Request for member withdrawal

[Tom Zurinskas]

"Tom's racism."  Clarify that.  I am no racist as I've pointed out.  Nothing I have said is racist.  As I take it here you have called me a racist.  Is that correct, or do you apologize for a misstatement.


Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
see truespel.com phonetic spelling



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> Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:41:51 -0500
> From: Berson at ATT.NET
> Subject: Re: Request for member withdrawal
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: "Joel S. Berson"
> Subject: Re: Request for member withdrawal
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Bravo! This is what I would write, if I were not an American-born
> white, and could write. Although I too was offended by much of what
> Tom has been writing recently.
>
> I don't know or care whether Tom's racism is intentional or ignorant;
> I condemn it in either case.
>
> Joel
>
> At 1/21/2010 11:16 AM, Salikoko Mufwene wrote:
>>Bill Palmer wrote:
>>>
>>>And it seems so bizarre for a bunch of whites (I'm assuming here,
>>>obviously)
>>>to decide what is offensive to those of African descent.
>>I am a foreign-born black/Black and I wouldn't dare make some of the
>>comments that Tom has made about terms for African Americans. It's a
>>matter of respecting the feelings of the referents, who could actually
>>retaliate with terms that are offensive to some of us. People decide
>>what terms are offensive to them and how they prefer to be referred to.
>>The emotions associated with particular terms change with time (we
>>learn/teach this in introduction-to-linguistics classes), while some of
>>the terms remain locked in historic phrases and the like. Speaking a
>>language appropriately entails learning when a term may offend
>>individuals associated with it, and good communicative skills tell you
>>when to make comments publicly and when not to, unless you are brave or
>>stupid enough to defy social norms. I think this is the gist of what
>>people have been condemning in Tom's verbal behavior. It seems to me
>>that he is so proud that he offends even while he may intend to
>>apologize. Whether or not Tom should be removed from the list is less
>>important to me than pointing out that he has been insensitive to
>>feelings of some people. It's a matter of being civil and he has not. I
>>think the point has been made and we all have better things to worry
>>about. I am writing now because I don't think it is a righteous
>>whites'/Whites' thing. It's a matter of common sense.
>>
>>Sali.
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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