I (expletive deleted) Hate Politically Correct

in #lgbtq6 years ago (edited)

I do. I really, really hate PC.

This started out as a comment, but I think that over a certain size a comment should learn to stand on its own. I don't know what size that is, but I think I am nowhere near done so I'm calling it. Therefore, I'd better give this some context.

I was going to comment on a post by @katrina-ariel, recording a conversation (With edits, fortunately. Even @ancapbarbie was a little shocked by one or two things I said, and I don't think she shocks easily.) between @ancapbarbie, @katrina-ariel, and myself. That post is here.

I can't type to save my life, so in chat like discord I have to choose my words carefully or the conversation may have changed three times before I respond. In posts and comments I don't have this problem. Nobody but I will know that this took me several days. I get to rant to my heart's content, so here goes.

Nigger. I understand how offensive that word is, and I will never address anyone by it. Maybe a black man has the right to label himself and his homies thus, maybe not, but I understand full well that I do not have such a right. What I do not understand, however, is how "the N word" is any less offensive. The word is Nigger, people, however you try to dress it up. It is offensive, and it is meant to be.

"I'm gonna beat the crap outa him cuz he called me the N word?" I think not.

Niggrah. Fortunately, I believe that word is disappearing, since it is merely a pretence at civility. The proper word is Negro. Any distortion is impolite at best.

African American. Now there is a bullshit term if ever I've heard one. A Negro born in the USA can't be just an American, he has to be some sort of (inferior) hybrid?

The best term for persons of African descent, to my mind, is from the 60s and 70s. Black. As in Black is beautiful. Or, if you want to really scare the crap out of the bigots, God is Black, and She is beautiful.

Next, please.

Native American. Another bullshit term. A native, I am told, is a person born in a specified place or associated with a place by birth, whether subsequently resident there or not. That means most of the people here other than me are natives of (the United States of) America.

Another interpretation could be not of immigrant stock. Could be, but isn't. Everyone is of immigrant stock. The so-called Indians (I think to sell Columbus' lie that he was looking for and had found the East,) came from the west across the bridge that then existed between Mongolia and Alaska, and then spread south. The rest of you came by sea from the east, apart from a few who island-hopped across the Pacific.

Actually, the only people in the world who have not migrated from somewhere (wait for it, racists,) are those in certain parts of Africa. See, I knew you'd love this. You are all black. There are no races. When you call another man a nigger you call yourself a nigger. The only difference between an Ethiopian and an Alabaman is intensity of sunlight. It's just pigmentation that has you all upset.

I got a little carried away there. I was talking about the people we used to know as Indians. Which they obviously aren't. The correct term, politically or otherwise, should probably be their respective tribal names. The proper ones, not the ones the white men gave them without so much as a by-your-leave. Often, I understand, that tribal name will be "the people" in their language. For what are they if not people?

Next, please.

Back to black people, for I have an interesting anecdote to relate. Once upon a time, after the dinosaurs but before many of you were born, I drove a taxi for a small company in central London. One of my fellow drivers, whom I will call Gary, was from southern Ireland, near Cork I think. Now Gary had this beautiful Irish brogue. He was also rather tall, maybe 6'2". The most obvious thing about Gary though was that he was (and I hope still is, he'd be about my age,) as black as the ace of spades.

I don't think there are many Black Irish, there certainly were very few in London. In front of strangers we would always call him Gary, but amongst friends and especially to his face we would call him the Leprecoon. It was probably our boss who first called him that. Our boss helped teach me how to be outrageous without taking a beating. Anyway, Gary liked his new name; I think he felt we trusted our friendship enough to take the mickey.

So you see, it's not so much the name as the context.

Next, please.

Queer. Faggot. Fag. Nancy boy. Shirt lifter. Homo. Sissy. Queen. Brown hatter. Limp wristed. Fairy. Pansy. Pouffe. Lesbo. Dyke. Butch. Femme. Tranny. And many, many more. I myself have been called quite a few names from this list. Personally I like bent as a nine bob note.

