You're just not credible on this, Francois
Francois said:
It's not a retreat, Tiassa, that's what I meant the entire time.
Sorry, but you're just not believable on that. Perhaps if the statement in question was a one-time thing, but there's obviously no point in reiterating its juxtaposition with other things you wrote in this topic. Given the difficulty people have had in getting you to the point that you offered that really lame excuse, I don't expect you to pull back and attempt to address the broader issue.
Seriously, Francois, if you had actually attempted to answer the issues earlier, taken a broader approach to the subject, and not offered up anger and self-righteousness as an early response to the challenges you faced, maybe that truly pathetic excuse would be at least mildly persuasive. See, then, at least, we could pretend that you just never stopped to think about it.
Which brings us to the next point:
If I'm to be completely honest, I originally carefully considered whether or not I should have used the phrase "asking for it."
I'm not sure that helps your credibility. Especially given the conclusion you seem to have reached.
I thought about it, and it means the same exact thing. How does it not mean the same exact thing?
Well, you could try it according to the example I provided: "
Having black skin in the United States is asking to be thrown in prison."
According to your argument, this would mean the same thing as what reality suggests. And, frankly, it doesn't.
For the record, reality suggests quite clearly that being a black male in the U.S., your chances of entering the penal system, statistically, are disproportionately higher than if you're white.
The thing is that a woman is not a car, and a man is not the weather. The car does not get the random urge to get up and go dancing. The weather does not single out anyone to rain on. And the goddamn lobster is dead. If it squirts you when you crack it open, I can promise you the thing
wasn't thinking, "He's not wearing a bib! He
wants me to squirt my hot stuff all over him!"
Let's be as simple as we can:
Failing to acknowledge a statistical probability pertaining to inanimate objects is not synonymous with inviting a thinking creature to do harm.
There is a difference between taking your chances against the rain and encouraging a person to do harm.
There is a difference between putting a Club or alarm on your car and chaining your wife or daughter to the radiator.
There is a difference between what you're trying so desperately to pretend to be and what you're actually portraying.