Eating pork is racism

ScottSA · April 20, 2007

LEWISTON - One student has been suspended and more disciplinary action could follow a possible hate crime at Lewiston Middle School, Superintendent Leon Levesque said Wednesday.
On April 11, a white student placed a ham steak in a bag on a lunch table where Somali students were eating. Muslims consider pork unclean and offensive.

[]

Placing ham where Muslim students were eating was "an awful thing," said Stephen Wessler, executive director of the Center for Prevention of Hate Violence. "It's extraordinarily hurtful and degrading" to Muslims, whose religion prohibits them from being around ham. It's important to respond swiftly, Wessler said.

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/208385-3/L...cident_in_city/

What utter nonsense.

Parrot · April 20, 2007

I'm not sure that you've read the whole article. Perhaps you skimmed it a little. They didn't get into the details until slightly further on. From what I gather, some kid walked up and threw the bag with the sandwich on a table where these muslim kids were eating, then walked off laughing while his friends congratulated him.

Okay, I'll give you that as far as racism goes, this act was pretty lame. But definitely still not appropriate.

Figleaf · April 20, 2007

So it's not eating pork that is 'racist', it's DELIBERATELY FLINGING IT AT SOMEONE WHO YOU KNOW FINDS IT OBJECTIONABLE that is 'racist'.

Interesting how Scott overlooked such a minor technicality.

M.Dancer · April 20, 2007

Not understanding stories is a hate crime.....don't you hate it when people look at you a point....."He didn't get it"....?

Rue · April 20, 2007

Not understanding stories is a hate crime.....don't you hate it when people look at you a point....."He didn't get it"....?

Watch it. You came close to me reporting you to the Pork Marketing Board.

Pork, ham, you goys/guys are funny. You know what's really funny. Its when you goys/guys put hair nets on it when you serve it.

Now my people have a thing about ham too but I can handle it with swiss cheese and mustard on rye bread. But it has to be on rye. Also it is the act of an infidel to eat any meat with pineapples. I mean this pineapple and ham on pizza stuff is ridiculous. Mixing fruit with meat. No no no.

B. Max · April 20, 2007

Maybe we should be building pork artillery shells, and guns that shoot bacon strips.

stignasty · April 20, 2007

Maybe we should be building pork artillery shells, and guns that shoot bacon strips.

The Sepoy Rebellion, part 2.

buffycat · April 21, 2007

Not understanding stories is a hate crime.....don't you hate it when people look at you a point....."He didn't get it"....?

Watch it. You came close to me reporting you to the Pork Marketing Board.

Pork, ham, you goys/guys are funny. You know what's really funny. Its when you goys/guys put hair nets on it when you serve it.

Now my people have a thing about ham too but I can handle it with swiss cheese and mustard on rye bread. But it has to be on rye. Also it is the act of an infidel to eat any meat with pineapples. I mean this pineapple and ham on pizza stuff is ridiculous. Mixing fruit with meat. No no no.

Why do you refer to folk as goy - its a rather derrogatory term.

Also, you do know that meat and cheese should never mix

(Buffy, Muffy or Puffy hands Rue a blackforest ham sandwich with really good Bavaian mustard, lettuce, tomato and Jarlsberg cheese - all on a lovely dark rye!)

WRT the article - those kids should just 'Get over it'. Get a nice bag of pilli pilli pepper and get even - kids will be kids, and kids will be idiots. Did everyone here always go crying to an elder? forget I asked that.

DogOnPorch · April 21, 2007

The Sepoy Rebellion, part 2.

I was going to say...lol.

Flashman in the Great Game...

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Spring! Where did you Eric from?

---Harry Flashman: The Royal Flash

kimmy · April 21, 2007

I agree that this was rude, and an attempt to offend the religious sensibilities of the Muslim students.

But a hate crime? Seriously?

At a former job where a number of my co-workers were Muslims, there was a lunch-party one day. Among the food provided by our employer were pizza with ham on it, as well as hot-dogs which undoubtedly contained pig-byproduct as well as other sorts of mystery meat and other mysterious substances as well.

While none of the Muslims ate the ham pizza or hot-dogs, neither did any of the Muslims take the presence of these foods to be an offense. I even joked about the dubious content of the hotdogs with them, suggesting that they might be safe for the Muslims to eat since there's probably no actual meat in the hot-dogs. They were amused, not offended.

As well, I have at least a few times purchased bacon, ham, and sandwich meats containing pork from cashiers who are Muslims. I'm sure that there are a great many Muslims who work at grocery stores in North America, and I am sure that these Muslims handle packages containing pork on a daily basis. A nearby convenience store that is owned and operated by Muslims keeps a jar of those little vacuum-packed sausage sticks that contain pork right on the counter next to the cash register.

My point (and I do have one) is that while Muslims' beliefs may prohibit them from eating pork, the claim in the article that merely being around pork is offensive to Muslims seems rather dubious.

While I do agree that the student was deliberately attempting to offend the Muslim students, I see no reason to believe that this is any more criminal than any other attempt to offend or insult someone. I don't see why this is different from (for instance) eating a big rare steak in the presence of vegans, drinking a double martini next to a table full of Mormons, reading a Cosmo magazine at a meeting of radical feminists, wearing a fur coat to an animal rights protest, and so on.

Obnoxious? Of course. Criminal? I disagree.

