Update for Everyone II - Less Boring, More Whoring

[Хahar 🤔]

Well, it would be hard to be less vague than that.

[Хahar 🤔]

Is the answer Argentina or Brazil?

[Хahar 🤔]

Cool.

[Хahar 🤔]

I've been helping out as a stage hand for a school play and am thinking of asking my friend who is in it to prom. But I know better than to ask for advice about that sorta thing on this forum, so I'm gonna wing it .

[Хahar 🤔]

Please don't do your grad school at the same place as your undergrad school.

[Хahar 🤔]

I'm 6'2 and 125 pounds

what

[Хahar 🤔]

I, too, am treasurer of an organization, but it is the undergraduate art history organization and not remotely political.

[Хahar 🤔]

I found out today that I got the internship my parents had me sign up for and that it pays $24/hour for 40 hours a week. I can't even imagine that much money in one place. Also the girl that I like likes me back. I don't know what I've been doing in my life to make this happen, but it needs to continue.

[Хahar 🤔]

Not now that I'm pulling down 960 dollars a week, no.

[Хahar 🤔]

I've spent a decent amount of time in both cities (more than any other cities, in fact) and never gotten that impression, but I adore San Francisco and don't really care for Washington much at all. To me Washington seems awfully artificial; the immense tourist trap that is the federal buildings in the heart of the city serves as a real impediment to the creation of real communities like San Francisco has. But then I suppose I feel compelled to leap to the defense of my city because it does read like a bit of an insult. I'll have to keep this in mind when I go back to DC and environs in September; perhaps that'll make me appreciate it a little more.

The comparison of BART to the DC Metro is interesting; last week I rode BART for what I think was the second time ever (BART doesn't run to Santa Clara County, where I've lived my whole life) and I was struck by how familiar it felt. I wasn't entirely sure whether the similarity was unusual, since the Metro is the only subway system I've used extensively, but I guess it was.

[Хahar 🤔]

Here's a thought, Cath. If you don't like your job, find a new one. And realize that 99% of this forum really doesn't give two sh*ts about what you and your "bros" that you pay a per-semester fee for are or aren't doing and don't need daily updates about what's happening at "the House."

It's unfortunate that you're being forced to read this thread.

[Хahar 🤔]

It's not the same feeling, exactly, but whenever I see people playing baseball (as I sometimes do during the summer), I wish more than anything that I were still playing.

[Хahar 🤔]

Oh yes, and I fully expect the 'racist' accusations to pop up any minute now.

I'm not trying to be antagonistic at all here, but if your roommate is black, please say it directly. There's nothing wrong with pointing it out; black people and white people are different culturally. On the other hand, it is wrong to use racially coded language to imply that he's black ("gangsta", "hood"), so don't do that. If he's not black, then it just sounds odd to use those words.

[Хahar 🤔]

Oh yes, and I fully expect the 'racist' accusations to pop up any minute now.

I'm not trying to be antagonistic at all here, but if your roommate is black, please say it directly. There's nothing wrong with pointing it out; black people and white people are different culturally. On the other hand, it is wrong to use racially coded language to imply that he's black ("gangsta", "hood"), so don't do that. If he's not black, then it just sounds odd to use those words.

I take issue with your statement that "black people and white people are different culturally."  That's a broad generalization.  Yes, he happens to be black.  Yes, he happens to enjoy rap and hip hop.  We'd be just as different from each other if he were white or I were black.  And for the record, I would've used the same language despite his race -- it doesn't sound odd to me if used in that context, personally.

No, you would not ever describe a white neighborhood as a "hood". Don't lie. I made an effort to assume good faith, but it's clear that you don't even understand what the problem is.

None of us are perfect in the language that we use, but thoughtful people pay attention when they use offensive language and agree not to use offensive language in the future. Don't pretend that what you said wasn't racist. You clearly anticipated the fact that people would call you out on it:

Oh yes, and I fully expect the 'racist' accusations to pop up any minute now.

Maybe instead of being preemptively defensive about the racist things you said, you could try not saying racist things. If for whatever reason you can't understand why it's not okay to describe black people or their communities with the terms "gangsta" or "hood", then don't worry about it. You don't need to understand if it's too difficult. Just don't use those words.

[Хahar 🤔]

Scott's wording was poor, but his point was ignored and twisted in order to make it appear that he is a racist. Yes, you could argue that Scott was being “insensitive”, but honestly, who the hell cares at this point?

Nobody accused Scott of being racist, only of making a racist statement. I was operating under the assumption that Scott was being offensive by accident and so I was explaining the issue with what he said. If he had acknowledged this and moved on, nobody would have held it against him. That he has doubled down and accused me of being the real racist was entirely his own choice.