Your comment "The point being that if they hadn't all been white males then I believe that there is a fair chance that they wouldn't have made the remarks." is sterotyping and qualifies my original comments.
In what way is it stereotyping? It is an observation about a group of people that I met and talked too - it seems reasonable to suggest, based upon interaction with them, that if there had been, say, a black person or a woman present then they would not have so vigorously pursued their particular line of 'banter'. I was there, you were not. Sorry, but you do seem to be making an effort to be offended here - you should be careful not to accidentally paint yourself into a stereotype oft portrayed by certain areas of the media: that of the hard done-by middle-Englander....such a line can often do more harm than good.
As for "of course", well who is most likely to make derogatory jokes about women and non-whites? White males of course. But just because I say that this is the group that such behaviour is most likely to come from, it does not logically follow that all members of this group should indulge in such behaviour. Given that I am white and male, as clearly outlined in the post in question, would I really have made a remark that was meant to infer that all white males are overtly racist and sexist?
I was giving you the benefit of doubt by saying that your comments may not have an intent of giving offence.
By just stating that you were offended in your OP without adding any further clarification as to why or pointing out that you accept that it might not have been meant in the way that you read it? I think that you have committed the same offense that you are accusing me of - it's you who says it's about how the person reads it not what you meant
Sorry, but this is all just diverting from the original point, and just goes to show what the problems can be. In a thread about the very real problems that are sometimes (but by no means always) suffered by LGBT cyclists, we do keep getting side tracked by people using it as a vehicle to show how ill-treated the straight white middle class British male is, indeed, some people have felt so strongly about this that they've gone to the trouble of making extremely unpleasant comments that have gotten them banned from the forum
. I've no doubt that in some cases white males are ill treated in this country (although not in this thread - if you think they are then raise it with one of the other moderators), but, whatever the MoS might say, their mistreatment pales into insignificance compared to that suffered by minority groups. So, I'll have to ask you to forgive me if I get a little saddened when the thread does turn back again to the plight of the straight white middle class British male rather than the issues that it was really about, and also if my replies to you seem a little brusk - but having already taken a fair amount of abuse before I'd even posted on the thread it's all becoming a little tiresome.
