Political Correctness‽
Out there in a different part of the "Matrix" I stumbled into a discussion of
Take for example the issue of pronouns and gender identity.
and thought, "With all the wall-to-wall politics this should refreshing." The first comment just seemed to be so very perfect:
It is not being "too sensitive" to expect that people in a democratic and theoretically equal society should treat each other and each other's ideas with respect by default.
I would have used the word "equatable" rather than "equal" but that is a quibble. I keep trying to understand why it seems to be so very difficult to get adults to think like my five year old granddaughter. She is inquisitive with no expectations, and I intend to reinforce that point of view (by setting an example) for as long as I am able. I want her to grow up in a very different world.
Comments
Back in time, I read a novel that fixed it all.
"per" neither sex or other, just person. I was struck.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
But what about the rest of us?
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
I assume it'd still work
cats are persons too. Or should it be written as "purr?"
There are other critters. Perhaps "fur"?
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
Ah, but there's the true genius of it.
There is a certain group that has weaponized our desire to be nice, decent human beings, and goes out of its way to FIND things to be angry about.
As in: You look Nice Today.
Response: OH WHAT, are you saying I don't look nice everyday? Or are you saying that I exist for your sexist gaze, which only turns me into an object. Heads up guys, I do NOT make my appearance for you to comment on! You should NEVER EVER give unsolicited comments about my appearance. In fact, I'm also insulted that you consider somebody's looks to be more important than what they have to say! In fact, you should JUST STOP TALKING, because you clearly have only hateful things to say.
This is far more common than you think.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
ugh
you just gave me flashbacks to when I bothered engaging with radical feminists. And yes, it is far more common than a lot of people think. And I think it's still on the rise. Kinda why I can't call myself a feminist, as that movement has been overtaken by those who don't want equality. I'd rather we have a movement simply called the "Egalitarian Movement." Harder to change that into a biased movement.
And of course, me suggesting that the feminist movement needs to be replaced is so sexist that my hands need to be chopped off so I can't spread my hateful views across the internet.
Sorry.
But yes, those tactics are foul, and used across the internet.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Radical Feminist here
I am a radical feminist and I refuse to let anyone coop that designation. I have lived the life for too long to be forced to change. My parents became radicalized in the late 1930s and 40s. I learned this point of view in the late 1950s as a pre-teen so while I understand why you would prefer something like "Egalitarian Movement" I respectfully decline to acquiesce.
Unless you think women deserve more rights than men
And that men should be stripped of some rights, you're no radical feminist. It is unfortunate, but I've been seeing that argument on the rise among self proclaimed feminists, in just the past decade. Thankfully the more crazy viewpoints (like some who proclaim they will brainwash their male children into being women, to those who claim they would go farther and castrate or change the sex of their male children) aren't becoming prevalent, and I hope it never does.
I do not accept those labels.
I live in Nebraska where by definition, being a feminist, I am a "Radical Feminist". So, if you don't like my choice of label that is not my problem.
That's the nature of labels
We never get to decide for ourselves what we shall be labeled. It's always someone else doing the deciding. To Nebraska, you're a radical feminist. To me, you're a rational feminist. To the people I refer to as radical feminists, you'd probably be called a sexist woman hater, like I am called.
One of my great regrets about feminism
is encapsulated in this story.
I'm a hobbiest photographer. One evening I was walking out of work and got to the security guard shack. There was a new person I'd never seen. She was a young black woman and she had the most freakingly awesome skin color I'd ever seen. There in that moment with the "golden hour" light hitting her it really looked more like a tawny port wine than the colors I normally associated with skin. But there was simply no way for me to say that so I simply went past and said "Hello" on the way by.
Don't get me wrong. I'm strongly in favor of things like equal pay, voting rights, and particularly the property rights attached to one's own body. But I hope we'll eventually get a better equilibrium wherein a sincere and asexual compliment that just happens to be tendered from a male to a female isn't fraught with peril.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
I live in a different world . . .
Your story reminds me of several similar encounters I have had over the years. Within a few minutes of meeting just such a person we part as friends.
That's an enlightening point
As I pondered your comment it became clear that context was meaningful. In this particular case, the context was big corporate. The risks simply weren't worth the rewards. In more social settings, I don't have any issue navigating these waters either. I hadn't really thought about the more positive cases although they certainly exist. LOL, for a while I was the person who invited all the attractive young women who modeled for my wife (figurative oil painter) to do the modelling so I obviously must be able to somehow communicate "you're pretty and I'm not a pervert".
Perhaps I need to also think on the more positive outcomes? *grin*
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
I have lead a sheltered life.
I have only ever been in academic institutions: Eastern Oregon College (1969 - 1973), Arizona State University (1973 - 1979) with three months at Los Alamos, and then Kearney State College / University of Nebraska at Kearney (1979 - 2014).
Being known as a radical feminist / leftist sets a tone that tends to repel predators and create a less threatening environment. Predators do exist on campuses and they are easy to spot.