This particular part of my rant is more about LGBTQ+ than it is about all the less savoury terms. All I have to say about them is roll with it. Often the ones calling you names are just jealous because you can be who you want to be but they can't be who they want to be.

Once upon a time people were either straight or queer, queer being a sort of one size fits all term for those who differ from what are considered sexual norms. We're here, we're queer, get over it. Then gay took over. I have to admit queer pride doesn't have the same ring to it. Then lesbians wanted seperate billing. I mean, there were always lesbians, but it was the gay community. After that, bisexuals wanted their own letter too. Why, because they are part-time faggots? Next were trans people. Okay, I think I understand this one. A female born in a male body or vice versa may be gay or straight, but either way deserves support under the gay umberella. But Q? Queer? Isn't that where we came in?

Next, please.

Two hippies are walking hand in hand down the street past a construction site. Amongst the wolfcalls and whistles comes a shout of "Which one of you is the boy?" One hippie replies "Suck my cock and I'll tell you." That hippie might have been me.

Nowadays I am buysexual. If I want sex I have to buy it.

*-If you feel offended by my little rant I promise that was not my intention. However, in order to feel offended you had to have read it. There is hope.

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Trust me, I'm a doctor.
Catweasel

Never ascribe to malice what may be adequately explained by stupidity.

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Personally, I've always loved "gay as a picnic basket" or "queer as a two dollar bill" (US-centric as it may be). I prefer queer as a descriptor, and I generally use it to describe both myself and the community as a whole.

As for n*gger...I'm Black, but I almost never use it. It can be employed for shock factor in a moment where I need to shake someone out of complacency, but usually only in the context of racial justice education. I do have a poem I've never sent out for publication anywhere that uses it over and over again, though! I was getting my frustration about police shootings out, and that's where the poem went. It's a very angry piece.

Anyway, I don't necessarily agree with all your points, but I appreciate where you're coming from. Thanks for sharing!

I've never heard "gay as a picnic basket." Thank you for adding to my vocabulary.

In Canada it was "queer as a three dollar bill." I don't know about now, but when I were a lad Canada had a two dollar bill. In Britain "bent" means improper in some way, possibly criminal, as in "bent politician" if you'll forgive the redundancy, (I could have just said crooked, but why waste a mediocre joke?) while "bob" was slang for shilling. With 20 shillings to the pound, a ten bob note was half a pound. Decimalization screwed that up with 100 pence to the pound. The 50 pence piece replaced the ten bob note. "As bent as a 45 pence piece" never caught on.

I understand n*gger for effect, but even if you called yourself that in conversation with me I, as a white person, would never assume the right to call you that. Some privileges can never be earned. And your very angry poem is probably best kept close to the vest until you absolutely need it.

Of course, you don't need to agree with me at all. The fact that you understand what I'm saying and we can discuss it on any level is a Good Thing.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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Having been called n*gger by people who absolutely meant me harm, I find it makes me pretty uncomfortable, which is my main reason for avoiding it, but it does have its place in some conversations, I think.

I've been in kind of a weird place regarding PCness lately, because I came up in this really reactionary social justice community that forbade use of a whole slew of language, some of which I now use. I understand the arguments for not using some of the language used, and I have clearly thought out reasons for why I use most of the ones I do. Disabled vs person with disabilities is one example: based on the social model of disability, I use the term disabled. But I'm not pulling out my (metaphorical) brass knuckles to beat up people who use the "wrong" terms like a lot of folks I used to hang out with would. Frankly, that kind of behavior strikes me as elitist bs now. As long as someone isn't being intentionally hurtful, I find I have far more tolerance than I used to, which is probably a good thing for my ability to actually communicate with other human beings and not just a tiny segment of teenagers on Tumblr or whatever.

If someone means you harm they will find a way to try to provoke you. "Hey, faggot!" will do just as nicely. Or "spic" or "kike" (even Grammarly doesn't like "kike") or "Polack." Whatever they think will wind you up.

I am not "a person with disabilities," I'm just decrepit. Hang on, does that include mentally? Okay, I am "a person with disabilities," but if you call me that I'll probably fall asleep before you are done. On the other hand, "Americans with Disabilities Act" was likely to get more votes than "Cripples Act." "Disabled" will do fine, thanks. Hell, "crippled" would be fine by me if it applied.

