Coke's America the Beautiful - Give me your thoughts

[LagerHead]

You are going to have to point it out because I'm not whining.  I'm just telling you all what I think of you. 

 

Gladly. You accuse everyone here of being a bigot, which is a preconceived notion you had, based on your statement that it's "[e]xactly what [you] expected from this forum." Bigotry is having a preconceived notion of people you don't know, so that makes YOU a bigot, which in turn makes you a hypocrite. Funny how that works, isn't it? 

[Capbyrd]

That preconceived notion is based on the posts made by others in threads similar to this. So while I might not know them, I do know they have a habit of posting bigoted comments. So I win again. Had fun playing.

[TGO David]

That preconceived notion is based on the posts made by others in threads similar to this. So while I might not know them, I do know they have a habit of posting bigoted comments. So I win again. Had fun playing.

 

Did someone screw you over by forcing all of your browsing to somehow land on TGO?  I mean, it sounds like you don't like it here... but yet here you are.

[LagerHead]

That preconceived notion is based on the posts made by others in threads similar to this. So while I might not know them, I do know they have a habit of posting bigoted comments. So I win again. Had fun playing.

 

You win nothing. You apparently don't know the definition of "expected" or "preconceived."

 

The applicable definition of "expected" in this case would be:

 

b. To consider likely or certain:

 

You can't consider something likely or certain if you already have experience. The very definition of "expected" means you are making the assumption BEFORE you have evidence, i.e preconceived, which you are also using incorrectly. If you have evidence upon which to base an opinion, it can't possibly be preconceived. It's kind of like predicting the winner and the score of the Super Bowl that happened last week. Not much magic there, is there? 

 

Tell you what: Just so you do feel like you do win something, I am going to give you a link to an online dictionary. Think of it as winning the Internet. That way you can look up the definitions of big words before you try to use them. Or, as the case may be, even small ones. Make good use of it. 

 

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

Edited February 7, 2014 by LagerHead

[LagerHead]

Did someone screw you over by forcing all of your browsing to somehow land on TGO?  I mean, it sounds like you don't like it here... but yet here you are.

 

David, elitists love being places they hate. That way they can make ignorant comments, thinking they're outsmarting the dimwits, and never realizing they are actually out of their depth in a thimble of knowledge. It must be some kind of strange mental S&M game that we backwards folk will never understand. 

[Daniel]

This thread delivers.

[Capbyrd]

Did someone screw you over by forcing all of your browsing to somehow land on TGO? I mean, it sounds like you don't like it here... but yet here you are.

I used to like it here a lot. I posted a lot and got a lot from this place. Something changed. Not necessarily the board or anyone else. It could have been me. But I realized that there are only a couple of forums with information relevant to my interests anymore and I try to stay in them. Knives for instance. NFA for another.

But every once in a while I find myself in general. Where there never fails to be a thread with someone calling all black people criminals. Or perhaps it's about the terrorists in the Middle East. Everyone in that region is a terrorist. No exceptions. Or maybe a thread about all the gays and the "gay agenda." Just constant non stop intolerant threads. And it's not just here. Every gun forum seems to have the same.

Do I like it here!? I don't know. I don't dislike it. But I do dislike the level of hate that spews in every thread about anyone that isn't a white 'merican.

So the best thing for me is to probably just remember to stay away from everything but the blades tools section and I'll likely get on just fine.

[Il Duce]

.....

Edited February 7, 2014 by Il Duce

[LagerHead]

I used to like it here a lot. I posted a lot and got a lot from this place. Something changed. Not necessarily the board or anyone else. It could have been me. But I realized that there are only a couple of forums with information relevant to my interests anymore and I try to stay in them. Knives for instance. NFA for another.

But every once in a while I find myself in general. Where there never fails to be a thread with someone calling all black people criminals. Or perhaps it's about the terrorists in the Middle East. Everyone in that region is a terrorist. No exceptions. Or maybe a thread about all the gays and the "gay agenda." Just constant non stop intolerant threads. And it's not just here. Every gun forum seems to have the same.

Do I like it here!? I don't know. I don't dislike it. But I do dislike the level of hate that spews in every thread about anyone that isn't a white 'merican.

So the best thing for me is to probably just remember to stay away from everything but the blades tools section and I'll likely get on just fine.

 

Most people are intolerant of others that disagree with them. The right is not unique in this aspect, and neither are gun owners. The left is particularly intolerant if you don't 100,000% support every one of their pet causes. Look at how they vilify anyone who simply chooses to follow their religious beliefs. Not those who attack gays, for instance, but those who simply refuse to say that it's acceptable. 

 

So for you to call everyone here bigots smacks of elitism. But you're projecting. You're being bigoted against an entire group based on the actions of a few. You apparently ignore the myriad good things that happen daily on, or as a result of interactions resulting from this forum. You can't see the forest for the trees and you have been called on it. 

