Are aforceforgood's posts offensive?

[Isotopia]

Thanks for that Patience.

Just the kind of input I've been looking for beacuse on some levels I actually have a hard time discerning if such statemnents are/are not racist. I guess in some cases at least it does have a lot to do with the context.

[aforceforgood]

affg

you exist to me only online for the present. I judge affg. Affg may or may not be a fair representation of the person posting, but it is the reference I have to deal with and as such I feel quite justified in making a judgement about the persona. I have had as much exposure to affg as I feel I need to judge on this matter. You may now feel free to call me a whiney little bitch again.

Maybe I'm just a dumbass racist, but I didn't see anything in there that you used as the basis for judging me to be racist. I'm interested in what exactly I've said that has struck you as racist and more importantly, why. How else can I avoid such statements in the future?

[herself]

Your scenario doesn't sound racist to me at all. A little presumptuous, but not racist.

Yeah, it is a little presumptuous, me thinking I know what's going through those kids' minds. But finding an explanation that made sense to me has helped me feel less angry in crosswalk-like situations, which is a huge benefit for someone w Type A tendencies. Now what to do about the Chinese drivers (intentionally racist remark....) Just kidding, but I have found over the past few years that much of my thinking about race has happened while I'm driving, when somehow I find myself noticing a transgressor's race much more than I would just going about my business in a normal (non-driving) manner. I think it's because when we see stupid road behavior, we like to think to ourselves "ah, I would never do something so dumb because I'm different from that person." It helps us feel superior. And when we're looking to distinguish ourselves from another person whose behavior we don't like, if the person is of another race, we tend to stop w that distinction. If the person is of the same race, we look at gender. At least, I think.

Isotopia, I used to wait tables a lot. Sometimes a black table would tip poorly, but sometimes they'd leave a big tip. We also used to complain about old people's tipping habits, you know, two quarters in the ashtray and such...

harriet

[stuart]

I do the driving thing, but mostly with a car/type combo I have developed over 9 years of L.A. commuting. Volvowagon+justaboutanybody= slow and inconsiderate/unobservant, Pickup+mowers in the bed = 60mph in the left lane of a freeway, Elderly+cadillac = state of emergency:avoid at all costs.

[stuart]

this brings me to a sore point. so scroll past if ya want to.
I was at the DMV renewing my DL and in the picture line behind a very old woman doing same. She had two attendants as she was wheelchair bound and constantly falling asleep. During her photo she had to be repeatedly propped up and awoken so the photo taker could get a shot of her face.

I gaurantee you I am a safer diver with a six pack in me.

So, the premise of outlawing drinking and driving is that drinking fucks up your reaction time and decision making. Should we all be working from the same baseline? In my observations, clearly not. To wit, the Santa Monica farmers market incident a few months ago.

[aforceforgood]

One can only hope she wanted it for reasons other than driving-

Several that spring to mind are;

Cashing social security checks

Jimmying open alzheimer's medication dispensed in child-proof bottles

Taunting preteen (or maybe teenaged) grandchildren with her ability to get a driver's license

I can just imagine; "Ha, check this out punks! They gave ME a license, and I can't even manage a bowel movement on my own without assistants flapping my cheeks!"

No need to thank me for that visual. Really, there is NO NEED.

I guess I can expect about a weeks worth of posts about how I'm insensitive to old people, so I guess I'll just say it now;

Lighten up Francis.