An unpleasent experience

[gwhb75]

Odds are, you are correct that there was no "intent" to be prejudice. Prejudice is driven by ignorance. Being put off by having someone point it out, or describing it is "too pc", further perpetuates that ignorance.

Ignorance is also not taking the hint that the topic is about line jumping and that's what we want to discuss.

And, again, read my post. I didn't say the intent was or was not to be prejudice, I said the intent was not to discuss or deal with that topic. If you feel so strongly about this, rather than hijacking someone else's topic, feel freel to start your own about racism/ageism/prejudice. That way those of us who just want to deal with the topic the OP intended don't have to have pages taken up on off-topic discussions.

 

[draybook]

Your own ethnicity doesn't make your personal opinion on the matter any more valid than that of someone who is not the same ethnicity. Yet I'm sure there will be people on here who will read your post and say, "See? This person is Mexican-American and didn't have a problem with it, so clearly that makes prejudice okay."

And your opinion isn't any more correct than mine. So save your stupid little emoticons for someone who cares.

 

[Ziffell]

If you feel so strongly about this, rather than hijacking someone else's topic, feel freel to start your own about racism/ageism/prejudice.

Sorry but I don't believe in ignoring something when it happens and then complaining about it later in a completely separate forum. That's passive aggressive, not the manner in which problems should be addressed.

That way those of us who just want to deal with the topic the OP intended don't have to have pages taken up on off-topic discussions.

Pages taken up?? There's a finite number of pages on an internet forum?

Threads drift all the time. I don't think that's what you're really objecting to here. I think racism is probably an uncomfortable topic that you'd prefer to ignore and hope that it will go away. There's no reason both line cutting AND this topic cannot be discussed in this thread. You don't have to respond to my posts.

 

[Ziffell]

Of course not. I didn't expect YOU to understand.

Your expectations were correct. I don't see your point, and I believe I made that clear. But I don't think you really understand what you said either. You don't seem able to explain it. It seems like it was just a vague statement that you hoped would sound insightful. But if you really do subscribe to that theory, then you ought to be able to explain where you're getting it from and what it's based on.

 

[CleveRocks]

Generally, people who find fault with others are covering up their own faults.

I don't see how naming a nationality is considered prejudice one way or the other.

It seems to me that people who are finding alleged prejudice are themselves hiding their own bigotry.

Seriously? You must not have read what else I wrote.

I don't tend to note (to myself) when people are identifiably different from me unless that difference contributes to the situation.

One can dislike a societal problem without secretly harboring that problem. But then again, as a therapist, I'm used to people being armchair psychologists. That doesn't offend me at all, it amuses me.

 

[Horizons1]

The kid said they were Mexicans. Deal with it. The world hasn't ended and take it for what you will. But stop trying to make everyone else think it's racist. How the hell are you supposed to describe people if you can't say what color or ethinticity they are?

Secondly, kid, you should have stood up for yourself. Don't take crap from anybody, at least not in this situation. The worst thing that could have happened is the father hit you and he gets booted from the park. But yes, he laughed at you for having no spine. Don't let yourself get pushed around again.

 

[CleveRocks]

How the hell are you supposed to describe people if you can't say what color or ethinticity they are?

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Why is their color or ethnicity helpful in the story?

If he had said a family of white people ... tell the truth, wouldn't you have paused at least for a half-second and thought to yourself it was odd that he mentioned that???

 

[Ziffell]

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Why is their color or ethnicity helpful in the story?

If he had said a family of white people ... tell the truth, wouldn't you have paused at least for a half-second and thought to yourself it was odd that he mentioned that???

Exactly!! And that's precisely the point I was making too. There was no relevance to the story. No point or reason to bring up that they were Mexican American.

 

[unkadug]

Exactly!! And that's precisely the point I was making too. There was no relevance to the story. No point or reason to bring up that they were Mexican American.

And there's no point in your continuing to harangue the OP.