 

For the record, I agree that the Coke ad is a non-issue, and those who are getting bent out of shape about it need to relax. We live in a country with myriad cultures. If you don't like the fact that someone speaks a language other than English, find someone else with whom to converse. 

 

But what I don't like is when someone generalizes an entire group. Not just groups with which I am associated, but any group. I will call you out if you use the dreaded "N word" or if you call all Southerners racist. I am not black, nor was I born and raised in the South. But both are wrong and I will call anyone out who makes such ignorant generalizations. Wrong is wrong, and two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do. 

 

So if you want to continue to operate here, leave those kind of statements at the door. If you see someone on this board making racist statements, there is a report button. Use it. The moderators and David will not stand for it, and we have issued warnings and brought the ban hammer down on those that have violated that policy. But there are a handful of staff, and thousands of members making nearly as many posts every day. We can't be omnipresent nor omniscient, which is why the report feature exists. Our little community here tends to police itself pretty well but things do fall through the cracks. But for the most part, the folks here are not as you describe, and neither is the content. There are of course exceptions to every rule, except for the rule that there are exceptions to every rule. 

 

I'm going to back off and allow you the last word, whatever that may be. I have made my point, whether or not you agree. I will sleep well tonight either way. I wish the same for you.

Edited February 7, 2014 by LagerHead

[Capbyrd]

You misunderstand my posts. It wasn't aimed the forum as a whole and I refuse to call anyone out specifically. My mother used to tell me that if it doesn't apply to you, ignore it. Probably would have worked well here. I'm honestly not interested in having the last word. I just wanted my point understood and I believe that my post above is about as good as it's going to get from me. I am no wordsmith.

[Links2k]

I like here. Is it possible to enjoy the site without getting trounced for seeing things differently? I don't care to get banned, so I read more and post less. At our ages, we simply are who we are.

[mikegideon]

I like here. Is it possible to enjoy the site without getting trounced for seeing things differently? I don't care to get banned, so I read more and post less. At our ages, we simply are who we are.

 

Respectful disagreement is what this place is all about. Attack the talking points and not the person, or worse, the whole group in general. If you get to the point that you have a problem with the entire community, then you may not wanna stick around.

 

"I disagree with" is a whole lot different than "Ya'll suck, and I'm morally superior". 

[Spiffy]

America does not have a national language like other countries. Sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

 

What language are the road signs in? Kinda answers that question.

 

America used to be a Melting Pot. People came from all over to be AMERICAS! Now they wanna put American last and be something else. That in my opinion is when we lost what it was to be American. People in other lands didn't fight and die to give Americans the rights and liberties we have.They don't fight and die to protect those rights and liberties but feel entitled to them just because they are here. 

[LagerHead]

What language are the road signs in? Kinda answers that question.

 

America used to be a Melting Pot. People came from all over to be AMERICAS! Now they wanna put American last and be something else. That in my opinion is when we lost what it was to be American. People in other lands didn't fight and die to give Americans the rights and liberties we have.They don't fight and die to protect those rights and liberties but feel entitled to them just because they are here. 

 

Technically, once you become an American citizen, you are entitled to them. But I agree with your greater point. A lot of folks leave countries that have severely limited freedoms due to their socialistic/communistic governments, and the first thing they bitch about when they get here is that there isn't enough socialism. Really? 100 years of failed socialist policies in your country wasn't enough? Now you want to bring us down to the same level? That's just asinine. 

[MacGyver]

Respectful disagreement is what this place is all about. Attack the talking points and not the person, or worse, the whole group in general. If you get to the point that you have a problem with the entire community, then you may not wanna stick around.

 

"I disagree with" is a whole lot different than "Ya'll suck, and I'm morally superior". 

If there's one thing that I hope for and truly try to foster in this community, it's asking better questions of ourselves as individuals and as a community through good conversation. We all gain so much when we check our preconceived notions at the door and just engage with people who aren't necessarily like us.  Maybe if we build that ability in small communities, then we can work to affect the larger dialogues in our nation.

 

I'll illustrate with a personal example.  For years I was dismissive of the homeless population.  They're all drunks, drug addicts, there because they lack personal ambition, whatever...  It was a personal problem that they had somehow must have brought upon themselves, and I distanced myself from them by both my attitude and my actions.  But then I got involved with them because I along with a few others recognized that this attitude was in conflict with other things in my life that I like to present myself as being.  I got involved with Room in the Inn, a local homeless "ministry" here in Nashville.  Basically, once a week my family as well as a few other will share a common table with these guys.  Once a month, I'll spend the night in our church building alongside some of these guys so that they've got a warm, safe place to sleep.

