squeegeesunny 

Reading some short stories to kill time, Might go for a ride later though. Wanna join?

avner

this thread is no longer about gear ratios for NYC. It is now about proper gearing to out run the horrors of racism.

Scrodzilla

I really doesn't matter what gear ratio I use because my absurd dreadlocks keep getting caught in my chain.

apopuri

Honestly I really didn't like the blackface, no matter what you think its not really appropriate. But either way Scrod is pretty freakin entertaining.

avner

I don't know how you can take blackface seriously coming from the stand point of a modern free person. Frankly it was absurd in its time and its ridiculous by todays standards. It's more absurd then Scrods head full of dreadlocks. and he has an ENTIRE head full of them!

Then again, I'm from /b/ so my view of what is offensive may not be so well tuned into the modern day mans.

JesusBananas

*wince*

Also, isn't that breaking one of the "rules of the internet" or something . . .

Roy G. Biv

This would be sort of eye-opening if I wasn't already aware that people are this out of touch.
I'm being sensitive for calling you out for something that pretty much every black person I know, including myself would be offended by?
Just because you aren't offended by something doesn't mean someone else isn't.
I don't give a **** what context you used it in, doing it in a joking way doesn't make it any less offensive.
You want to reap the laughter from the joke but don't want to take responsibility for it when called out.

You weren't making a statement on how ridiculous racism is.
No matter how you try to spin it your post basically amounts to you saying "Hey guys, isn't the thought of me riding my bike around in blackface funny"
My answer is no it's not.

I never accused you of being racist Scrod all I did was call you out on making an offensive joke, probably without knowing it and your past of making t-shirts that have offended people without you realizing it.

I've seen plenty of females on this board call people out when dudes post pictures that they find offensive.
What's the difference?
NateRod why was your initial response to the pic "so wrong" if there's nothing potentially offensive about it?

This whole thing could have easily been solved by Scrod simply saying something to the effect of "my bad if you were offended. wasn't my intention"
End of story.

My whole point in bringing up where I live is because every time someone says he's from Brooklyn people jump to assume that they are some scrawny white kid with a pink t shirt on that matches his rims just because that's all you saw that time you spent the weekend with your college buddy in Williamsburg.
That is not me.

I am a black man who has spent over half his life living in Brooklyn. I love this place.
I don't live in the ghetto. Never said I did. My neighborhood is made up of 95% working class black people. Contrary to what most folks like Dr. Banzai believe there are black neighborhoods without rampant crime, that have beautiful houses and don't need to be saved "by whitey bringing money to the hood" But I guarantee you like I said in my original statement, if you came rollin thru here in blackface it would get dealt with.

And since you really don't understand the irony Scrod let me break it down for you.

Dreadlocks have long held a significant place in black culture, starting in Egypt and later becoming associated with religious beliefs in Jamaica. The "dread" in dreadlocks means "fear of god". A lot of people take it very seriously and look at it as if you have dreads you share a sense of the same beliefs and ideals. There are a lot of rastas who live near me and I can walk down the block with a friend who has locks and a rasta will pass us and say "what's up dread' without even knowing him.

So for you to post pictures and joke about yourself doing something that would offend 99% of black people and then not understand why, while wearing you hair in dreadlocks is the ultimate fail.

You're pretty much the equivalent of this:




Please respond with all the cute pictures that you like.

The fact that the mods close a thread about a Puma bike but let one that clearly hasn't been about gear inches for the last 4 pages and people are posting blackface pictures and throwing around the n-word pretty much sums up how stupid things have gotten around here.

JesusBananas

Context is everything. If context doesn't matter, then, according to you, one can't even mention the word "Nazi" as a fact like "The Nazis occupied Germany" without people being offended.

I reiterate: the idea of anyone in blackface is ridiculous and stupid. That ridiculousness and stupidity is what is funny. Scrod was not suggesting that he would actually wear blackface; see more below.

You might assume that. You might know lots of people who assume that. It certainly is a stretch to assume that ALL of BF assumes that. They might say it as a joke, but jokes are not serious. Obviously, I don't understand that everything is serious.

Show me where Banzai said anything remotely close to that. YOU were one who suggested it:

Do you really, honestly, without a doubt think that Scrod would EVER actually wear blackface? Are you serious? Listen to yourself, man. Do you think when people post pictures of flying squirrels it's because they want to be a flying squirrel? (I know I just set someone up to say yes to that question, but anyway . . . )


This is funny. It hardly suggests that one should support Nazism.



Any more thoughts?

Dr. Banzai

I get to tell one person a year to **** off. I'm not going to waste it on you. You SERIOUSLY cannot read because that is not even CLOSE to how I think. When someone accuses me of racism they better back it up. I'm pretty sure that's what your implying. I'm as liberal, Canadian and colour blind as they come.

Go generalise somewhere else.

Dr. Banzai

I'm done in this thread.

Scrodzilla

Roy - there are so many things you think you have all figured out yet in reality, know jack ****. You're seriously trying to make a mountain of a molehill here (and somehow failing miserably and making an ass of yourself in the process). As Jesus said, I never had any intention of riding through your neighborhood - or anywhere else, for that matter - in blackface. Maybe I should have responded to mihlbach's post about riding in corpse paint by saying I'd follow him around wearing a pink gorilla suit. I chose to say "blackface" because of the sheer ridiculousness of it and didn't mean to get your diaper all in a bunch.

