that you said an offensive thing.

But I'm not looking for you to say sorry. I don't care you if you say sorry. I just want you to see that what you said was inappropriate.

[Arathorn]

it *wasn't my intent* to make the accusation on everyone who lives in the south to be racist people. I was expressing sympathy for people who had to deal with racism who lived in the south, like the prom issue. What I said was not intended to mean that the South is a bad place.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Then why did you single out the South?

You said

someplaces have it worse than others

in a reference to the South

You also said:

racism is alot worse in the south then anywhere else.

Which I don't think needs any sort of clarification at all.

You said what you said, and it was wrong.

[Arathorn]

I did say it but it wasn't my intent...

I'm sorry, because I should have been more careful of my wording in a touchy topic such as racism.

[House of Mustard]

Not to break up a good bash, but I thought it would be interesting to point out that in a 2002 poll where people answer honestly and anonymously, 12% of the country still somewhat anti-semitic and more than 15% is sexist.  Just so you know.  I don't have any figures on the black/white issue.