Agreed that regurgitating a term you were fed may get you an A- in a Philosophy 101 class. Of course it doesn't hold a lot of weight when the realities on the ground are considered. But go ahead, using cites from that thread, make your argument.
You used a logical fallacy when you stated that John condoned racism by remaining silent on the topic. Remaining silent is on a topic is not proof of any position.
Your logic fail is text book. I sure John has your car keys as well.
ARGUMENT FROM SILENCEhttp://www.logicallyfallacious.com/index.php/logical-fallacies/55-argument-from-silenceargumentum e silentio
Description: Drawing a conclusion based on the silence of the opponent, when the opponent is refusing to give evidence for any reason.
Logical Form:
Person 1 claims X is true, then remains silent.
Person 2 then concludes that X must be true.
Example #1:
Jay: Dude, where are my car keys?
Bob: (says nothing)
Jay: I KNEW you took them!