I cannot tolerate hate.

[Wetzelbill]

This morning I had to delete somebody from my myspace friend's list who I added because we both play the same game application, Mobsters. This person was young, 18 and never said anything hateful but I caught a paragraph on her page that wasn't easy to catch at first glance.

It said something like "Random Thoughts" and went into a diatribe about voting for McCain and being anti-abortion. Nothing overly bad at first.

Then quickly there was an Obama/Osama reference and a jab that because he's half-black he isn't really the first black president. Psh, yeah ok. :eyes:

Then the next one pissed me off. It was about how Indians have nothing to complain about, nobody took their land and they get paid for nothing anyway. Alright, I'm a Blackfeet Indian, we don't get paid for nothing. We have certain treaty rights yes, far less valuable than what was taken from us, and you better believe our land was stolen, even after we laid down arms and entered into agreements. Especially after that. Billions is owed just in the Cobell lawsuit alone and that is in land trust issues, not if you consider everything ever that was taken. But even then, that's something people don't totally know or understand I can see that. However, there is a misconception, Indians don't just get paid money by the government and have checks handed out to them all the time. Some people believe that, but not true. Yes, we get tribal checks, but that comes from the tribal budget, however they put that together. From businesses or even government aid or grants or whatever. The bottom line is the tribe pays that from a general fund they put together, it just isn't given straight from the govt to Indians. It might just as well be extra profits from tribal businesses and not government money at all. Oh, btw, you know what I got last year? For Christmas, I got 50 bucks. That's it. That's my big paycheck. The one that we all get and live happily ever after with.

And this person went on with some other thoughts about a bunch of other things, it was ugly. For example they went on about how being gay is a choice. Just makes me sick. I don't even think they wrote it, I think it was probably from one of those goofy emails or something.

But I will not tolerate hate like that. Can't do it. I have no room for anybody like that in my life, even if it's in a game.

And it isn't a differing point of view. I mean actual hate, such as the racism and bigotry. It's probably mostly ignorance, but that doesn't excuse it. I don't care if somebody is 18 or 100, there is no excuse for hatred.

By contrast, there is another person I added as a myspace friend to be part of my mob. She's a pretty far-right Republican too. She wrote in her blog before the election how she wasn't going to vote for Obama but that she accepted that somebody with different beliefs than her was probably going to be president. She went down a litany of things that concerned her, she said she felt Bush was often unfairly accused of messing up things beyond his control, and she said a few standard things about Obama not having experience etc etc. Virtually all that she said wasn't totally accurate, and I have the opposite view, but she wasn't hateful about it. She has no symbols of hate on her page and doesn't promote bigotry either. And we get along fine. I rather like playing the game with her and she's had to have seen my page and all of my Obama references etc. We have no problem at all.

I don't know why I feel bad about this. I guess it's because even though we're going to have the first Black president in our history, I still see how much further we have to go. Not just with newer fights like LGBT rights, but even on older ground, like with race and gender. As far as we've come, we still have so much further to go.

I think I allowed myself to forget that. It feels so good to be rid of Bush, it's clouded my judgment somewhat. It's good to be elated, but not good to be complacent.

Today is a great day, but we still have many battles ahead of us worth fighting. We still have so much to do.

So let's celebrate today

Then tomorrow let's wake up and fight on.

[rateyes]

1. I hope you told her why you removed her.

She needs an education.

[Wetzelbill]

2. I just removed her

She hasn't replied back or anything. I didn't feel like it was worth the trouble on today of all days. I did put on my page that I would be looking at the people I added for Mobsters more closely and not adding or going back and deleting those who promote hate and bigotry on their pages. If she decides to go to my page and sees that, she'll probably get the message soon enough.

[ihavenobias]

3. To the greatest! n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

4. The Native Americans..who were here long before the earliest ancestor of ANYONE who

is here now, were treated much worse than unfairly. They were abused, stolen from, and ultimately they were the victims of genocide.
I think that anything that they get from the government now cannot possibly repay the devastation that was brought down on them.

It seems that hate is an emotion that is "non-discriminatory". Those people hate everyone who is not "them".

Very sad and pathetic. You do not want someone with that kind of energy even on the outskirts of your life. You certainly did the right thing to cut her off at the knees.

[The Doctor.]

5. I can fully, completely, and totally relate to the sentiment...

although for me, my intolerance is for bullshit.

I have very few friends because I do not tolerate liars, especially those who lie to themselves. Irrational hatred I counter with questions and reason... until they become liars over it. Then I cut through the bullshit until the fact of their nature is revealed.