 

I don't share that to say look at me, I share it to say that getting to know someone changes things.  You see that yes, there are some of them who've made really bad choices in their lives and are trying to figure out a way forward.  You meet many who are simply under-employed and don't have any family or community to fall back on.  About half of our population in Nashville are veterans, many of whom are disabled.  Bluntly, as a country we've failed these veterans in a way that ought to be criminal.  But, by getting to know them, I'll say that I've benefited way more than they ever will by spending the night in our building.  My children who are 2, 4 and 7 are happy to come share a meal with these men.  They are not okay with the fact that there are people who are sleeping on the street because they've got nowhere to go.  When they pray, I hear them pray for these men.  We'll never solve the problems that cause homelessness, but maybe their generation will see them as something other than a blight that needs to be eradicated.

 

So, I'll simply encourage folks to check their attitudes at the front page.  We encourage debate here.  With 20,000 members, there will never be total agreement about anything.  But, while we try to foster good debate about ideas, we demand that people act with respect towards one another.  Failing to do so is frankly the one offense within this community that you will not make a second time.

 

Has something gotten you fired up?  Great.  Bring the discussion.  But, as I've said many times, if you can't bring something constructive to the conversation, you probably ought to ask yourself whether or not you should be participating. 

[Links2k]

Respectful disagreement is what this place is all about. Attack the talking points and not the person, or worse, the whole group in general. If you get to the point that you have a problem with the entire community, then you may not wanna stick around.

"I disagree with" is a whole lot different than "Ya'll suck, and I'm morally superior".

I would agree with you if I believed your statements were accurate. Capbyrd made a valid point, but it doesn't matter because his is a minority view of the situation. Edited February 7, 2014 by LINKS2K

[Capbyrd]

If there's one thing that I hope for and truly try to foster in this community, it's asking better questions of ourselves as individuals and as a community through good conversation. We all gain so much when we check our preconceived notions at the door and just engage with people who aren't necessarily like us.  Maybe if we build that ability in small communities, then we can work to affect the larger dialogues in our nation.

 

I'll illustrate with a personal example.  For years I was dismissive of the homeless population.  They're all drunks, drug addicts, there because they lack personal ambition, whatever...  It was a personal problem that they had somehow must have brought upon themselves, and I distanced myself from them by both my attitude and my actions.  But then I got involved with them because I along with a few others recognized that this attitude was in conflict with other things in my life that I like to present myself as being.  I got involved with Room in the Inn, a local homeless "ministry" here in Nashville.  Basically, once a week my family as well as a few other will share a common table with these guys.  Once a month, I'll spend the night in our church building alongside some of these guys so that they've got a warm, safe place to sleep.

 

I don't share that to say look at me, I share it to say that getting to know someone changes things.  You see that yes, there are some of them who've made really bad choices in their lives and are trying to figure out a way forward.  You meet many who are simply under-employed and don't have any family or community to fall back on.  About half of our population in Nashville are veterans, many of whom are disabled.  Bluntly, as a country we've failed these veterans in a way that ought to be criminal.  But, by getting to know them, I'll say that I've benefited way more than they ever will by spending the night in our building.  My children who are 2, 4 and 7 are happy to come share a meal with these men.  They are not okay with the fact that there are people who are sleeping on the street because they've got nowhere to go.  When they pray, I hear them pray for these men.  We'll never solve the problems that cause homelessness, but maybe their generation will see them as something other than a blight that needs to be eradicated.

 

So, I'll simply encourage folks to check their attitudes at the front page.  We encourage debate here.  With 20,000 members, there will never be total agreement about anything.  But, while we try to foster good debate about ideas, we demand that people act with respect towards one another.  Failing to do so is frankly the one offense within this community that you will not make a second time.

 

Has something gotten you fired up?  Great.  Bring the discussion.  But, as I've said many times, if you can't bring something constructive to the conversation, you probably ought to ask yourself whether or not you should be participating. 

 

 

Thank you Mac.  That was a great read.  You are much more eloquent than I could hope to be.  I think we may see things similarly.  Thank you for posting.  

 

 

 

I would agree with you if I believed your statements were accurate. Capbyrd made a valid point, but it doesn't matter because his is a minority view of the situation. Racist jokes and innuendo are ok because the larger group had decided that they only want to be politically correct when someone craps on the south or calls an old white guy a red neck.

 

 

I have had the pleasure of meeting Mike personally a couple of times.  Mike is a good guy.  He was more than likely just trying to keep me in check.  



I apologize to everyone if you thought I was trying to call out the entire membership.  That was not my intention.  But if the shoe fits, then I meant it one hundred percent.  I apologize for coming across harshly.  But I have tried in several threads to spark intelligent intercourse and my posts are overlooked or ignored.  My questions never being answered.  Every time one of these starts up, I become more and more aggravated with that fact.  So when I got to this one I was just a bit overcome.  I may have worded things poorly and thats on me.  

