Sebastian wrote on April 11, 2008 07:03 PM: John F, apparently you are incapable of seeing the error of your ways. Best of luck to you in what ever you do. You will need it.

John F wrote on April 11, 2008 11:30 AM: Sebastian,

Shame on me? Let's review the facts (assuming the editorial reported them accurately). The tree is not in Ramirez' yard. The parents of the two kids in question were in the yard with the kids and therefore, presumably, being attentive. She then walked over to the parents and told them they were not sufficiently concerned for the safety of their own kids or the tree they were in (which the parents also happen to own). She then referred to the kids as monkeys. What made Ramirez think that first, this was any of her business, and second, she wasn't going to offend these parents with her behavior? Why can't you understand this?

Your idea of racial harmony seems to be that we could all get along fine if other people would just stop being offended when you offend them.

sebastian wrote on April 11, 2008 08:18 AM: John F, it's people like you that perpetuate racial discord. You twist an innocent statement into a racial epithet. The woman was clearly not trying to insult the kids. She just didn't want them to damage the tree.
Shame on you!

John F wrote on April 10, 2008 09:13 PM: Fesick,

It doesn't matter what she meant; she should have known the word is used as a slur. It also has nothing to do with walking on egg shells when black people, or any other people, are around. It has to do with common courtesy. You don't use racial, religious, or ethnic slurs to refer to other people because that's the way decent people act.

fesick wrote on April 10, 2008 04:04 PM: John F.



Do you know for a fact that Ramirez was refering to their race when she said stop monkeying around? Are saying society should walk... talk... on eggshells whenever black people are around?

fesick wrote on April 10, 2008 04:02 PM: John F.

Do you know for a fact that Ramirez was refering to their race when she said stop monkeying around? Are saying society should walk... talk... on eggshells whenever black people are around?

John F wrote on April 10, 2008 01:29 PM: Sebastian,

About my being black, you would be wrong.

About context you would be correct. That's why it's perfectly acceptable to use the word "monkey" to refer to monkeying around, chunky monkey ice cream, monkey wrenches, monkey in the middle, Davey, Peter, Mickey, and Mike, the year of the monkey, spanking your monkey, and actual monkeys (rhesus and the like). It's also why it's not acceptable to refer to a black person as a monkey.

Sebastian wrote on April 10, 2008 09:35 AM: John F,

I'm betting you are black. You have to look at the context, not the word.

John F wrote on April 09, 2008 10:05 PM: Vegas Vic, Offended, Sebastian, etc.,

I'm betting you're not black. Calling a black person a monkey has been a racial slur for a lot longer than I've been alive. People who don't understand this are either disconnected from reality or obtuse. If you don't think it's a slur, by all means call the next black person you meet a monkey and see what happens.

Vegas Vic wrote on April 09, 2008 08:01 PM: "...how could she not know that her comment would cause offense?"
Probably because, as others have noted, that the comment was a cliche for any and ALL children someone might see climbing in a tree. I don't care if the kids were black, white, brown, yellow or pink with purple polkadots, using the phrase "the tree is not there for them to be climbing in there like monkeys" is NOT a racial slur and the people who filed the complaint and the police that cited Ramirez-Sliwinski are brain-dead from the feet up.

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