Referring to mike's alleged reference to the alleged "Blind ignorant nigger" remark allegedly made by Elvis Costello, whose real name is allegedly Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus,
(Dutch) John asked: >>Would you (mike) have defended the remark when it hadn't been made by the impressively talented and probably sensitive Elvis Costello (talking about 'blind' -- he must have lost his glasses at the time of the remark) but by someone like Jim Carey, Ralph Nader, or Andre Agassi?<< Hi John; my straight answer is that I didn't defend the remark at all, ever. What I DID do was to suggest that Elvis' (alleged) remark should not condemn him as a racist on the basis of 3 seconds of racist bile. The remark is unquestionably offensive and racist and I wouldn't defend this remark ever, whoever said it. What I did say and will say again here is that one racist outburst does not mean the speaker is racist. If someone had a history of using such language, or xenophobic behaviour, or whatever, then this would lead me and others to form an opinion that that person is racist. But, I stress, it would only be my opinion. I do not have any information about Costello (or Mack) that would lead me to conclude that they are racist. I believe them not to be but anyone is capable of letting a few nasty words slip out in moments of, shall we say, insensitivity. Bob chips in with a comment which shows (me) that Costello's remarks were out of character: >>Wasn't Elvis drunk or on drugs when he said that? I think he was, and that he was so disgusted with his own behavior, he sought treatment shortly after this incident and has been alcohol/drug free ever since.<< John also asked: >>Also: Being called something ... does that mean that you ARE ? << That's perhaps the other side of the coin. I would say not, but we have to think why somebody would say such a thing. If A calls B a racist, that does not mean B is racist per se, but it may be very convenient for A if B is known as a racist based on A's accusation, which could be instrumental here. A could be right of course and her/his accusation/opinion could reflect an objective reality. Or not. Nevertheless, people frequently base their actions on what they perceive to be true (or what they have convinced themselves is true) or what they find convenient to believe is true although they know it is not true. John then also namedropped: >>How insensitive (just saw Pat Metheny in Amsterdam doing a brilliant version of this Joao Gilberto classic):<< Written by Tom Jobim, Shirley ? ;-) mike in bcn, still listening to arthurly 'forever changes' ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com.
