'....that could be considered to be ignorant.'

What I meant by that is: '...to the ear of the Listener.' When someone makes a statement, and is Unaware of how that statement could be interpeted, it could be said that they are ignorant (Not stupid)of how those words can be taken.

As a black man, I’ve stopped – years ago – being offended by remarks made by whites, that could be considered to be ignorant. Reid now joins Howard Cosell, Jimmy the Greek, Don Imus, Bill Clinton (my wife took offense to something he said about Obama’s run for the Dem presidential nod being `a fairy tale’[?] ), Trent Lott, etc, in the ‘You Shouldn’t Have Said That’ Club.

I’ve paid little attention to this matter, so I don’t know if Reid’s words were uttered in public, or in private conversation. As of yet, it is not a crime to have lapses of ignorance, and since I don’t have ESP, I can’t brand someone as racist, based solely on such utterances. Now if we’re talking about words spoken with malice and venom …..

I suspect...

I find it interesting that, although we were at war with Japan, 65 years ago, today, that fact does not seem to hinder the success of our Japanese-Amercan citizens. On the whole, I would say that they have overcome negative perceptions that might have been prevalent in the US, during those times.

As you pointed out, perceptions are what guide many of us when dealing with others of different races, gender, national origins, etc. There are many people alive, today, who lived thru that war, and many more, still, who lost relatives in the Pacific war. Yet, today, I think most Americans - of all races - percieve the Japanese to be disciplined, intelligent, decent, hard working, motivated, - and on and on. Although I don't doubt...

I remember when a teacher, a book, a chalkboard, and a desk and chair, were all that was expected to be found in a classroom; and homework was assigned 5 days a week.

I remember when tv parents were wise, and their children learned lessons from them. Today’s media seem to favor dysfunctional families, and most dads are dumber than their kids. If ‘Father Knows Best’ was remade, today, I wouldn’t be surprised if it became ‘Father THINKS He Knows Best’, or ‘Dad Doesn’t Know Squat.’

I remember when kids were not automatically passed on to the next grade, if they were not proficient at their current level.

I remember that when I was 8, if I saw the word ‘s-e-x’ I thought it was just the French way of spelling the...

It appears, to me, that the people who drive the various parts of the media – producers, directors, actors, writers, etc. – exhibit a level of maturity that is on a par with that of a junior high school student (oooops!.....I mean `middle school’).

I’m reminded of when I was in school, back in `67 - `68. That was when the movies first started `cussing’ – after the repeal of the Hays Code in `66. I remember students raving about the new trend – “That movie was good…..they said `sh--!’ in it!!!” My generation was among the first to buy into that stuff, and it’s been a downward spiral ever since.

For me, what passes today as humor / entertainment, woefully misses the mark. Sex, depravity, graphic violence, etc., are...