NP? "the formerly colonised coming back to haunt us"

[David Morris]

--- David Gentle <Gentle_Family at btinternet.com> wrote:
> > --- David Gentle <Gentle_Family at btinternet.com> wrote:
> > > > --- Dave Monroe <davidmmonroe at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > > > I suspect Tolkien's racism was the inherited
> > > >
> > > > This statement is offensive.
> > > Everything is offensive to someone.
> >
> > Are you implying that calling someone racist is a small matter?
> >
> No. I'm making a comment about offensivness.
> Personaly I believe that being offended is an intelectual weakness. That is
how I've managed to lurk for so long on this list. The process of taking
offense polarises and diminishes a debate. In this case your statement that
Monroe's statement is offensive, rather than demonstrating it to be untrue (an
issue that I am not in a position to discuss) simply shifts the debate to a
question of what can be or is offensive. Better to ignore offensiveness (which,
as I imply, is subjective) and concentrate on more concrete matters.

In my opinion calling someone racist is a very concrete (meaning serious) act. 
To do this to a dead person is even more serious, especially when the grounds
for doing so are so subjective (and thin).  That is where I see the statement
above as being offensive.

David Morris

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