[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by Madhatter

I wish we had more posters like poppy, rigt or wrong, who have the guts to debate in the open in threads instead of the gutless retards or do it in karma comments.

Yes by all means lets encourage people who are willing to openly debate. I'm all for that. But Poppy isn't debating. Poppy is accusing us left right and centre of being something we are not and then when we try to explain that we are not he then says that only proves that we are.

Originally Posted by Madhatter

I'm not saying poppy is right, I AM saying I think poppy is wrong that the initial comment was racist and the interpretation of the comment by willow, BUT i can see where that view comes from. Quite often racist people do hide by saying they have coloured, asian friends, not all but some do.

OK so you now admit that Poppy misinterpreted what I said. My problem is that HE will not admit that. He insists that I have backpedalled and that what I originally meant was that I do not think anyone other than white anglo saxons are even human! THAT is why I am angry with Poppy. I have not misinterpreted Poppy at all as far as I am aware. If you can show me anywhere that you feel I have done so I will gladly look at that and if I have made a mistake I will admit it and apologise. Poppy however is quite clear in his insistance that I am racist and that disgusts me.

As for the bit about racist people hiding their racism by claiming to have "coloured" friends then how are those of us with friends of different racial and ethnic origins supposed defend the accusation of racism and illustrate it?

Originally Posted by madhatter

I am one of those who has friends of different ethnic origins and I have to actually stop and think about it(that they are from different ethnic origins) because first and foremost they are human beings.

One mixed race family I have to think hard to remember which one of the parents is which [IMG]images/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG] but to be told it's a racist response for any of us to comment that we have friends of different races when we are accused of being racist is just as hurtful.

interpretation is everything.

Fair enough - your added bit does perhaps clarify my original post a little better even if it does make the sentence a bit ugly. My point is that everyone but Poppy saw it as meaning that. Poppy misread/misinterpreted it but hasn't got the guts to admit he did. He blindy continues to insist that I said some people are not human and that when I subsequently pointed out his error he then accused me of backpedalling. If he had been willing to accept that he'd misrepresented me I would have said OK and the whoe thng would have been over and done with.

Originally Posted by Madhatter

Anyway, who's to say jen isn't english catholic,

I doubt that would have mattered. It's a common misunderstanding that it's a religious conflict. It isn't. It's political. It just happens that the Unionists tend to be Catholic and the Loyalists tend to be Protestant. If anyone saw David Tenants search for his ancestors last night it gave an excellent insight into what is a difficult sitution for most outsiders to understand.

On the subject of racism three is often a misundertanding that it's only white people who can be racist. I've been the victim of racism too and I find graffitti on a wall near here to be particularly offensive. It states "Pakis Rule, Honkys out!"