As a kid, when I would neglect some chore assigned to me, my old man would say, Get up! Don't be a Bharti Sipahi. A seemingly innocent remark, (as innocent as a Sardar joke made in the absence of a Sikh) remnant of a time when political correctness was perhaps not always the primary concern, which would indeed be in very bad taste, were it to be made in the presence of an Indian. You must realize here that such indulgences are the unsavoury fruit of the same thought process which suggested that one Pakistani Muslim soldier is equal to 10 Hindu Indian soldiers and the one that invented the evil Hindu Bania. While such indulgences may seem harmless in the grand scheme of things, In reality, they are the continuation of the installation of hatred and bigotry that has been handed down to us by previous generations. This forum is joined by impressionable youngsters which are supposed to steer our countries out of this primitive mess that is the South Asia of today. Will they be able to do so if they too are plagued with this curse of hatred and bigotry?
Always give your fellow members the benefit of the doubt. We all expect others to behave respectfully to us when we haven't given them a reason to do otherwise. Please show civility, etiquette, and respect when you converse with someone. If you think that they don't deserve your respect, by all means, ignore them. Treat people as you would treat them in real life. If someone tells you that they don't like to be called by a certain name then don't call them by that name. Isn't that what you would do in real life? If some thinks that I'm being a hypocrite here (I probably am. I cannot always do what I preach) then I would ask their forgiveness.