re: #156 JordanRules

Like, what in the world would make you think it’s okay for you to repeatedly use THE American racial slur as an in-group person and expect to be considered an ally.

You can disagree with why we can use it and you can’t and still be congnizent enough to not use it. We can deal with that later, but it might be one of the most clarifying examples of privilege. You just HAVE to use it repeatedly and can’t even fathom not being able to. Have a seat lady!!!!! You have no idea what true restrictions of freedom and being are. None.

I don’t get it either. It would never even occur to me to use that phrase in any context, though I know exactly what it means.

Ugh. I read her Twitter feed. She is deliberately using such language precisely to upset others and denying being (that is, lying about being) a racist.

When called on it, she simply doubles down again.

I am aware that cultural perceptions of the dominant culture (that is, WASP in the USA) seep into all of us whether we want them to or not. (Wasn’t too long ago Polish-Americans weren’t considered “white” either, but we weren’t enslaved and put under Jim Crow laws.)

It is not hard (at least for me) to see when a stereotype is taking place of a reasonable position about people. Most people are the same in a number of ways: They want to survive, love their families, get along with their neighbours, &c. All cops aren’t evil, all African-Americans aren’t criminals, all Latinos aren’t shiftless, all southerners aren’t bigots, all priests aren’t child molesters, &c.

I’m not a sociologist (nor do I play one on LGF) but it would seem to me that bigotry in any form comes from lazy thinking (lack of exposure to others doesn’t really explain it - if I have never met someone from another country, religious group, &c., how can I form an opinion about that person, let alone the group).

When I was in the Navy, I went to a whole bunch of countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia Minor. I was always on my best behaviour (sailors aren’t always drunken louts, either). I was never treated with anything but respect (well, maybe some curiosity) in any nation I went to. I got to see and do things in port visits that many never did, because I was interested in each and every person I met when I was overseas.

That might be part of the problem: It’s easy to say Group X is (criminal, lazy, shiftless, unintelligent, name a trait). It’s hard to explain why that isn’t so to someone who thinks that way. (Hence, hate radio is an easy sell in any country that allows it.)