[78-L] ^^An apology to hopefully end the N-word discussion

[Michael Shoshani]

For what it's worth, or not...

I actually missed the original post. I also missed the hasty departure
of DrJazz.  I started reading the thread when it was apparent that
fireballs were being thrown every which way.  People forget that these
things erupt on 78-L from time to time.

Before people start huffily and hastily leaving 78-L because of one
person's unfortunate choice of vocabulary, I would suggest that people
consider that perhaps Chris Zwarg was not fully aware of the
repercussions, connotations, and general social anathema of that word in
today's American society.  He does not live in the United States, he is
not surrounded by American culture, has no day-to-day contact with our
societal issues (which, really, do not affect Germany), and is probably
as ignorant of how persons using that word are perceived as we are of
how Europeans would perceive an American using an old word or phrase
considered perjorative against...oh, I don't know, the Flemish maybe.

I mean, hell...my fellow Americans, how many of you have annoying
acquaintances who still tell "Polack" jokes? My guess is that these are
told in ignorance of how they would be perceived by Poles living in
Europe, much less Americans of Polish descent.

78-L has long had a sense of moderation and self-correction,
occasionally having to learn from our own mistakes or those of others. I
like to think we still do.

Michael Shoshani