Ban Appeal (joking about language mistaken for racism)

Hi.

A few moments ago I was banned, with the ban message giving racism as the reason for my ban. I understand and respect that you do not tolerate racism on your server, and I have no desire to promote or defend racism.

I know that different people have different understandings of what racism is and is not, and I will do my best to clear up any confusion about my motives and behaviour here.

While on the Chinese team, I made an (admittedly childish and weak) joke about the Chinese language, typing something like "Fling flang ting tong!!!!!!". I understand how this may have been interpreted as racism, but I will put my hand on my heart and say that I in no way harbour any racist views about the Chinese population, and that my comment was purely about how the melody of a foreign language can be amusing to Western ears.

It is my understanding that Chinese people tend to score somewhat higher on standardised IQ tests than North Europeans such as myself, and so if anything I suppose I have a positive bias towards the Chinese as a group. I had hoped that it would be possible to separate a people from a language, and that laughing at the latter would not be taken as any sort of disparagement of the former.

I would like to apologise to anyone who was offended as a result of my remarks, and I hope that your admins will reconsider my ban in light of this appeal.

I have spent many enjoyable hours on your server, and over the years I have come to consider many regular players as friends. It would make me extremely sad if I were to find that I could no longer have such pleasant and friendly interactions as a result of what took place today. Please know that I want to live in a world where people's individual freedoms are respected, whatever their race or nationality.

I understand that the freedom to make jokes cuts both ways, and so I personally never take offence if someone mocks my language (English). However, I understand that not everyone draws the line in the same place in such matters, and so I will take greater care in future in the event that you see fit to lift my ban. 

My player ID is: 9a21588e7fc84df188462de5ec922850

Respectfully yours,

Tom Tucker

Thank you very much for your leniency in this matter.

Regarding the chopsticks comment; again no disparagement of any race was intended there. While travelling in Europe a few years ago, I made friends with a group of Chinese guys who were very happy to joke about chopsticks with me, although I understand that on the internet, deprived of additional information conveyed through tone of voice and facial expressions, such jokes can be misinterpreted.

Comedy (even bad comedy) is something that I hold very dear, and I hope that it will be possible eventually for people around the world to converge on a set of values whereby the freedom to make jokes can survive without this in any way impeding racial tolerance.

Thank you again for your kind and fair response. 

=HOG= wrote:

Im going to lift your ban despite me finding it offensive in addition to your comment about 2 chopsticks. Do it again and you'll be banned permanently