Elitist bs, lipstick on a pig. I think we are in accord here, even though we use different words.

If someone calls me out for being politically incorrect and I have the time, look for another rant. On the other hand, if I call you "screaming poofter" (I promise I wont) and you tell me (as you already did) that you'd rather be called queer I will mostly call you queer. I say mostly because I may tease you sometimes.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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As for the two dollar bill, it is a real thing in the US, but produced and circulated in tiny numbers. In everyday transactions, it's pretty rare to see them. Not actually sure where I picked up "queer as a two dollar bill," but I've been saying it (mostly for comedic effect, among other queer folks) since I was a teen

Excellent rant. I think the most important piece is having conversation with each other, taking things in context, and being educated enough to consider words before saying them. Now, I don't always think things through before I speak, but I try.

Or, if you want to really scare the crap out of the bigots, God is Black, and She is beautiful.

I love this. Why shouldn't the Goddess be black and beautiful? God/Goddess lives as each of us, so of course she is! I smile at black people all the time because I think they're beautiful, and I live in an overwhelmingly white Canadian town. They probably think I'm some weird white chick (true), but to me diversity is gorgeous!

I think PC is an attempt to have people wake up to the fact that everyone deserves respect, that we are all human and have far more in common than that which makes us individuals, but PC falls short of actual respect. That we have to bridge ourselves.

I know, you shouldn't let me off my leash. You especially shouldn't let me off my leash and then go to sleep.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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Duly noted. I also need a stronger padlock for your cage.

lol! You two. Thanks for the laugh, @enchantedspirit. ;)

When people complain about 'political correctness ' what they are often saying is they don't like that when the say ignorant assed shit, that people now call them ignorant assed shits.

Also, you don't really get to tell others how they identify and what language they wish to use, nor what language they find offensive.

It's about respecting each other, and if that's to hard or censorship or a conspiracy, then build a bridge... and get over it, cause the world is changing... for the better.

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And yes, the world had damn well better be changing for the better. I've worked hard all my teen and adult life to that end.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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I complain about PC because it does nothing but paper over the cracks. It changes nothing.

I don't get to tell anybody anything but what I think, what I feel. I get to rant. Dammit, I get to rant.

I respect anyone who has not proven themselves to be undeserving of respect. The woman who proclaims she has no problem with "homos and lesbos" whilst railing against said "homos and lesbos" with every other post citing misinformation and out and out lies, her I do not respect. You on the other hand, and your friends in LGBTQ+ discord, you are a fine gathering of ladies and gentlemen who deserve respect and get it from me. That there are people from whom you do not get it is sad.

Of course others may find themselves unable to agree or relate to my thoughts. I would be astonished if everyone agreed with even one thought I've tendered here. That does not automatically make me wrong. That does not mean I rely on privilege to state them.

  • White - BFD
  • Poor as poor can be
  • A bit Buddhist around the edges - definitely NOT Christian - although Christ himself had a lot of good things to say, unlike a lot of his so-called followers
  • If I must declare - Heterosexual - and thus often a stranger in a strange land - some of my best friends are straight, but far from all
  • Old and decrepit, but I always find the strength to lift the seat - and put it back
  • Citizen of Air Strip One - how much does that buy me in the land of the free and the brave?
  • I earned my privileges

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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You absolutely get to rant, :)

Good lord, I'd live in an echo chamber if I didn't get other peoples rants, hell I rant, you have seen it :)

I consider that our opinions are not that far apart actually, just that life has made us walk to the extremes of our actual positions... occasional. :)

What's interesting, is the conservative origins of the term.

It has an Australian context, but it's a fantastic read.

http://theconversation.com/political-correctness-its-origins-and-the-backlash-against-it-46862

The article is on my list. I promise I'll read it soon. Do you have a spare tuit? A round one would be nice, but I'll take what you have.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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Thank you very much, that's a big help. You are wonderful.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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I wasn't shocked. But give me a bit to read through this and possibly formulate a more thorough reply.

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