Recover from Racism?

[Gold_skywalker]

If it looks like a redneck... and talks like a redneck...

[Hunessai]

One's reputation is an important but fragile thing, like a puppy that poops gold. If you don't treat it well, it will die. Or something. And you'd have to move to somewhere halfway across the world where no one knows how you treated your puppy to get a new one, and they'd probably look at you funny and speak Mandarin.

Uh, right. So if you kill your puppy by being a racist, don't whine about it you racist puppy-killer.

[pilaf]

I'm weird about my reputation. It doesn't bother me if people think I'm weird, or homosexual, or eccentric or anything, but when people want to spread rumors about my moral fibre, I get a little miffed. I will somewhat stand up against blatant lies, such as the rumor that I raped a girl once. I never did any such thing, and I have no idea why anyone would suggest such a thing.

[Muad'dib]

There will always be people out there with too much time on their hands, and too little brains to burn that find themselves happiest when spreading stories about you....

Yeah, I had a fair amount of crap in the rumour mill myself, nothing as serious as that, now, but I used to be friends with someone who had that story go around, and of course, I knew the guy, and knew how stupid that rumour was.

[Gold_skywalker]

pilaf said:

I'm weird about my reputation. It doesn't bother me if people think I'm weird, or homosexual, or eccentric or anything, but when people want to spread rumors about my moral fibre, I get a little miffed. I will somewhat stand up against blatant lies, such as the rumor that I raped a girl once. I never did any such thing, and I have no idea why anyone would suggest such a thing.

WtF?! How did that ing happen?!

[pilaf]

I don't know, Goldie. People in my home town say horrible things about me. There have been rumors about me killing people's dogs and cats and eating them (strange because I'm vegetarian.) Also, there's rumors I run a meth lab or crackhouse in my basement(also strange because I'm Straight Edge, and have no basement.)

I call it the "Boo Radley complex". Whenever a person is sort of a recluse and is a little offbeat in appearance and mannerisms, people make up ghost stories about him. People with small minds are not content with a peaceful existance. They must always have something to whisper about. There has to be some antagonist. I think that's also where a lot of racism and homophobia come from. People can't be content with peace so they have to find ways to stir up imaginary problems. And thus you have the rumor that I, a guy who wouldn't hurt a fly, brutally raped a girl. It gets better..apparantly, according to my youngest brother, I'm in prison (on death row even!). I find this odd since I see no bars on the windows of my house. He found it almost as sad/funny as I did.

[lucia]

That's horrible.

I guess some people just want to look down on people.

[Muad'dib]

pilaf said:

I call it the "Boo Radley complex". Whenever a person is sort of a recluse and is a little offbeat in appearance and mannerisms, people make up ghost stories about him. People with small minds are not content with a peaceful existance. They must always have something to whisper about. There has to be some antagonist. I think that's also where a lot of racism and homophobia come from. People can't be content with peace so they have to find ways to stir up imaginary problems.

100% agreed with you there.

[powerslide]

Racism as a label is a crime, we must remember that racism flows in ALL directions, not just one.

People with high public profiles will inevitably have a storm of contreversy follow them in the short term, yet get completely disregarded in the long term.

Also, I find a small instance of racism acceptable, those who run around brandishing swastikas or nation of islam tatoos are the REAL racists.

But I'm not going to proselytize most people for their views.

[WitchBoy]

Well, Pilaf, I happen to be in Tennessee as well (Tri-cities area, Carter County to be precise, near Johnson City) so I am pretty well aware of the general social situation around there. I'd probably be a shredded corpse if it wasn't for the fact I keep my friends around at all times, hah.