All My Hats At Once (my take on political correctness)

[mark414]

Forgive me if I offend you somehow. My mother told me never to lie.

I'm pro-black but I laugh at racist jokes. I'm feminist but I'm a pig. I rarely tell people I'm a Jew. And I'm down with queers but if someone calles me "gay" I'll say, "Fuck you." And I'm a person who loves unconditionally, but I have high-tech defenses the Pentagon couldn't get in. I'm blunt and I see through your bullshit, but I'm your cheerleader cheering you on. It's not easy to balance these hats on my head, they fall over my face like a dunce, but to me, that's what it means to be human, wearing all your hats at once.

from 'No More Prisons' by William Upski Wimsatt

I couldn't agree with him more

[Screaming Lord Byron]

1. Why would someone be pro-black? I'm not.

I'm pro-people.

[RandomKoolzip]

2. I'm pro-pain.

And boy, am I gassy right now!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

4. Perhaps it's something to do with your posture.

That doesn't look comfortable to me.

[RandomKoolzip]

8. Style over comfort, baby. Always.

Words I live by.

[Ripley]

3. Cop out.

And when someone uses the term PC, it usually means they are pissed off that they can't say the same old sexist, racist, etcist shit at the office anymore.

[mark414]

5. no

you don't know me.

[Mizmoon]

6. Poltical Correctness is a conservative construct

A long time ago people realized that they names they were called had an effect on how people thought of them. Hence, people decided that blacks should be called "negroes" instead of "niggers", women should not allow themselves to be called "bitches", etc. By taking the time to recognize why it's better to call people "Asians" than "Oriental", you come to respect them more along the way.

This went so far that some maligned groups decided to try to reclaim certain words ... this led to women calling themselves "bitches" and blacks calling themselves "niggers". They wanted to take the power of hurtful labels away.

But the racists and sexist among us didn't like this reclimation and attention to language, so they made up a demeaning name "political correctness" and made people ashamed for trying to be sensitive. To a large extent, it has worked very well, like most of their evil plots.

[wryter2000]

9. That's it, exactly.

Since when is courtesy such an onerous burden? Thank you.

[LisaLynne]

7. What is so wrong ...

with people NOT wanting to offend some one else? Why would that be a prison, as the author seems to be trying to claim? Don't get it.

Ugh, chamilto just said what I was trying to say, but better. :)

[mark414]

10. the book is about prisons in the literal sense

sort of...you have to read it, he goes all over the place

it's more a manual than a book

i think any and all DU'ers should read Wimsatt's books

[Christof]

11. We all are like that.

Some people just won't admit it.

As far as my take on PCness goes, I hate it. I hate it when someone tells me to call indians "Native Americans" because the term "indian" is racist (I don't think it is and I'm an indian--Chippewa :)). I hate it when anyone tries telling me something is racist or is "wrong to say".

Let's face it, racism is in the eye of the beholder. You may find a word racist, and I may not. It varies from person to person.

But as far as saying these words that may be offensive or racist, you don't do that in front of people you just don't know. Because those people may find those terms offensive and/or racist.

[VelmaD]

12. If you want to act like an asshole...

go ahead. If you can find big words that make you feel better about acting like an asshole...good for you.

Just don't be surprised when people tell you you're acting like an asshole.

[Brent Turbeaux]

13. This is a delicate subject, of course, but...

It really has more to do with intentions, respect, and tact, than anything else. I believe it's entirely possible to laugh at, or tell, a racist joke, and not be racist OR offensive in the least. For the intelligent, the humor exists on a different level, as most of the racist jokes I've heard or told have been in the company of the very same race being joked about. My Mexican friends have the best Mexican jokes you've ever heard, but it's not about disrespect, it's about laughing at a construct--laughing at the IDEA of the joke. Of course tact comes into play, and one should never make anyone that they're around feel uncomfortable.

On the other hand, you've got people who sling racist jokes as if they were sharing trivia; the people who BELIEVE the content of the joke, and feel that it distills some greater point they weren't able to make with their limited mental abilities. That, to me, is offensive, and having been on the receiving end of those types of jokes, many times, it puts everyone in an uncomfortable position.

We're all on this big boat together, and if we can't laugh together about the stupid stereotypes that people pin on us, then there's no saving us!

[Christof]

14. I really like what you have written in your post.

I agree with you 100%.

BTW, welcome to DU. :hi:

[nickgutierrez]

15. Very true

And on an internet forum, with as wide a membership as we have, it's next to impossible for everyone to understand the intentions of the original post. That's why I try to avoid posting in threads like this one, usually, because it's very hard to not offend someone.

But this is a good post, and I felt obliged to respond.

[No2W2004]

16. Geroge Carlin:

"I love words. I thank you for hearing my words. I want to tell you something about words that I uh, I think is important. I love..as I say, they're my work, they're my play, they're my passion. Words are all we have really.

We have thoughts, but thoughts are fluid. You know, . And, then we assign a word to a thought, . And we're stuck with that word for that thought. So be careful with words. I like to think, yeah, the same words that hurt can heal. It's a matter of how you pick them.

There are some people that aren't into all the words. There are some people who would have you not use certain words. Yeah, there are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven of them that you can't say on television. What a ratio that is. 399,993 to seven. They must really be bad. They'd have to be outrageous, to be separated from a group that large. All of you over here, you seven. Bad words. That's what they told us they were, remember? 'That's a bad word.' 'Awwww.' There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad Intentions. and words."