Uhm, clueless much?

[maygra]

Look, I can be as stupidly offensive as the next person. However, you don't need to have been brought up or live in the deep south to get what [[Witchqueen]] is explaining in incredibly patient and very clear terms. And you don't have to be a Person of Color to understand how deeply, deeply offensive and coded this word is, regardless of its etymology. How it was and has been used, in this case, is everything.

Also, see liviapenn's round up [[here]].



I haven't had much to say about the current fandom discussion/debate on race and racism. Mostly because I don't have much to contribute, and because living where I live, and having grown up here, I know without a doubt that that there are racist undertones to some of the ways I think and even some of the ways I act and react. Most of them I'm aware of and actively try to overcome, with lesser or greater success. Reacting to people on the basis of their skin color or race or religious persuasion in this part of the country is like breathing for most people. For others, it's like a sideline sport. You can ignore it, but you can't be unaware of it.

I don't know that I'll ever be rid of all of it. But I do know enough to understand that being a white woman in Georgia doesn't actually nominate me to be the know all and end all of what is or isn't offensive to People of Color.

When another white woman told me she was offended that I used the word "pissed" in what was, admittedly, a pretty angry diatribe, my concern that I'd offended her because I was cussing was markedly less than it would be if a person of color told me a word I'd used was offensive because it was racially coded. I'm pretty clear that if I'm really angry at someone, it's about something they've said or done, not the color of their skin.

I've got nothing more, because to say more would risk me either offending more or being offended more.

It's an effing fic prompt. Change the damn word.

Comments

[ginnytonnick.livejournal.com]

It's not just the mods. The members are supporting their decision.

http://reddwarfer.livejournal.com/304747.html?style=mine

http://celandineb.livejournal.com/569475.html?style=mine

http://faraday.livejournal.com/341260.html?style=mine

I just... I'm confused by the willful stupidity. Even when it's all carefully explained, these people are sitting there with their hands over their eyes and ignoring it all.

[amireal.livejournal.com]

Best part so far is I think they're using the word censorship wrong. *ponders*

[sheron]

I find it very amusing when people change dictionary definitions to suit them. For example, I recently had the following conversation with someone on a blog regarding a famous person who we are both fans of:

Person A: He doesn't have a girlfriend.
Me: He said he does in his blog. And I'd like to believe he said the truth.
Person A: Sometimes people say things that aren't true to protect themselves.
Me: So you think he would lie about it? Why?
Person A: I don't think he is a lying, but he was probably afraid.
Me: Afraid of what? And what do you mean by he lied but he isn't a liar?
Person A: Sometimes an honest person can lie.
Me: liar, n. person who lies.
Person A: He is not a liar but he didn't speak the truth about it.

etc, etc, in circles we go. That's the general gist anyway.

What I think is happening with that community is that they've decided on a definition of the word and from now on that's how they're using it and that's what it means, the end! Whenever an argument arises, it's almost impossible to pin down the exact definition of any word because someone somewhere will have grown up on a remote island and uses it differently. And of course to go with the most common meaning used by your target audience is sheep-like behavior and must be abhorred!

Or something.

[shay-renoylds.livejournal.com]

Thank you for mentioning this.

While it is understandable that they may want to keep things as "is" (indeed, censorship by its very nature brings about these issues) the instance in question seems ridiculous.

Racial coding is common. A slightly irreverent look at it ("Everybody's a Little Bit Racist" - Avenue Q) even brings out some rather heated responses.

However, while I think being overly PC can be negative because no issues are ever brought up -- when the issues are discussed it seems beyond stupid to simply ignore the definitive quality of the words.

[acostilow.livejournal.com]

*laughs* My dad was a Navy SEAL, right? And one time he was asked, "Well, surely you notice your CO is black, right?" And he was like, "Yeah, so?"

"Well, doesn't that affect you?"

"Ma'am. When I see a CO, I look at their uniform color (to see what branch), I look at their left arm (to see the rank), and then I look at their face."

They just didn't get it.

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

The good that came out of this, for me, was reading the incredibly well-worded and reasonable arguments of witchqueen and witchwillow.

The community response to the use of such a horribly laden term was callous, to say the least. They simply didn't care that the term was offensive, that they were representing the term as being something other than what it meant-- which was the equivalent of the term they were asked to substitute and refused to do, or that it crossed over to equating bestiality with interracial relationships and managed a new level of offensive.

And lost in all of this, even to me, was the notion that interracial relationships AS A KINK is racist in itself. They set up a very rigid policy of not rejecting the word choices they got out of their book, but once you've run into something that's racist instead of kinky, you should reconsider.

Because after all, who's going to tell on you? Sheesh.