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For those who need things simply put

It has been pointed out to me that my last post might be misinterpreted as a desire to say the word "nigger" and not get in trouble for it.

Hardly, but this is the United States. So, for the more simple:

Stating that a word is good OR bad outside of usage context is stupid. It just lays there until it is used. Only in usage does it attain any moral quality whatsoever

This dance of <firstletter>-word is not in fact, the same as not using whatever word we're talking about. It's just some inane attempt to get away with saying it without saying it. If you wish to not use a word, then don't use the word in any way, shape or form, and if someone uses said word around you, and it causes you pain, then say something in a calm, polite manner. That works better than you think.

The idea that we will make racism go away because we say "n-word" instead of "nigger" is stupid in the extreme. Racism is a set of attitudes and behaviors that cannot be changed by nicer language. Which was less racist, the idiots with the hoses in Selma, or the oh-so-polite realtor in Boston who never seemed to have any houses available in their area when someone who wasn't a WASP showed up at their door? Both were racist, one just hid it better with prettier language.

Saying "You know what ends racism? People stop being racist. You know what ends sexism? People stop being sexist." sounds flippant, but it's the only way things change. You can't change that kind of behavior by changing the words we use or are "allowed" to use. You can only change that behavior by making it so patently stupid to behave that way that people get tired of trying to defend it. When people finally get tired of hating because "it's just what you do", then it changes. But silly shit like "the n-word"? People are perverse, that's going to make the racist fucks out there justify their behavior even more.

If it sounds like I'm a angry, profane kind of person, well, sometimes I am. I'm not going to apologize for such things. I don't like being led by the nose, and told relabeling is the same as change. It's not, and to say different is lying, and lying about something that causes a shit-ton of pain. I'm not going to say I'm some poor confused white guy "who just wants some consistency in what he's allowed to say." That's crap too. I know what is appropriate under different contexts, and what is not. The fact that I've managed to be gainfully employed for over two decades, and I'm just a tish under 40 shows that. I'm not going to try and prove to you I'm not racist. I can't make that decision for you. If you're worried about it, ping me, I'll say what I think, and you decide. But even then, it's not going to be proof. I can't prove what I think and feel. That's something y'all have to decide on your own.

I am however getting more and more annoyed by this "ban list" of words. It doesn't make anything easier. It just creates a complicated veneer of "better". But that's not the same as making things better, and no, I don't think it's a small step in the right direction. You know what a step in the right direction is? The current presidential race. Regardless of political affiliation, that's a pretty diverse field, and they're all serious candidates. That's a good sign, far better than any inane attempt to prettify the language. I'm old enough to remember Jesse Jackson's runs for president, and Geraldine Ferraro's run as Mondale's Vice-Presidential candidate, and I can tell you that neither of them were taken seriously. There were a lot of factors with that, mostly dumb, but no one took either of them that seriously. Now? Ain't nobody treating Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton as a joke. They're both serious candidates. That's a better indication that racism and sexism are slooooooowly retreating than any "n-word" stupidity you'll ever see.

I'm not going to stop seeing the world as I see it or speaking about it in the ways that best articulate those views to my mind just because of what might happen. That would be allowing fear of what might happen to decide my life for me, and a repudiation of almost every good decision I've ever made. It's not a path I'm going to start down, not for anyone or any reason.

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Posted by John C. Welch at 08:16 | Permalink

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It has been pointed out to me that my last post might be misinterpreted as a desire to say the word \"nigger\" and not get in trouble for it.\n\nHardly, but this is the United States. So, for the more simple:

Stating that a word is good OR bad outside of usage context is stupid. It just lays there until it is used. Only in usage does it attain any moral quality whatsoever
This dance of <firstletter>-word is not in fact, the same as not using whatever word we're talking about. It's just some inane attempt to get away with saying it without saying it. If you wish to not use a word, then don't use the word in any way, shape or form, and if someone uses said word around you, and it causes you pain, then say something in a calm, polite manner. That works better than you think.
The idea that we will make racism go away because we say \"n-word\" instead of \"nigger\" is stupid in the extreme. Racism is a set of attitudes and behaviors that cannot be changed by nicer language. Which was less racist, the idiots with the hoses in Selma, or the oh-so-polite realtor in Boston who never seemed to have any houses available in their area when someone who wasn't a WASP showed up at their door? Both were racist, one just hid it better with prettier language.
Saying \"You know what ends racism? People stop being racist. You know what ends sexism? People stop being sexist.\" sounds flippant, but it's the only way things change. You can't change that kind of behavior by changing the words we use or are \"allowed\" to use. You can only change that behavior by making it so patently stupid to behave that way that people get tired of trying to defend it. When people finally get tired of hating because \"it's just what you do\", then it changes. But silly shit like \"the n-word\"? People are perverse, that's going to make the racist fucks out there justify their behavior even more.
If it sounds like I'm a angry, profane kind of person, well, sometimes I am. I'm not going to apologize for such things. I don't like being led by the nose, and told relabeling is the same as change. It's not, and to say different is lying, and lying about something that causes a shit-ton of pain. I'm not going to say I'm some poor confused white guy \"who just wants some consistency in what he's allowed to say.\" That's crap too. I know what is appropriate under different contexts, and what is not. The fact that I've managed to be gainfully employed for over two decades, and I'm just a tish under 40 shows that. I'm not going to try and prove to you I'm not racist. I can't make that decision for you. If you're worried about it, ping me, I'll say what I think, and you decide. But even then, it's not going to be proof. I can't prove what I think and feel. That's something y'all have to decide on your own.
I am however getting more and more annoyed by this \"ban list\" of words. It doesn't make anything easier. It just creates a complicated veneer of \"better\". But that's not the same as making things better, and no, I don't think it's a small step in the right direction. You know what a step in the right direction is? The current presidential race. Regardless of political affiliation, that's a pretty diverse field, and they're all serious candidates. That's a good sign, far better than any inane attempt to prettify the language. I'm old enough to remember Jesse Jackson's runs for president, and Geraldine Ferraro's run as Mondale's Vice-Presidential candidate, and I can tell you that neither of them were taken seriously. There were a lot of factors with that, mostly dumb, but no one took either of them that seriously. Now? Ain't nobody treating Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton as a joke. They're both serious candidates. That's a better indication that racism and sexism are slooooooowly retreating than any \"n-word\" stupidity you'll ever see.

Some folks have pointed out that posts like these sometimes can hurt my aspirations for things I want to do in life. I can't disagree with that. But I wasn't raised to hide my opinions, or \"prettify them\" or re-word them until they couldn't possibly offend. I was raised to speak well, but plainly, and bluntly. I wasn't raised to fear words, even harsh ones. If that causes me problems, well, that's the way of things.\n\nI'm not going to stop seeing the world as I see it or speaking about it in the ways that best articulate those views to my mind just because of what might happen. That would be allowing fear of what might happen to decide my life for me, and a repudiation of almost every good decision I've ever made. It's not a path I'm going to start down, not for anyone or any reason.\n

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