Please reflect on everything you've said
but this time apply it to people of color.

To your point,
yes... the conversation so many people would
really rather not be having is long overdue.

Of course, it applies to all oppressed groups but this particular thread was about Mark Takano.

duh
and here i thought it had become
about the error of being dismissive

I'm sure you just forgot the winkie.

btw, not a reply directly to you Cel, I was just being lazy in my replying habits.

It does matter in many cases. I remember making a comment on some things that Rush said about Anderson Cooper and about Anderson's reply on his show to Rush.

It became clear to a few people in this forum that from the nature of my comments I did not know that Anderson Cooper was gay. That changed the conversation. I believe Rachel Maddow slipped into the conversation, another person that I did not know was gay - and that changed the conversation.

Now of course a person's sexual orientation doesn't always (or even often) change the conversation. And again, it is the step of bravery it takes to be openly gay and in the public eye that impresses me, not the gay part, the openly gay part.

"Among other interesting things" is what I said in my original comments about Mr. Takano. The other interesting stuff: he taught Brit Lit for 26 years, he ran for the House multiple times over a long span before finally getting elected. He also looks a heck of a lot like a teacher at my school named Mr. Takano, but I doubt they are related.

The same applies here...
I don't care what color people are...
Label, label, label.....

Duh.
You're turning my post on it's head and making something of it that was not intended.
But.. you do that with most all of my posts.

Actually that was my point (too)

That it was mistaken
(miss-taken = taken the wrong way)

That IMO you were not dismissive of that
which you were being ACCUSED of dismissing.

yet Leslie, being so (TOO) closely involved
of the topic under discussion, she became
dismissive of the fact that her impassioned
defense of those being DISCRIMINATED AGAINST
that she Failed to See what was Right In Front
of Her (and everyone else's) Eyes, that can't
wrap-their-head-around what it's like to,
(as Pres. Obama said) "...to be followed
around a store... etc etc etc"

The difference being, there was no way to
HIDE the fact that they were Black...
...they were "stuck with it" ...like it or not

As I said...

The discussion is way way way over-due...

When even people involved in their OWN Form
of Prejudice are unable to recognize the EXTENT
of what it's like to
"Walk that mile in Each Other's shoes"

Only an outside observer could plainly see that
Neither You NOR Leslie were guilty of that
which you were being accused of by stating that
there 'SHOULD BE no REASON to Use LABELS'
but as Leslie was trying to point out..
"In Reality... it's still a Fact of Life Yet
To Be Dealt With!"

and as i said (again)
"...and the discussion is Way WAY Over Due"

(yes, Leslie.... "NO WINKIE" )

Don't see that.
You made a statement, asked a question, I answered.
Words matter, we have to be responsible for what we say and how we say it.

I said it applied to all oppressed (same as discriminated against) groups.

Are you suggesting Black people would hide their blackness if they could?
Are you suggesting GLBT are lucky to be able to do so?