"Also, I hold several college degrees. I'm not so trusting of people that throw this sort of stuff in my face."
You brought up the issue of education, I didn't.
"Are these the ones that you can purchase for $19.95 on the internet? How many is several? Two? Nine?"
I don't know anything about those - you are apparently more familiar with them than I am.
"Some of the smartest people I know don't even have one college degree. Some of the dumbest have "several". No offense to you with that one. You could be a nuclear physicist for all I know."
You are correct. However, as I well know, and you may never find out, to be both intelligent and well-educated is better than being just one of either category.
"Words, sir, can be employed as weapons, as anyone who posts to this forum is well aware." Is it really necessary to be this formal. What is this, court? The Senate?"
You can't refute the accuracy of my assertion.
"You're right about one thing. I'm much, much younger than you are."
It shows.
"But what does it matter? Immaturity knows no age limit."
Again, you brought up age.
"At 56, you should know better than to verbally attack people for using language you don't like."
Huhh?? I thought the purpose of this forum was to express one's ideas, pro or con, about the ideas of others.
"If you see two black people joshing each other on the bus; calling each other nigger, or nigga, do you verbally assault them? Do you run up to them and chastise them for being so insensitive?"
No, but then I'm not black. I'm sure that any one of the very many intelligent, well-educated, refined black people in America who witnessed such an idiotic public exhibition would be duly angered by it.
"Do black people even live near you?"
Uhhh, Yes. So what?
"Where do you live? Kansas? North Dakota?"
Why? What has that got to do with this discussion?
"In NJ there are many different ethnicities.
I am very familiar with New Jersey, having spent many years there in the past and visit it frequently.
"People who think of themselves as AMERICANS and don't get all worked up about their race/color/enthic background, etc. express this fact by poking fun at their own race, color, etc."
Wrong. Americans are a disparate group of people representing a collage of various ethnicities, blended to varying degrees. A REAL American doesn't disparage the ethnic background of other Americans or even his own.
"I am far from the only one who feels this way. I have black friends who make fun of their race. I have Jewish friends and Asian friends who do the same. My Arab friend continually refers to himself as an A-rab or raghead, or camel jockey. He has no self-esteem problems. He's proud of his heritage."
Maybe you are hanging around with the wrong people. Your Arab friend has an odd way of expressing his "self-esteem".
"That's New Jersey for you."
Well, that's a PART of New Jersey - the wrong part.
"There were many other people using ethnic slurs on this thread. Why did you single me out?"
I didn't intend to "single you out". Yours was the first post I noticed with an ethnic perjorative and it just sort of jumped out at me, as the other posts up to that point hadn't used one. The fact that you claim to be of Italian background added to my ire.
"Why did the term "WOP" get you so riled up?"
That perjorative is as vile to an American of Italian ethnicity as "wetback" would be to an American of Mexican ancestry.
"Are you guilty of some of the things I was poking fun at? If you don't like it, you can draw on your 56 years of experience to the old adage. "Sticks and stones...."
Oh, and what were the "other things" you were poking fun at? Black hair? Dark Complections? Sicilians? I don't find any of those particularly amusing, not connecting any of them with objects of particular mirth or scorn. Obviously you think otherwise.
I don't think you even know what these perjorative mean or their derivation. Maybe if you did, you'd think a little differently. But then, perhaps not.
"You brought up the issue of education, I didn't." Not to my knowledge. Besides you never answered my question. How many is "several"? What are the degrees in? The lack of a college degree doesn't necessarily confer a lack of education. One can be self-educated.
You can't refute the accuracy of my assertion. Maybe, but the accuracy of the statement doesn't diminish its pomposity.
"No, but then I'm not black. I'm sure that any one of the very many intelligent, well-educated, refined black people in America who witnessed such an idiotic public exhibition would be duly angered by it." Exchange black for Italian Americans. And exchange the n-words for various Italian slurs. Would you interrupt them then? Would you berate them for their lack of sensitivity?
"I don't think you even know what these perjorative mean or their derivation." Maybe I don't. Why does the term bug you so much? Were you picked on as a kid for your heritage? (I mean the question in all seriousness). Check some of the posts afterward. I'm not the only ethnic even on the thread who referred to himself/herself with a slur. You are the first person who even cared when I used the phrase.