Comments

1
Eh....I'm not compelled to believe that these tweets were about racism, they seem more about jingoism and lack of cultural sensitivity. Maybe 1 racist tweet was thrown in there with the guy who now "hates" Asians, but he can’t even spell, so who’s concerned?

Look at this as a Jingo: How many Asian countries have we been at war with over the last century? Answer: All of them.

In all likelihood we'll be at war with China in 10 to 15 years, and we've got more guns than you care to know pointed at North Korea. I'm not trying to defend these people and their twitter, but I think we were to scratch out "Asian" and put in "Muslim", I think few would chalk it to racism and instead would silently claim "national security" or just try and justify the war(s) and oppression through vague fear mongering. Again, I'm not defending this mindset: it's just the way it is.
2
call it racism, jingoism, xenophobia, "lack of cultural sensitivity", nationalism, whatever -- it's fucking embarrassing, and scary. i think it's downright shameful that we haven't gotten past things like this by this point in our 'career'.

but, i suppose you're right, fidelity: "it's just the way it is."

we have failed.
3
This movie was shelved for years after it was filmed because the original invaders were supposed to be Chinese, but MGM realized pissing off China might not be a great plan and spent $1million going frame by frame and digitally altering every Chinese symbol seen on the screen into North Korean.
4
@human - I don't know what "we have failed" at, it seems that we've progressed significantly in multiculturalism. If this film was released at the height of the Vietnam War, or post-Korean War, or after World War 2, there would have been much more open hostility towards Asian cultures, and more outright racism. I haven’t seen Red Dawn yet, but I doubt it’s laced with racial epitaphs like so many other films reflecting past wars.

The rest of the world is not hippieville Portland, Oregon – so we shouldn’t hold the same standards to others as we to do ourselves. These people have the equal, but opposite, reaction when Portlanders talk about banning car parking, which I find to be an “embarrassing” proposition. Portlanders are just as crazy as these dingbats, just in another way, which is just as ignorant, stupid, and embarrassing. Have you ever met a militant, straight-edge radical vegan?
5
SJR II: The Fidelity Axiom
Coming in Fall 2012!
6
Thanks Geez - I totally understand, my comments were recently censored too! Ha! I feel like writing something about what a bunch of filthy Obama loving liberals everyone is, but then I know everyone would just skip over it, and that chick on the LoveLab probably won’t talk to me anymore.

Suffice to say: I love you all. <3
7
fidelity:

1. i would agree that we've "progressed significantly in multiculturalism", but not nearly as quickly as, or to the degree which, we're capable of.

2. *epithets*

3. we're not talking about portland here -- who said anything about portland? but even if we were, YES WE SHOULD hold other people to our "hippieville" standards if said standards are simply to treat equally and peacefully people of every color, ethnicity, race, country, creed, sexual orientation, etc.

4. yes, they are plenty of embarrassing crazies around here, some of which are "militant, straight-edge vegans" or parking spot abolitionists, but nothing is more embarrassing than the fact that so many non-thinking, xenophobic racists still live and breathe on this earth (especially in this country) in 20-fucking-12.....THAT'S embarrassing. and, like i said, scary.
8
Thanks for looking out for my spelling, human. But otherwise, I don't find any of your points compelling.

The entire rest of the world is not embracing multiculturalism in remotely the same manner in which we (in Portland, Oregon) demand it. To demand that people in Tibet accept the Chinese, or that the French accept Muslims, is...well, not going to happen within our lifetimes. Sorry. Our culture is not superior to other people's culture, I think that our cultural treatment of people is properly the lowest in the whole world, as every day we live in breathe in a inherently racist society built upon the concept that people in other countries are worth less than we are. Hence, I think we should probably consider these "racist" comments within the scope of anti-Muslim bigotry, which is rampant, widely embraced, even justified by the State, and certainly entirely unchallenged.

Our economy, our status, and our American ego is predicated on racism. Americans are not alone in our racist tendencies, I find more and more that this is a trait in most people. Even the most poor and oppressed person still longs for another person that they can demonize, denigrate and be above.

It's not going away, and there was no mark or moment within recent memory where racism was evaporated, or where society collectively decided to dispel these things. It will be the same way in 2040, though probably marginally better in some areas. I have not found that dispelling hate will end racism or that it is possible to stop xenophobia, I find it more reasonable that intolerance of others is inherent, and this is all the more reason to not go over to the next village and start telling people how they should live, or why your life is better than theirs.

Rather than condemn some redneck in Texas who now hates Asians, it's easier to just embrace our own Cascadian culture where this is not as much of an issue, and not sit in smug judgement of others.
9
as hopeful (i.e., delusional) as i am, i also completely agree with virtually all of your last comment, fidelity.

"not within our lifetimes." "inherently racist."

like i said, we've failed thus far.

but it doesn't have to be like this -- most dogs can be trained not to viciously and unthinkingly attack others, and so too can most of us. we just need a little more 'nurture' to counteract our 'nature'.....it might be as simple as that.

but, yeah, not anytime soon, if ever.

Please wait...

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