POTW3

Nice! That would come in really handy when my nephew Caleb goes headless chicken whilst I'm trying to watch the Family Feud...

(Lane - Oct 18, 2005 11:13:37 AM)

i thought that is what tvs were for?

(Michael - Oct 18, 2005 12:58:26 PM)

right, but if youre watching family feud, then the TV option is moot

(Brian - Oct 18, 2005 01:25:12 PM)

Is it just me or is this kind of a racist comment?

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 10:46:07 AM)

Would you think so if the author had said "The two major pests of Canada..."?

(Lane - Oct 20, 2005 10:49:23 AM)

well, no one would say that about canada, first of all--they'd say something involving the word "eh?", which in my book is much less offensive then assuming an entire country is pest-ridden and dirty.

(Michelle - Oct 20, 2005 10:58:46 AM)

Have you ever been to Mexico? Don't be so sensitive.

(Michael - Oct 20, 2005 11:13:14 AM)

This is how I intepreted it, the caption author can clarify if I'm wrong. Mexico was referenced because the little girl has dark skin. Flies were referenced to make the association with fly PAPER, which is the whole point of the caption.

People who go to the racism card when none is present do a disservice to those who are genuine victims...IMHO. :)

(Lane - Oct 20, 2005 11:47:29 AM)

Is IMHO anything like NCMO? I'm soooo lost.

(William - Oct 20, 2005 12:50:45 PM)

I just showed this caption to a guy in my program named Marco. He was born and raised in Mexico and is now going to school here in Ohio. He immediately said, "What are they saying? Mexican children are like flies? That is not very funny." He was not completely offended but he was definitely taken back.

I also want to say that it is more racist to say the girl was given the race of Mexican because she had dark skin. There are many races of people with dark skin. This caption is just not culturally sensitive.

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 02:18:08 PM)

I should mention that Marco liked the one that says, "So that's what it looks like in hell." and "Mommy...daddy...what are you guys doing?" ("Even though," he said, "'daddy' should be capitalized.")

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 02:51:53 PM)

Think about it. This caption is saying we should deal with Mexican children the same way we deal with flies. Is that nice?

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 02:57:42 PM)

So if I said to the author of this caption, "What do you think of Mexican children?" they would probably reply, "Treat them like flies."

That is racism; a discrimination or prejudice based on race.

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 03:13:51 PM)

(Lane - Oct 20, 2005 03:38:34 PM)

Nate, are you working on some English project that deals with logical fallacies?
I vote that this caption is NOT (and was not intended to be) culturally/racially insensitive or discriminating.
Team A - 1, Team B - 0
Any more votes?

(Mike K - Oct 20, 2005 03:48:50 PM)

I'd like to point out that YES there are many dark skinned cultures, but it wouldn't have mattered which one was picked because it would have ultimately resulted in the same reaction.

I would also like to point out that Nate is the least PC person I know, so I have no idea where this is coming from.

I'd also like to point out that it's a joke.

(Brian - Oct 20, 2005 05:22:11 PM)

Oh come on guys, I agree with mike, and Brian this is a joke!! Not intended to be racist in anyways. Hell for all I know she could be Korean like myself!

(Casey - Oct 20, 2005 05:34:51 PM)

Lane you are funny.

I agree it was ment to be a joke but it is a racist joke. All I was doing was questioning if anyone else thought so. Lane said no, so, I presented my point. We could do this every week like Lane did for each caption but that would not be fun.

Maybe one week we should all be forced to write PC captions.

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 08:52:50 PM)

Oh yeah-- Brian I am crude but I try my best to be PC about it. But I do agree I have had my share of very un-PC moments. As bad as it is, they are often funny from anyone. I mean look at this caption. It looks like it is going to win and it is far from PC.

And no Mike I am not working on a paper of any kind. However, there have recently been some commentary essays written about the discrimination that is specifically directed to Spanish speaking Americans. All of them. Not just the gardener or the cook but the businessmen and the academic types legal or illegal. I could go real into but I will just say they are upset with the discrimination they feel in many areas of life.

Enough of this crap though!!! POTW is for fun not Nate's view of the world.

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 09:05:37 PM)

I didn't really even notice that the caption mentioned Mexico.

(Sommer - Oct 20, 2005 09:31:04 PM)

I still ask, Have you been to Mexico????? I love latin culture and I have never considered myself a racist but anyone who has been to Mexico knows that there are a lot of kids. It is a clever comment and if I am racist becuase I like it then so be it.

(Michael - Oct 20, 2005 09:33:10 PM)

Yes, I have been to Mexico. Several parts of it. But there are lots of kids everywhere in the world. Have you ever been to a carnival?

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 09:48:49 PM)

Michael-- I am not calling anyone a racist. My point is the comment is racist. I still agree with the above comments that its intention was to be funny. But the way in which it was attempted came out unintentionally racist. The idea that there are too many kids in Mexico and they are pests and the way to get rid of them is to stick them to KID PAPER is a racist idea. Just like (and I can't believe I am taking it here) Hitler wanted to get rid of those pesky Jews so he put them in camps. Do you understand what I am saying? The comment, funny or not, is racist.

(Nate - Oct 20, 2005 10:07:55 PM)

That fact that it was a joke aside, you're holding strong to your belief that the comment was racist. But I'm beginning to question your fundamental understanding of just what racism is. Racism is the belief that one race is intrinsically superior to another race.

How does the number of children and whether or not they are pests translate to one race feeling superior to another? What if it had been a Mexican that wrote that caption? What if Brian had said "the two major pests of Springville..."? Then would it all of a sudden NOT be a racist comment?

I think you saw the word "Mexico", combined that with what you put in a previous comment, that there is "discrimination that is specifically directed to Spanish speaking Americans", had your logic clouded by your desire to take the racial high ground, and came to the erroneous conclusion that it must be racist.

Like I said before, to allege racism where none is present only hurts the case of those who are truly victims of it.

And that's all I got to say about that. :) (maybe)

(Lane - Oct 21, 2005 01:29:11 AM)

I'd like to thank lane for standing up for my caption, and all those who showed their support by way of high votes despite the raging controversy revolving the caption.
I'd also like to thank everyone who made it possible to set the all time record for most comments on one caption. I'd imagine that this record will stand the test of time.

(Brian - Oct 21, 2005 09:06:39 AM)

Yeah! Great caption. I loved it. And Lane I think you are right. It is more about kids than anything. every race would probably agree that sometimes kids can be pests. The caption would have been just as good if it said "There are two mafor pests in the world.. Pests and children... Until the invention of KID PAPER."

(Michael - Oct 21, 2005 10:18:19 AM)

Lane, you are touching on a good part of racism with your definition but not the entire thing. Racism also includes discriminating behavior towards people of another race. This comment infers that there are too many Mexican children and they are pests. That is discriminatory. And yes, if the wording would have been different I would have never started this conversation. It may have still been racist but it was just too obvious once Mexicans, people who do suffer from discrimination, were involved. So, even thought I also thought it was funny and do not think Brian to be any kind of racist in anyway, I am sticking by my opinion that this is a racist caption.

And that is all I have to say about that. :)

(Nate - Oct 24, 2005 09:36:54 AM)