Fraud alert Fair warning to Audiogoners.

Asa,
You seem to know an awful lot about abstract theory of social systems. But to bring it down to earth, are you suggesting that Glreno's inadvertent mention of the ethnicity of his suspects was a "general observation on the norms of a given culture" (ie, Arabs' dishonesty)?

I neither assumed nor implied that his inadvertent reference to the culprits' ethnicity was even intentional. But people do make innocent slips and these are often indicative of subtle but harmful stereotypes held by otherwise well meaning people. In this case, Glreno's allusion to ethnicity added absolutely nothing vis a vis the information necessary to help the reader spot a scam. It would have been just as meaningful if he had replaced "persons of Arabic descent" with "persons with red hair" - but that would have sounded quite out of place.

You can call it "political correctness" if you want. My experience is that that is a term bandied about by people who are unable or unwilling to consider change - another group of people who "need to get over themselves".

Gboren,

I vehemently disagree.

Their ethnicity has a great deal to do with "information necessary to help the reader spot a scam."

Should one pursue a purchase through Audiogon (or any other board) the possibly may arise for the buyer to talk with the seller by phone. And if the buyer has been apprised of a scam that is being run by a particular group of people, if the buyer recognizes an accent, this one piece of information alone may be the difference between being taken for thousands of dollars or walking away.

Certainly an accent is not an indictment of the seller, but it is just one more piece of information the buyer processes to help make a decision. And if the seller is unwilling to accept a phone call, then that should certainly raise an eyebrow, as well.

When I was a police officer and later an investigator, I ran across people like you who were always screaming about political correctness. It always seemed funny to me that some people are more concerned about the "feelings" of a group of people than the misfortune of the victim.

Next time you are scammed or you are robbed and beaten, when you call the police, make sure you say nothing about the person's race, color or national origin. It might hurt someone's feelings or reflect poorly on a particular group.

Better yet, don't even call the police. Just call your PC friends and commiserate about how the criminal wasn't to blame, but rather, "it was society's fault because he was labeled or discriminated against."

Audiogon is a great service to all of us and *any*, let me repeat, *any* information, that is available helps make it easier when purchasing equipment from a seller one doesn't know.

Warren

I'm not web saavy enough to find the real names behind these "handles" Glreno lists in one of the posts(mickeykaiser, davidknight, johnbrighton, afrank, dave2k, robertshef, johnbroughton, angelo_calic, andrewsmith, stophatin11@aol.com). But these certainly don't sound very arabic to me, if at all. I should know, check my last name. However, in light of Glreno's law enforcement background he is probably privy to info most of us here aren't. Given that, how does it matter what ethnic group these criminals belong to. It's not like we're meeting these people in person where ethnicity might serve a purpose in identifying etc.

Gboren - well put.

I think Glreno was just trying to point out that the folks in these scams were disguising themselves as anglo-americans as part of their crime.

Possibly to gain confidence in buyers that they were buying from a good ol' boy.

Well now that some of us have taken offense to some of Glreno's alleged " ethnic remarks. " Suppose we get back to the point. Someone is trying to rip us off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Glreno was attempting to advise us. Frankly I don't give a rip if the guy ( who is trying to rips us off ) is purple and is from mars! I'm just glad that someone tipped me off. What was that someone once said? " To err is human, to forgive divine "

Sometimes the American public is way to sensitive. I heard the other day that someone is try to force school children to say " Good person's day " Instead of " Valentine's day " Sheeeesh! What's the world coming too????

Suppose we get back to audio equipment now?