You may need to do a little research, 'ol boy, because dreadlocks have been around for just as long in other - ahem...white - cultures for just about as long (if not longer). It's well-documented that Celtic, Norse, Scottish and Viking warriors were all known to have gnarly dreads as a way to strike fear in the hearts of their enemies - the longer a warrior's dreads symbolized how long they had been warriors and those with the longest dreads were viewed as the most fierce because they had done more battle time than those with shorter locks. Black people do not own the rights to dreadlocks, Roy. Get over it.

You make it sound like I've got an entire clothing line featuring pictures of lynchings and ****. I've made one shirt that was borderline "offensive" and the only people it offended were those who either didn't get the KISS reference or people who are so busy looking for things to be offended by that they refuse to realize that they don't need to take offense to things just because they "should". If you think of Nazi Germany every time you see two certain letters together, perhaps there's something wrong with your mind. If you don't like my shirts, don't buy them. Play it real safe and shop at Old Navy.

Squirrelli

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.

And on an unrelated note, KISS Army was the first thing that came to my mind when I first saw Scrod's new shirt.

Roy, take a break from being easily offended and look up what Al Jolson did for the blacks on the stage.

JesusBananas

I'm offended. Banzai posted an image, so there must be some kind of latent racism implied.

Scrodzilla

Exactly.

ashlandjet

I must admit that I am getting more and more uncomfortable reading this thread. I think that the point where we are all at right now is not something where anyone can ascertain who is right and who is wrong. As I read Roy’s last post I am hearing a very intelligent and probably sensitive person trying to explain his internal feelings that arouse from contents of the post. In reality we should not be telling Roy whether he should or should not feel offended. No one has that right. We should simply recognize that he is offended and that should be enough. I think to be honest I can understand it. Someone’s innocent intentions are a separate aspect. I honestly don’t think that I have a right to tell Roy whether he should or should not be offended. I simply recognize he is. I can also see Roy’s initial response to Scrod would get any person alive extremely defensive. It did come off to me as calling Scrod a racist and Nazi. I am not on anyone’s side here. That is part of what is making me uncomfortable how there seems to be everyone taking sides and alienating and ostracizing another.
Hey Roy I guess I can see how you were offended. Sorry.
Scrod…I can see how you were offended also. Sorry.

Scrodzilla

I didn't get offended. All's good on this end and the only one coming across like he's got some issues with race is Roy.

Squirrelli

Something to lighten the mood.

JesusBananas

Fair enough.

Look, Roy, I'm sorry you got offended. However, you made far more false insinuations about the other board members than they did about you, and logic errors do not fly in my book.

Obligatory cute picture:

avner

As a mixed race, forward thinking and very open person I'm actually somewhat offended by what Roy is saying. I'm German and Philipino, I get assaulted by racism and sterotypes on all ends. Being white means I get hit with the butt of half of all racial jokes, since the majority is still safe to poke fun at, and since I'm Philipino I get to take all the pacific Islander and Asian jokes as well. Mix that with growing up fatherless and poor and you have a real nice combo. To think that we know nothing of "Rhasta" or any other culture than "Whitebread" american is somewhat offensive, and I take it in the same light as any other racial sterotype. And no, when I think of Brooklyn I dont think of guys wearing pink T shirts and riding flashy fixies. I think of "Black of Both Side" If you happen to know the album when I think of Brooklyn, I also think about heart and character of an old city. I live in Echo Park, Los Angeles; a center of hipster culture and hey, guess what? I don't bash Hipsters, nor blacks, nor anyone else because I'm surrounded by all of it and frankly I've never met anyone from any of those groups that have given me any reason to. Incidentally I also live in the same house as my father grew up in and I've been in the neighborhood for various family gatherings and visits throughout my life and what was the neighborhood before it was this hipster haven? It was violent, dangerous and gang infested. I don't like gentrification, but "White people" with money are far from the enemy. And i've not met any hipsters that are the enemy either.


The enemy isn't any one person, its really an idea. But another rant for another time. Saying "White people with money" is actually the most racist thing said in this thread so far and I am offended by that, because I am a white person and its used directly to describe something it seems you have a great distaste for. Its racist regardless whose mouth it comes from.

With all that ranting done, the point I want to make is that, no one here, at least out right has meant, with intention to cause anyone offense, harm, degradation or any other malicious feelings or status. We are here because we share something in common, which is an enjoyment of Bikes, further more a unique crossection of the sport that involves direct Drive Trains with no method of switching gearing. So what I think all of us should do, myself included should apologize for any offense another may have taken and move forward positively.

I am sure if you look at Scrods posts and contributions to the forum you will see he is a rather nice and helpful person. So rather then continuing to fuel a battle, apologize, ask for a lock, move on.

I�m sorry if you did take offense to anything I�ve said, I myself am an open and loving person with friends and family from many cultures and backgrounds, and I mean no offense to any of them.

Regards,
Avner

Edit:

Obligotory post and derogatory comment regarding the hipster Fry

hairnet

This isn't BFSSFG. where is my BFSSFG?

NateRod

wow. This thread just hit the tl;dr mark.

Squirrelli

No! This is Patrick!

hairnet

hairnet

squeegeesunny