Muzosi, that's exactly what you're required to say. You've done a fine job of proving a point made by another poster here. Should anyone dare to speak the unspeakable, even in jest, the storm troopers such as yourself show up and attempt to stamp out those who do not conform. I'm not part of the PC crowd so go *bleep* yourself.
I honestly think everyone should take about two steps back here and breathe...
Race relations are a complicated issue. The United States is one of the few places in the world where so many diverse ethnic and racial groups freely mix, and America has a less than stellar history of treating new racial or ethnic groups with the basic courtesy due all people.
I'm an American of Irish descent. My ancestors faced extreme prejudice when they first arrived on the shores of this nation. The couldn't find jobs (outside of Irish controlled areas) and were called "micks" which at the time was a term as derogatory as "chink," "gook," "nigger," or one of the new ones, "twinkie." The important distinction to make is between the word and what is meant by the word, and that is where resentment and problems really begin.
There are a lot of Americans who want to put the days of racism and bigotry in this country behind them. The "PC" movement is one expression of that idea, but it is only one. Every American, no matter how enlightened they see themselves to be, has prejudices. Most of them are learned, but they are there. Some of the prejudices are against a racial or ethnic group. People with these types of prejudices make easy marks, as modern society is far less tolerant of racial bigotry. The problem is any type of prejudice is dangerous. Prejudice leads to mistrust and misunderstanding. Mistrust and misunderstanding can lead to fear... and as Yoda said in Phantom Menace, "fear leads to hatred, and hatred leads to suffering..." A bit cheesey, but a kernel of truth is there. Other prejudices are more insidious. I have problems with some groups of people. It's not based on race so much as it is belief. I see some beliefs as fundamentally illogical and irrational, and I have to be mindful that they probably think the same of me. If I attack them verbally (rather than debate them or discuss issues), then I'm acting in a bigoted fashion as well.
When it comes to the use of "non-PC" language, for lack of a better term, one must go to the motivation, not the word. When one uses a term deemed racial slur, why is it being used? Is the individual angry? Is the individual afraid? Is the individual filled with hate? Is the individual simply being thoughtless and insensitive? Americans of African descent and the rest of the country don't always use the word "nigger" the same way. As with any form of communication, the meaning behind the words is what matters. The bottom line is that it's often hard to tell. In the vast majority of cases, the person is probably feeling put upon and is simply lashing out at a likely target. In the small minority of cases, this is an individual filled with hate who may actually take action (witness the assaults and murders following the WTC attack).
Unfortunately the words can often hurt. I shouldn't have to put up with someone slandering my race, religion, or ethnicity me because they're having a bad day. The whole PC thing came about out of that concept. It's a question of paradigms. The "radical PC Paradigm/stereotype" (i.e. the one that many who have spoken most vocally against the "PC" concept use, which is actually valid for some portion of the "PC" crowd) says that "anyone who uses racial slurs or speaks out against a group of people as a whole is most likely a bigot. Bigots are racists. Racists have caused all manner of atrocities through history and can't be allowed to perpetuate their hate." That's taking it to the nth degree, but it seems as if everyone here wants to not only see the issue in black and white... but everyone wants to wear the white hat. Have some people taken the concept of "PC" too far? Definitely. Is it treating a symptom rather than the problem? Definitely. So how do we deal with the problem? How do we decrease the lingering racism and bigotry that still permeates our society? Can we eliminate the cause and the lingering effects of racism as well? It's not an easy question. I, for one, would settle for eliminating racial prejudice and bigotry. Isn't going to happen, but I would like to see the country move toward that.
Therefore when some people attack views as being "PC" and say "it's time to dump the PC nonsense." That's being read as "tolerance is for weenies, racism is back with a vengeance." On the other side of the coin when anther person attacks what they view as a racist remark, that is being read as "you are guilty of wrongthinking, you will be re-educated or silenced." In short, it's fear playing upon fear.
I think most of us here can agree that race-based hatred and/or prejudices is inherently wrong. There is a line between “laying out all of the facts” and “spewing racial stereotypes.” Right now we have a dog pile all over that line… and we all need to take three steps back and see where that line really lies. |