-k

Figleaf · April 21, 2007

...you goys/guys are funny. You know what's really funny. Its when you goys/guys ...

Reported.

Guthrie · April 21, 2007

Racists defend other racists. It is nothing new. It shows a lack of humanity but it is nothing new.

kimmy · April 21, 2007

...you goys/guys are funny. You know what's really funny. Its when you goys/guys ...

Reported.

In its formal usage, "goy" means "nation" or "people".

Colloquially, "goy" and "goyim" are used by Jews to refer to non-Jews.

What's to report?

-k

kimmy · April 21, 2007

Racists defend other racists. It is nothing new. It shows a lack of humanity but it is nothing new.

To whom are you referring?

-k

{and it had better not be me.}

Figleaf · April 21, 2007

...you goys/guys are funny. You know what's really funny. Its when you goys/guys ...

Reported.

In its formal usage, "goy" means "nation" or "people".

Colloquially, "goy" and "goyim" are used by Jews to refer to non-Jews.

What's to report?

What's your source for these desciptions?

In my understanding, 'Goyim' is the Hebrew word for non-Jews. 'Goy' is a derivation of 'Goyim' used in English pejoratively.

sharkman · April 21, 2007

So it's not eating pork that is 'racist', it's DELIBERATELY FLINGING IT AT SOMEONE WHO YOU KNOW FINDS IT OBJECTIONABLE that is 'racist'.

Maybe you should reread the story one more time. It clearly said the sandwich in question was placed on the table. Also, it was in a bag, and unidentifiable. To so badly misrepresent the truth when it is right there in black and white at the top of the page is just begging for a good reporting young man!! lol

Figleaf · April 21, 2007

So it's not eating pork that is 'racist', it's DELIBERATELY FLINGING IT AT SOMEONE WHO YOU KNOW FINDS IT OBJECTIONABLE that is 'racist'.

Maybe you should reread the story one more time. It clearly said the sandwich in question was placed on the table. To so badly misrepresent the truth when it is right there in black and white at the top of the page is just begging for a good reporting young man!! lol

STRANGE. Both you and Dancer have got the odd idea that I somehow failed to understand the article. But is seems rather that you didn't understand it...

"One boy came near, began laughing and threw a bag on the table while other students laughed and said, 'Good job.'"

Guthrie · April 21, 2007

So it's not eating pork that is 'racist', it's DELIBERATELY FLINGING IT AT SOMEONE WHO YOU KNOW FINDS IT OBJECTIONABLE that is 'racist'.

Maybe you should reread the story one more time. It clearly said the sandwich in question was placed on the table. To so badly misrepresent the truth when it is right there in black and white at the top of the page is just begging for a good reporting young man!! lol

actually, it clearly says 'threw a bag'

...threw a bag on the table while other students laughed and said, 'Good job.'"...

sharkman · April 21, 2007

Yes, and it also says it was placed on the table. Either way, it sure wasn't flinging pork at students as ole figgy insisted. I'm really wanting to report his ass for that distasteful transgression!

Guthrie · April 21, 2007

Yes, and it also says it was placed on the table. Either way, it sure wasn't flinging pork at students as ole figgy insisted. I'm really wanting to report his ass for that distasteful transgression!

racists defend racists, especially when they argue from ignorance ie - " it sure wasn't flinging pork "

no surprise

Figleaf · April 21, 2007

Yes, and it also says it was placed on the table. Either way, it sure wasn't flinging pork at students as ole figgy insisted. I'm really wanting to report his ass for that distasteful transgression!

1. Scott said EATING was the issue. Odd that you have no issue with that utterly wrongheaded characterization whilst you are splitting hairs with me about the meaning of 'throw' vs. 'fling'.

2. Students were having lunch and someone threw pork on their table. Please explain what specific complaint you have to make about my characterization that someone flung pork at them?

3. Before you bother reporting something, I suggest you read the forum rules.

DogOnPorch · April 21, 2007

It's well worth reading the many comments in this small town in Maine's newspaper for context.

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/208385-3/L...cident_in_city/

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Iraqi: Is it true only 13% of American kids can find Iraq on a map?

Roland Hedley: Yeah, but all 13% are Marines.

---Doonesbury

geoffrey · April 21, 2007

The actions of these punks is inexcusable, I don't think I'd call it a hate crime, but unnecessary yes. Such intentional stirring of the proverbial poop pot should be dealt with swiftly with these young kids.

Then we wouldn't have so many on this forum that intentionally raise issues just to get a good ol' fight happening.

blueblood · April 21, 2007

This is bloody ridiculous, our society has turned into a bunch of ninnies. Ooh, he put pork on my table, teacher teacher. What a load of monkey crap. What's worse is that we encourage it. Making a big stink like that about getting pork tossed at you and crying about it is bloody well asking for it.

I don't care if your white black brown pink green or orange. I don't care if your christian, muslim, jew, or worship an airplane. The bottom line is if you act like a ninny like that you are asking for it. Those muslim kids should have dropped those ass clowns on the spot. Had there been a good old fashioned scrap, the issue would have been settled and this debate wouldn't be taking place.

Canadian Blue · April 21, 2007

The kid is an idiot. Really eating wasn't the issue, it was more or less when you try to offend people because of their religious beliefs. I'm sure if a Muslim did something discriminatory against a Jew, ScottSA would be the first one on here to talk about how all Muslim's are evil.