To me, those who refuse discovery, can't answer direct questions, and run from logic rather than pursue discourse simply do not belong in the same class of species as I.

Not that I'm perfect, far from it. But that is perfectly open to debate... for those who are capable.

The hatred is so very wrong, and at 18, it's really hard not to give the BOTD and try to educate the individual.

It's ok to hate hate, but only deliberate ignorance should be ignored.

[Wetzelbill]

7. yes and if it was somebody I knew

or encountered in person, or somebody I had developed an online friendship with, it would have been different. But this person, I just added her less than a week ago, we never talked or anything outside of the basic add requests. I wasn't going to pick a fight out of nowhere, not unless I had to do it. Also, I agree, at 18 you would normally give somebody the benefit of the doubt. I was pretty damn ignorant myself when I was that age, at least compared to how I am now, I know that.

[AsahinaKimi]

6. I run a chat room on IMVU

Its for those who love Japanese music. IMVU is based in Palo Alto California, but the members are from all over the United States, Canada, and the world. Its unfortunate there are too many young Racists out there. The nice thing about owning a chat room is you have the power to "boot" or even "ban" someone from coming into a chat room.



In the two years that I have been on there, I have maybe kicked out 20 people and banned 5 permanently, and all of those were racists who had to come in and taunt people. Some maybe do it for kicks, while others are very serious haters. Its unfortunate that there are so many people who hate, but I will tell you the majority come from our country.

I set it up so that in our chat room, people are free to speak any language they chose. The music we provide though streaming internet is Japanese. Those who come there want to hear music from Japan, and learn more about the culture and people.



Its unfortunate that there are some too closed minded to open themselves to a larger world. Hopefully, with President Obama, people will find more then just a change of Government, but a change of Heart as well.

[Lilyeye]

8. I know how you feel. Watching TV it's easy to get caught up.

Then when you go back into the real world you realize that they're people who aren't happy about this day and still continue to remain hateful and ignorant. It's really sad that it was an 18 year old saying that garbage. I am 21 and it saddens me to hear people around my age (or any age for that matter) speak with such ignorance and hate. Most of the time it's crap that get from their parents. I hope her ignorance didn't damper your today to much. We all should continue to celebrate today and like you said...fight on tomorrow.

[varkam]

9. Didn't steal their land?

:rofl: I take it she's a comic by trade.

[DRoseDARs]

13. She probably also thinks Africans weren't enslaved, just enticed by better job opportunities.

What a clown.

[Wetzelbill]

21. lol

Yeah the free market works even when you're not free.

[Kurovski]

10. Hmm. So, you're one of them there indians, huh?

But seriously, there are some who wax delusional about how Native Americans are handed the frikken' world on a platter. I heard my share on the Washington coast .

It suffices to say "not true, find a more accurate source of info." The irony is how much poverty there was to be found in the community. There is sometimes a history of despair and inherited, internalized feelings that the larger culture historically imposed/imposes on minorities. It takes clear awareness to heal. This is one of the many hopeful things about Obama.

Obama has addressed some of this in regards to Black American culture, and I know he understands it in the Native American culture.

So tell me my Mighty Secret-Government President...what the fuck was the deal with the Rick Warren number? :rofl:

Is Obama bringing him into the sights of The Gay Agenda? Flushing Quail as it were?

[Wetzelbill]

11. Rick Warren

Oh man, I guess I wasn't shocked by it, but damn, still, I wish The Big O didn't go there on that one. Eugene Robinson was involved though!

I think for the first time I'm a little worried we might not win this thing. :)

Obama has made it a point to reach out to Indians. He's done well with that, I hope he can work out the Cobell lawsuit in a fair manner etc.

[Kurovski]

12. We won. For God sake, relax.

The shadow nation is in fabulous hands.

btw, I did know your background. You were fully vetted before being duly petted.

[JeffR]

16. Wow. Get an Administration you two.

:blush: :fistbump: :hi:

[Kurovski]

17. We get the potting shed near the Rose Garden.

That's where the real power exists.

:hi:

[JeffR]

18. .

:spray:

[The Doctor.]

14. Huh... so once the 'Quail are flushed',

which lawyers will get the axe?

[Kurovski]

20. I dunno.

However I did spot some flying irony take wing as Rev. Rick beamed historic about how far we've come, even as he holds LGBT people as perverted, criminal, 2nd class citizens in his oer' flowing heart.

[leftofthedial]

15. I can't tolerate intolerance.

[Redstone]

19. From one American Indian to another, thank you. Well-said, indeed.

Redstone