Good morning,
Before I begin this post, I am giving a caveat that this comment is coming from Naughty, the member , not Naughty, the Moderator. I think it is important to make that distinction because as a moderator things that I may say can be interpreted by fellow members as having more gravity than if I were to still be a regular member.As a member of African American descent, I can no longer sit back and not respond. That being said, I have endured a mind numbing weekend reading posts that have been quite disturbing to me. I did not post because I felt it would have been personally exhausting and I sadly didnt see where those who held certain beliefs would be likely to cease and desist even if I did add my two sense worth. So, I sat back and watched while the cyber battles regarding race and privilege ensued.
A thread that began as a reaction to a very nasty barrage of racial epithets from a now banned member in the "Alpha Male " thread, quickly devolved. It morphed into an absolutely surreal series of tantrums by certain members and then subsequent attempts at appeasement by some of the very individuals who, in my humble opinion, should have received apologies.WHen the thread was closed by one fellow mod, I initially breathed a sigh of relief . But then after many appeals by members , it was reopened in the hopes that it would eventually burn itself out and members would move on...
Unfortunately, not only did it spawn other look alike threads, but other threads which sent a decidedly "in your face" message.The final straw for me was to see very insensitive comments coming from the keyboards of individuals who I had previously considered of good will which totally flew in the face of discretion. In the light of such a volatile atmosphere where racially ambiguous comments could be considered insulting, I can only be led to conclude that the message being sent is tantamount to, dare i say, verbal abuse. How many men and women have been subjected to hurtful comments, only to be told when confronting the perpertrator, "WHy are you getting so upset ? I was only joking! "
What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. We all have times when we wish to just "Let her rip" and say whatever comes from those cracks and crevices of inner darkness that we harbor against one another. However, as human beings we do have the opportunity to take a higher road.I am not going to mention any names because I think it will only cause more negativity, but we all know who we are and what we have said. Please before you exercise your right of "Freedom of Speech" think about how you personally might react if the tables were turned. It is never in good taste to say or do things which may cause personal harm or injury to others.NO one of us has rights that are inherently greater or of more value that others. Just as the woman who asks her husband if she looks fat in a dress, ( knowing that she looks too fat in the dress) , when you only buy one ticket dont expect to win the jackpot! We all know when we are wrong, but whether we care may be another matter all together. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words might make me LOSE MY MIND,UP IN HEAH!
Naughty