"I'm not racist, but -"

[donco6]

I just heard this on David Sirota's show here in Denver. He was playing a clip from Peter Boyle's show. Boyle's was making the point that there has never been a backlash against Muslims in this country. That there is no racism against them.

(He was quoting from today's Vince Carroll opinion piece in the post "Hyping the phantom backlash. http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_13758891)

So, right after he's done making this claim, a woman calls in and talks about how "I'm not racist, but - and this drives all my liberal friends crazy - but we have to start profiling these Middle Easterners - men, women and children. I don't believe any Muslims should EVER serve in the US military" and on and on. It was amazing. But she's not racist.

And Boyle's just agrees and keeps on going. Didn't miss a beat. What backlash?

[trumad]

1. I'm not a racist because I know 3 black people.

[Skittles]

8. I am less racist because I let them in my apartment

:o

[trumad]

11. Oh yeah---well...

I bumped into one on the subway and said excuse me.

So there...

[baldguy]

12. Do servents count?

[Toots]

2. I never realized there was a Muslim race...

All this time I thought it was a religion.. silly me.. :spank:

[donco6]

5. Sirota mentioned that right off.

And to be fair, so did Boyles when the woman was speaking. But it didn't stop her from making that leap to profiling all "Middle Easterners" which, I suppose, could be seen as a race (even though it's more of a conglomeration of various peoples - sort of like us.)

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. People attempting to defend the indefensible aspects of islam often try to play it as race

Its not, it never has been, but if it works...

[Toots]

22. What in your opinion are Islam's indefensible aspects?

:shrug: Maybe Rev Phelps represents the indefensible aspects of Christianity as well

[ProgressiveProfessor]

27. Consider the proportions

and try your strawman again.

[Orsino]

3. We have taught them to fear the *word* "racist...

...but as yet they haven't really internalized the definition.

[geek tragedy]

4. Roughly similar to the "I'm probably going to be smeared

as anti-semitic for saying this, but" followed by some reference to Elders, moneychangers, or Christkilling.

[Orrex]

6. And to think that Peter Boyle was so good in Young Frankenstein

[Gidney N Cloyd]

7. This is what happens when guys think with their schwanzstuckers.

[Odin2005]

9. When somebody says that's an obvious tip-off that they're racist.

[MrScorpio]

10. She was using a right wing trolling tactic

I see this shit all the time on C-Span. They call in on the Dem line, blurt out all of their supposed liberal bona fides and then proceed to spit out right wing talking points from a "liberal" perspective.

These assholes are too stupid to realize that it isn't who the person is, it's what the person says and thinks that counts.

She probably still has a W sticker on her beat up minivan.

[Brewman_Jax]

13. Which really means...

"Please don't call me a racist even though I'm about to prove that I'm a racist."

[BoneDaddy]

14. Are you racist if you legitimately criticize an irrational belief system?

It seems to be just fine when criticizing Christians hypocrisy and irrationality but when it comes to muslims it appears that any attempt at critiquing some of the irrational tenets that fuel the emotions and behaviors (rational emotive and behavioral connections) it is considered racist.

I happen to criticize any ism that is irrational in any sphere.

[donco6]

15. I'll take that as a yes. N/t

[BoneDaddy]

18. wow

so we are to accept every religious, political or life belief system? Sounds ridiculous to me.

[donco6]

21. No, sorry, I was in an ultrasnarky mood this morning.

Personally, I have no use for any religion, and they all get what they deserve in terms of condemnation for overt acts of violence, their history of violence, their oppressive belief systems, and their general detrimental effects on all of human history.

For some reason, we don't debate Muslim theology though. We debate Islam as it relates to a group of people who live in a certain region (as if they were a race). But we don't debate the religion. I think it's just as hideous as any of the others.

[BoneDaddy]

24. I can look at individuals from every

culture and creed and accept them. I was referring more to the academic exercise of challenging what I think to be irrational beliefs that ultimately are the foundation for a person's behavior.

I have friends who are conservative Christians, Jews and Muslims. I care about them for who they are. I just think their belief systems to be highly inconsistent, irrationally based, and often times the basis for some of the more heinous behavior when taken to an extreme.

[Iggo]

17. I'm not a racist...

...so it's okay that I hold all these racist views because, you see, I'm not a racist.

Jeez...

[ddeclue]

23. Except this is about religious bigotry not racism but he/she doesn't know that.

:eyes:

[BoneDaddy]

25. Is it religious bigotry to challenge

a religion's irrational views that are oftentimes the lens through which the decisions some of the more extreme believers act out in ways that are destructive?

He may have had PTSD, he may have been depressed, but it was his religious orthodox muslim views that may have help determine HOW he was going to act out and whom he was going to act out upon.

He could have committed suicide, killed his family or done something else but he CHOSE to gun down the people at Fort Hood because he was punishing those he felt responsible.

[PVnRT]

19. No backlash? What?

I very clearly remember, after 9/11, several "protests" outside of mosques in the Chicago area. What a crock of shit.

Oh, and the new righty meme is that because Islam is a religion, being prejudiced against it is not actually racism. It's not bigotry, either, because it's a "fact" that Muslims are violent and hate the West, etc.

[donco6]

20. And just yesterday, the Marine who bashed an Orthodox priest.

Yeah, there's no backlash.

[Boojatta]

26. "A fellow who is always declaring he's no fool usually has his suspicions."