Posted on 10/21/2001 9:50:35 PM PDT by Atticus
This evening I had dinner at an Indian (Hindu) restaurant in Montclair, New Jersey. During the meal, several people at our table were discussing pictures of the World Trade Center (pre-9/11) that were on display at a framing gallery next door. When we left the restaurant, I decided to check the pictures out for myself. It was a wonderful tribute: an American flag surrounded by four or five balck and white posters and photographs of the twin towers taken from different angles, some during the day, some at night.
Then something surreal happened. As we started to walk toward our car, three Arab men in their early 20s passed us. I am no expert in ethnic identity, but I am absoltely sure the men were Arab and definitely not Indian or hispanic. They were speaking to each other in their native tongue. As they walked past the storefront with the pictures of the WTC, one of the men looked at the pictures and then said something to his friends to draw their attention to the pictures. Then the three of them bursted out laughing and walked away. My blood boiled and I shouted at them. I think my words were, "Hey, you think that's funny, you f*#%ing Arabs?" They just waled along, oblivious to me. It was a sad and chilling experience.
Whoa! Now, in addition to being a racist, as you have implied in several of your posts, you now suggest that I am not even entitled to verbally confront these men?
Hey, leave Paula Abdul alone...But I don't give a flying rat's A$$ about the rest of them...LOL
There is just no way you can say that with any certainty. I am ethnically Indian, but I've been mistaken to be Middle Eastern, North African, etc. Lots of them look Indian and plenty of Indians can pass off as Arabs. Hell, when I first saw the photos of the 19 hijackers, I noticed that atleast 10 of them could pass off as Indians without a problem. So you really have no idea what ethnicity they were. And you have no idea what they were saying. You need to get a handle on your emotions, dude. Americans like myself won't hesitate for one second to tell a "patriot" like yourself to eff off if you were to confront one of us on the streets because of some asinine suspicion you may have.
No, Sir. I'll tell you what's for my own good. Leave me and my family alone, and don't harass them or otherwise do anything to intimidate them. THAT is for our good. You seem to really care about us (/sarcasm) so would you be a pal and do that for us?
Look, if you have a reason to suspect someone, call law enforcement and let THEM handle their business. You curse me off, expect to be cursed at right back. I don't give a rats behind what color you are, or what ethnicity you think I am, you curse me off you get cursed right back. And don't tell me taking abuse and having to feel apologetic for my appearance is for my own good. That's a load of BS.
My suspicion that these men are terrorist sympathizers and, hence, the enemy, is not asinine. And I doubt you and I would end up in a verbal confrontation because I don't think you are so hateful or pathological as to guffaw at the very sight of the WTC. I know what I saw and it made me sad and angry. I will not apologize for these emotions.
Nor do I expect you to. Anger is expected. I'm venting a little because I (and many others) have been hearing a lot of $hit out there that I don't think we deserve. How can I expect your average American to tell the difference between a dark skinned Egyptian and a light Indian when even I can't? I've been to auto dealerships and talked to "Indian" salesmen, only to discover they were Arabs. I'm really sick and tired of people taking out their anger on people like myself. Your anger is natural, but I advise you vent it with care. Next time your target may not "ignore" you. Next time, your target may be an American who is as angry and patriotic as you are, but just happens to be brown.
Would you also be anxious to have people yell obscenities at you and your family while you took a stroll in the park? I think law enforcement officials can do their job just fine without the cursing and yelling.
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