Slog - Comments on The End of Silence

Comment by giffy

giffy — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:18:00 -0800

Racism aside(which is only superficially about skin color) how is it any different from admiring any other physical trait?

Comment by infrequent

infrequent — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:18:01 -0800

skin and racism. you and brenden are on very similar pages today.

Comment by Mr. Poe

Mr. Poe — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:21:57 -0800

I'm only attracted to old[er] white men. Clearly I'm a racist. And an ageist. And a sexist.

Comment by boyd main

boyd main — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:23:45 -0800

The problem is not that you are admiring a skin tone. The problem is that you are admiring a photoshopped ideal of a skin tone.

Comment by a.m.

a.m. — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:25:07 -0800

"Isn�t it racist to admire the color of a person�s skin?"

No. Racism is the rendering of certain bodies inferior based on an arbitrary set of physical traits, and then constructing systems of domination over those inferior bodies.

This is just (justifiable) ogling.

Comment by unPC

unPC — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:28:17 -0800

"Isn�t it racist to admire the color of a person�s skin?"
yes but we need to say there a matrix of racism; same with genderism and nationalism and patriotism lots of other isms that rest on making distinctions. Much of these matrices in each case is horrible, some of it is bad, some of it is mere impoliteness and some of it ("I prefer to keep jobs in the USA rather than have jobs go overseas, because I prefer USA people and I love USA people more than Guatemalan people") isn't bad at all.

Affirmative action rests on distinctions that many think are just fine, for example.

"It�s best not to think about such things."
No, as per Obama we should talk more openly of such things. So good post, Charles.

Comment by elenchos

elenchos — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:31:33 -0800

I think Seinfeld covered this once.

Comment by Mittens Schrodinger

Mittens Schrodinger — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:32:18 -0800

Perhaps admiring a skin tone as it relates to other skin tones and placing a relative value between them could, in some abstract way, be considered racism. Your post says nothing about your admiration for this skin tone affecting your ability to admire another skin tone equally, less, or more. Isn't admiration an appreciation of a thing for its own sake? Or does it automatically imply a comparison to something lesser?

Comment by seattle98104

seattle98104 — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:33:21 -0800

Well I'd hate to break it to you, I'm sure she's airbrushed and the overall skin tone is a product of makeup and digital manipulation. You are admiring the work of a skilled photo editor.

Comment by not sure about you

not sure about you — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:33:33 -0800

With that body she could be blue and still be hot. Not that I'm opposed to blue people.

Comment by FooFootheSnoo

FooFootheSnoo — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:38:15 -0800

Yay! Wittgenstein!

Did you do it just for me, Charles, after you made my morning last time?

For those not lapping at the milk bowl of the Great German Philosophers, the quote is:

"What can be said at all can be said clearly, and what we cannot talk about we must pass over in silence."

Comment by eyeism?

eyeism? — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:39:02 -0800

Not any more racist than admiring a persons eye or hair color, how is skin color any different? It would be racist if you judged that persons character by the color of their skin, but admiring it is only admiring their physical beauty. It's true that some people are attracted to some skin colors more than others, and that's not racist, it's just having a different opinion on attractiveness, just like if someone were to prefer brunettes to blonds, or green eyes to brown eyes.

Comment by Will in Eugene

Will in Eugene — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:42:27 -0800

Thanks you Charles - for the elaborate rationale in posting such a fine photo. Keep up the good work!!

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:00:34 -0800

Great pic, too bad about the photoshop of the color tone ...

Comment by mattymatt

mattymatt — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:09:33 -0800

Yes, it is racist. And it's fine. Sometimes, being a racist is fine.

Comment by Kiru Banzai

Kiru Banzai — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:20:21 -0800

Bad skin is skin with acne or psoriasis. That's an objective dermatological fact.

Comment by Mahtli69

Mahtli69 — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:21:07 -0800

@4 - Exactly. And, miraculously blemish free, I might add.