 

[Ziffell]

But then again, as a therapist, I'm used to people being armchair psychologists. That doesn't offend me at all, it amuses me.

Especially when the aforementioned armchair psychologist can't even back up his statement or explain what he meant by it or where he's getting his information. :lol:

 

[CDavid]

Why is their color or ethnicity helpful in the story?

It serves to describe the group of people in question.

The discussion about a group of line-cutters would likely run in a rather different direction if the group is an American family, versus a foreign group with often differing customs and manners, or maybe instead one of the (infamous) Brazilian tour groups. Had the poster simply said they were passed by a bunch of people, what do you think the chances are one of the first replies would have asked who they were (specifically, if they were from Brazil, even though it was a family here and not a tour group).

Racism remains a prevalent enough problem; There is no need to try to find racism where none exists (and certainly none was intended). While line-cutting is clearly a relevant topic to a theme-park discussion board, racism shouldn't be, even if it does sometimes rear its ugly head.

 

[Horizons1]

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Why is their color or ethnicity helpful in the story?

If he had said a family of white people ... tell the truth, wouldn't you have paused at least for a half-second and thought to yourself it was odd that he mentioned that???

Nope. See, unlike you, I don't care about these things. I don't see a racist comment everytime someone mentions skin color.

 

[Ziffell]

And there's no point in your continuing to harangue the OP.

Your dramatic vow not to ever reply to anymore of my posts didn't last long did it? :lol::hammer:

 

[Ziffell]

Nope. See, unlike you, I don't care about these things. I don't see a racist comment everytime someone mentions skin color.

I think you're in denial.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

Your approach was rather passive aggressive, which is the worst way to deal with any issue or conflict. By getting in front of the smallest one in the bunch, it positioned you more as a bully than anything else. Then by "pretending to not hear", that was, forgive me... a spineless way of dealing with it. Somebody once gave me some advice that I have never forgotten: Choose your battles wisely... big enough to matter, and small enough to win. Aside from having someone else (such as a CM) deal with it, there are really only two ways to deal with line cutters. Either you just let it roll off, and not worry about it (i.e. NOT big enough to matter), or you deal with it head on. Not in a confrontationally antagonistic way, but just in an even, assertive tone. I'm not excusing the line cutters, but at the same time I'm frankly not surprised at all that the outcome was the way it turned out.

Welcome the Psychologist to the boards. I have to ask, and forgive my confrontational tone, but should he have waited for the gargantuan dad and then hip checked him? Would that have made him a non-coward in your opinion? I guess he would have, then, been behaving overly aggressive. The guy was trying to prevent a little loser and his family from cutting the line. Who are you to be the moral judge on here? I think the question was how you guys thought he should have handled it, not for you to make a gross judgment of his actions when you were not there. So your opinion is to either be timid or a raging animal, anything in between is unacceptable? Wow.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

deleted:hammer:

 

[CaptainJackNO]

You're right. I apologize. Line jumping is more important to deal with than prejudice.

First, the kid is 16 years old. Second, you making the leap to racism because the boy said the family was Mexican-American says more about you and your way of thinking than about the OP. The kid said nothing about stereotypes or pre-judgments or anything else your post mentioned. YOU are making that leap.
Also, this is a Disney board, not a place for YOU to fix your problems with racism in society. This is a place, according to board rules, that is supposed to be free of politics such as this. So, please stick to the rules.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

I think you're in denial.

I think there's a reason Ziffell rhymes with Sniffell.........

 

[The Mom]

There certainly are a lot of threads about rude behavior lately. And they're all getting filled with rude comments and arguments. Coincidence? I think not.

Everyone, please back away from the keyboard until you can all play nicely and get along. Thank you.

 

[_Scar]

Didn't read the whole thread, but did you really have to say they were Mexican-Americans? Seriously?....

Can you just edit it out to avoid all of this? It's really bothering.