[mikegideon]

I would agree with you if I believed your statements were accurate. Capbyrd made a valid point, but it doesn't matter because his is a minority view of the situation.

 

As Mr. Byrd said, he knows me. You do the same thing. All I'm saying is go after the one that offends. Don't make one of these "Y'all are a bunch of knuckle dragging bigots, and I, on the other hand, have rose petals shooting out of my ass". 

[Links2k]

As Mr. Byrd said, he knows me. You do the same thing. All I'm saying is go after the one that offends. Don't make one of these "Y'all are a bunch of knuckle dragging bigots, and I, on the other hand, have rose petals shooting out of my ass".

That's your perception of me Mike. For some unknown reason you seem to take the most offense from my post. Several people on TGO have met me and their general opinion is that I'm also a pretty decent guy. I don't believe that everyone is a knuckle dragging bigot, but their are several here.

I am generally on the side that not every member of a demographic is trash or dangerous simply because a few idiots repeatedly make the news. It seems that no one can get the benefit of doubt unless they are "WCM". Edited February 7, 2014 by LINKS2K

[UncleJak]

 Skwah-ree-eh

ooreh-year-ker:-chee reh

Thah-seh-nah-doh-keh-deeh

Chyah-nah-cheh- eheh-nah-weh

 eeth-thtah-jeen-hah-keh-neah:-Haf-nah-kyea

 hah-dee-yut: hah : oh-reh-yeah-heh

 nah Kweh: Kyeh-weh: hah: dah-weh-deh: yeh- kwen-heh-keh

 Dee-snah: na-kwah-ree-wah-heh-tah'th : hah-dah-weh-deh : Kwah-ree-wah-ree-neh

yeah-Kwah-ree-wah-neh-dah' ha-kah-neah : wah-seah : dyeah-kee-yeah-nyeh-rah-dee:

 Dee-sneh:doh-ten : heh-toh: year0skwah-hah-weet: hah-eh weh : Ah-yeah-Kwah-dee-Keh-rah-tyeah-neuh

heh-ree-seh: nah-kwah-yeah-soh: hah: ka-dee-k'eh-rah-k'seh

Ee'th-syeah-nah-cheh

 dee-sneh : see thah-thl sneh-stee-yu

 dee-sneh : thah-go-wah-naut : hah-yeh-wah.

[MacGyver]

 Skwah-ree-eh

ooreh-year-ker:-chee reh

Thah-seh-nah-doh-keh-deeh

Chyah-nah-cheh- eheh-nah-weh

 eeth-thtah-jeen-hah-keh-neah:-Haf-nah-kyea

 hah-dee-yut: hah : oh-reh-yeah-heh

 nah Kweh: Kyeh-weh: hah: dah-weh-deh: yeh- kwen-heh-keh

 Dee-snah: na-kwah-ree-wah-heh-tah'th : hah-dah-weh-deh : Kwah-ree-wah-ree-neh

yeah-Kwah-ree-wah-neh-dah' ha-kah-neah : wah-seah : dyeah-kee-yeah-nyeh-rah-dee:

 Dee-sneh:doh-ten : heh-toh: year0skwah-hah-weet: hah-eh weh : Ah-yeah-Kwah-dee-Keh-rah-tyeah-neuh

heh-ree-seh: nah-kwah-yeah-soh: hah: ka-dee-k'eh-rah-k'seh

Ee'th-syeah-nah-cheh

 dee-sneh : see thah-thl sneh-stee-yu

 dee-sneh : thah-go-wah-naut : hah-yeh-wah.

Wait...are you sure He can translate?

[mikegideon]

That's your perception of me Mike. For some unknown reason you seem to take the most offense from my post. Several people on TGO have met me and their general opinion is that I'm also a pretty decent guy. I don't believe that everyone is a knuckle dragging bigot, but their are several here.

I am generally on the side that not every member of a demographic is trash or dangerous simply because a few idiots repeatedly make the news. It seems that no one can get the benefit of doubt unless they are "WCM".

 

I think you're more than a decent guy. I'm just talking about how some posts impact me. I'm sure I have the same effect on some folks.

[Links2k]

I think you're more than a decent guy. I'm just talking about how some posts impact me. I'm sure I have the same effect on some folks.

I can agree with that.

[RC3]

...... This discussion took a major nose dive into the opposite direction.

[Daniel]

I like here. Is it possible to enjoy the site without getting trounced for seeing things differently? I don't care to get banned, so I read more and post less. At our ages, we simply are who we are.

I disagree with people here often. They've let me stay. One of the first mods was a huge democrat.