Comment by Gurldoggie

Gurldoggie — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:27:27 -0800

It's not racist to find someone attractive or unattractive based on a feature or set of features. You like tall girls? Hairy guys? Brown skinned ladies? Big butts? Amputees? All healthy responses to normal human conditioning. However, if you were to offer Ms. Lafa an internship at the Stranger based solely on her skin color, that would be racist. I wouldn't blame you, but it would still be racist.

Comment by Mr. Joshua

Mr. Joshua — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:32:12 -0800

If it's racist to admire her skin color, what on earth are tanning booths for?

Comment by Yutang

Yutang — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:43:19 -0800

"Isn�t it racist to admire the color of a person�s skin?"

For Pete's sake, how stupid can you get. I'm just about done with Chuckie's fatuous syllogisms.

His proclamations are so sophomoric and transparently provoking they're an embarrassment for Slog, even.

Comment by Kerry

Kerry — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:50:35 -0800

Sophomoric, perhaps, but still good excuses to post pictures of scantily-clad women.

Comment by OR Matt

OR Matt — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:56:02 -0800

Not really racist, but we should all feel guilty for admiring the physical beauty of the woman in general.

Comment by Dougsf

Dougsf — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:56:28 -0800

Photoshop could give you that skin too, Charles. And if you want them, a few thousand bucks could probably get you those boobs.

Comment by SDizzle

SDizzle — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:59:10 -0800

I think you've missed the point... but I guess it depends on your definition of racism. The one I use is Race Privilege + Power = Racism.

Comment by Bleah

Bleah — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:43:32 -0800

"It�s best not to think about such things."

And perhaps even better not to post about them - or anything - if you don't have something worthwhile to actually say in the first place.

Then again - that'd leave you with an AWFUL LOT of free time, eh Chuckles?

Comment by Queen_of_Sleaze

Queen_of_Sleaze — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:07:39 -0800

If its racist to be attracted to skin color then I might as well run off and join the KKK cuz goddamn I love me some big black boyfriend! Those tall skinny white boys just don't do it for me anymore. But as they say, once you go black you never go back (or alternatively, once you go white, you can always go back to black!)

Comment by MR. Language Person

MR. Language Person — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:47:30 -0800

"To admire something means something else is not admirable."

No it doesn't, and this is the crux of Mudede's problems in his political rants. Not everything is binary. That's like me saying, "I like action flicks, so I must not like comedies."

Comment by D

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:48:53 -0800

1st of all, this is just as annoying as all your other lady lusting posts.
2nd of all, it's even more annoying that you're questioning this admiration as possibly racist.
How often have we heard caucasian womens skin described as "beautifully porcelain", or "milky white?" Just because this woman is brown and you are admiring the color does not mean you are being racist. Give me a break!
And I agree with #4, this pic has been photoshopped to hell.
Quit making up excuses to post pictures of the women your wet dreams are made of.

Comment by infrequent

infrequent — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:10:01 -0800

well, racist or not, at least you wouldn't be using a standard too far from esther's own:

LAURA of Stuff Magazine: Would you rather be with a guy who has hips like Elvis or lips like LL Cool J?
ESTHER: Personally, I don�t like small lips. I have DSLs�dick-sucking lips�and it just wouldn�t be right kissing someone without lips.

Comment by Brown Beauty

Brown Beauty — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:21:43 -0800

Whites and blacks compliment me on my lovely skin tone and complexion all the time. Everyone is a racist!

Comment by supergp

supergp — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:28:02 -0800

Gratz on posting your fap-fodder?

Comment by come again?

come again? — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:08:08 -0800

I think you better let Obama field this one...

Oh, and what @4 said...

Comment by Mr Me

Mr Me — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:34:46 -0800

It is a little odd, because where it's seems to be okay to admire the color of someone's skin, it wouldn't be okay to automatically dislike the color of their skin. Don't know what that means...

Comment by J.T. Kirk

J.T. Kirk — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:40:47 -0800

Blue gals. I love 'em.