The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I was being sarcastic and taking the whole thing to an extreme.

Why? Seriously, just curious. Does it bother you that it's not socially acceptable?

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by wendybeth

Why? Seriously, just curious. Does it bother you that it's not socially acceptable?

I was taking the whole thing of being offended to an extreme, specifically "chink in the armor" eventually becoming offensive.

While I am not for intentionally offending people, I am not easily offended. Social acceptance has never been something I am concerned about.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Regarding your other example, GD, I think there is a difference between ignorance and racism. Once someone is educated as to the connotations and still continues to use it, it moves from ignorance into racism.

I don't disagree. But unchecked ignorance leads to tacit racism. I absolutely think it's right that we hold public officials to a higher standard regarding these kinds of things. It's their JOB to say the right things, and if we don't hold them to it, than as a society we are implicitly encouraging it.

As someone who has had those kinds of Jewish slurs aimed at me, both in ignroance and in hate, it stings either way. Even if the individual is simply ignorant to the offensive nature, it's a painful reminder that we're still in a society that needs to be educated.

In regards to G2DL's trifecta, I was kinda bugged by a comic strip last week. Zits ran this strip last Tuesday...



I actually ended up writing to the publisher (zits@kingfeatures.com) and asked what they thought about this parallel version of the "joke":

Jeremy: Haha! Billy, your shoes look so Jewish!
Billy: I AM Jewish, Jeremy
Jeremy: I know. I didn't mean "Jewish" as in "practicing Judaism". I meant
"Jewish" as in "cheap".

[Alex]

I agree for the most part. But part of being a politician is sidestepping the stupid scandals as well as the justified ones. And this is an easy one to sidestep.

There is a spectrum here. Chink has obvious non-racial origins. The origins of "tar baby" are entirely racial even if not originally derogatory. "Jew," as in "to jew down the price" is entirely racial and derogatory in origin.

There is no easy objective basis for determining where words not at the extremes fit into that spectrum.

[Gn2Dlnd]

This argument is so gay.

Trifecta!

[Gemini Cricket]

GD ~ THe cartoon didn't show in your post above...

[Ghoulish Delight]

Poo. Well, try this link instead

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/zi...?date=20060725

(you might have to do a refresh to get it to load the image).

Replace "Jeiwsh" with "gay" and "cheap" with "lame" and you've got the comic strip.

[mousepod]

GD, just wondering if you think that the last panel (that you don't quote) is making fun of that kind of speech. At least that's how I read it.

Here's a link that might work.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by mousepod

GD, just wondering if you think that the last panel (that you don't quote) is making fun of that kind of speech. At least that's how I read it.

Here's a link that might work.

I thought that at first, and expected the strip to take the issue and run with it, showing its offensiveness. But it didn't go anywhere, it was a one-shot strip and comes across to me as, "Haha, isn't it funny that he meant 'lame'." All the last panel says is that it might be confusing, not that it's offensive.

[Alex]

I read it as "isn't it funny that he has no clue why the guy 'misinterpreted' what he said." So I'm reading the intent of the strip a bit differently than you are.