The most offensive thing about the above post? That he spelled "you're" wrong. Am I some insensitive jerk? No, I am an openly gay man. I honestly have no problem with labels. And apparently neither do most of the people I associate with. I am the first person to make a gay joke or even use the dreaded F word, FAG. For me, it isn't the word that is the problem, it's the intention behind it. And perhaps some of you will believe this is just a coping mechanism for me, a way to be socially accepted by the majority. I disagree. I believe that we give words power, and making a word taboo only enhances its power. Believe me, you can tell when someone puts some hatred behind their words, and in those cases, I may react differently. I have asked others about it too, and they have similar answers. My Korean friend will refer to his "slanty eyes", A Mexican friend will say "all Mexicans look alike", etc. Truthfully, I think everyone is a little bit racist or holds some stereotypical views, and being able to poke fun at yourself or your own groups is a way to disarm others. Recognizing that we all make judgements and assumptions is essential to overcoming them.
Now obviously my philosophy doesn't apply to everyone. And I do not advocate discrimination! Do I approve of Westboro Church's activities? Absolutely not, but I tolerate/ignore it. Why? Because they make themselves look ignorant and uneducated. They do ridiculous things to get attention, and I don't have time to worry about 40+ people and their insecurities.If anything, they achieve the opposite of what they intended. They have destroyed their credibility and made themselves the new minority.
UNL Haters. (2012). http://unl-haters.tumblr.com/
Frazetta, J (2009, Aug 7) Avenue Q - 'Everybody's a Little Racist' Broadway Cast [Video File]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RovF1zsDoeM
I like that you included the clip from Avenue Q. When I teach face to face sections I always show that. I hope that it breaks the ice and says "nobody's perfect so let's just be honest and real about the language that we use and ask ourselves why we do it."
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think you are spot on with the notion of intent. Feminist and gender equality movements have been huge proponents of reclaiming hurtful words like bitch, queer, slut, etc to transfer power from those who use those words for hateful purposes and instead use them as a rallying cry for political activism.