so mammaoth hunter u thoght i was being racist to, and only an idiot would call a black guy that, and why would i ask if coons lived on the side of the road in the woods if i was  talkin bout people. oh and engish youre a hippocrit about calling me a hick

Buger:
Please remember that there is a great difference between written communication and face-to-face conversation.  Lots of non-verbal clues that you depend on when face-to-face, are entirely missing in print.  So if someone does not understand or misinterprets something you write, it is a bad idea to assume that the other party is thinking bad things about you or calling you names.

Unless of course they make it clear that they are doing so.  English was doing so, MammotHunter was not, in my opinion.  MammotHunter merely stated that he was aware of both meanings, and you will note from his first post in this topic that he went with the "animal" interpretation.

When I read your post that started this topic, I thought of the animal "racoon" (commonly called a "coon") simply because I have never heard that word used as a racial epithet. Were I aware of both uses, I would be confused: there is nothing in your first post, to indicate which use you intended.

Now, I am presuming (from how hot under the collar you are getting) that you are aware of both uses and resent the implication that you were talking about "people of color" or blacks or Afro-Americans or whatever the politically correct term is these days.  But if you are aware of both uses, and since the words you write are the ONLY clue given concerning what you mean, you might have either used the full word "raccoon" once, or in some other fashion clearly indicated that you were talking about an animal (as opposed to a man, for those of you who misperceive man as "merely" an animal, but that's a whole 'nother discussion that is off-topic in this thread, so I'll quit).

Anyway ... on the other hand, English might have picked a slightly  more politic way of expressing his misunderstanding of what you said.  English, however, likes to pick fights, so he inflammatoriness (there's gotta be a better word than that) must be seen as deliberate ... in which case it is still upon you to be the better man and respond calmly.

English:
Shame, sir!  You are intentionally picking a fight, by assuming the more pejorative meaning of the term.  Were it not better to simply ask which was meant? ... But if I am wrong about my inference concerning your intention, please say so.  Since I have accused you publicly, I will then apologize publicly.

he has a point why would he ask if an african american lives on the side of the road on a slinging forum

i had only ever heard "coons" used as a shorter version of raccoon so i had no idea what the fuss was about now i do...

Al right you guys are gettin out of control everyone knows coons=racoons.  Now stop bein so damn liberal.

all right cando

vermin.... lol 

Woah.  Big reaction.
 Maybe I should have put a little smily there...?  I didn't really mean that buger is racist at all, it's simply that the word has a recent history of being used to describe African-Americans.  Awful sorry fellas.

Quote:
This, however, I don't understand.  I live in the 'burbs in a middle class family in England.  I'm honestly joking when I say things like that - I've got nothing against country folk, and I appreciate that in many ways, country living, by trapping and hunting, could be said to be dying in some areas.  Sorry Buger.

Raccoons, by the way, spend most of their nights hunting along streams, and they are also excellent climbers (their hindfeet can rotate 180 degrees so they can actually walk headfirst down trees.)  If I were you, I'd try a large scale pole snare for raccoons - if it works for squirrels, who also climb up trees readily, it should work for raccoons.  They have excellent hands, too, meaning they can open doors and do other such interesting "primate-like" activities.  Also, remember that they eat anything.  You could probably bait a trap with another animal's poop and it would come.   (Maybe not.)

It all came about because I'd watched the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the issue of race.  It was a subject at the forefront of my mind.  It was also an incredibly funny show.