Date:  Thu, 20 Oct 1994 00:35:32 -0700

From:  "CAVEMAN -- San Bernardino, Calif. USA" <cjcoker[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CSUPOMONA.EDU>

Subject: Re: offending idiot



I'm they guy who sent the Boulder Dam story along with a few comments of

my own regarding "offending idioms."



Since that posting, which I sent on 18 October, I have received numerous

replies. At last tally, the vote was roughly 3 to 2 in favor of me being

an *OFFENDING IDIOT* (my words). Salikoko S. Mufwene of the University of

Chicago, Department of Linguistics said:

> . . .

> when you don't even realize when you

> might offend or hurt others? Let the rest of us tell you what we think of

> your remarks.

> . . .



He is correct; my comments might (did) offend others. And, yes, the rest of

you told me what you thought of my remarks. (Not all was negative, however,

some agreed with me.)



I OFFER MY HUMBLEST APOLOGY TO ALL WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN OFFENDED -- THOSE WHO

WROTE ME AND THOSE WHO DID NOT.



The point I was trying to make (obviously not very well) was that I think

the "offending idioms" are stupid. (The people that use the racial, etc.

slurs, *NOT* the people who responded to me or to the original request.)



For to those of you who asked, my vital statistics are:

Married

Heterosexual Male

Myself: White (?) European and Cherokee Indian descent (the name Coker was a

     Moorish name around 800 A.D., appeared in England around 1200 A.D.)

Wife:  Mexican descent (possibly some French way back)

Child 1: 18 years, adopted (wife's previous marriage), half-Mexican,

     half-Black

Child 2: 17 years, adopted (wpm, as above), half-Mexican, half-Black

Child 3: 14 years, twin, White, Indian, Mexican

Child 4: 14 years, twin, White, Indian, Mexican

Child 5: 11 years, White, Indian, Mexican

Child 6: 10 months (oops!), White, Indian, Mexican

Child 7: 3 years, granddaughter, White, Black, Oriental, Indian, Mexican,

     (that I know of anyway -- I don't know the father's history)



In summary, no, I am *NOT* racist, as I said before. Yes, I do realize my

remarks might have offended somebody. No, that was not my intention -- I

apologize to those offended.



Chuck Coker

CJCoker[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CSUPomona.Edu



By the way, does anybody know what box my granddaughter should check on forms

that ask about race? Personally, I consider myself _Homo sapiens sapiens_,

along with all others on this list (and elsewhere, too).



P.S. #2: I just realized that I SET PERSONAL_NAME to Caveman a while back

and never changed it. When considering my remarks, consider the source --

a guy nicknamed "Caveman."



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There have been no dragons in my life, only small spiders and stepping in gum.

I could have coped with the dragons.

                              Anonymous (but wise)

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