I think SOME political correctness is necessary. There are those who would just say stuff to be offensive if no one called them on it, like oh, say Rand Paul, or John McCain, who likely says it out of our earshot but certainly says it.
But!
It appears that there, as always, are people who think political correctness is license to take things to a ridiculous extreme.
For instance:
KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Kansas City greeting card giant Hallmark has been pressured to remove a " hoops&yoyo " greeting card after the NAACP found it politically incorrect.
The card, which has been sold for the past three years, features the witty duo in an astronomy themed setting. The printed text congratulating the graduate for an out of this world job well-done was fine. It was the audio recording inside the NAACP representatives found insensitive. hoops&yoyo recite the following:
“Hey World, we're officially putting you on notice. Yeah! You'd better watch out because this graduate here's kicking rear and taking names. This graduate's going to run the world, run the universe and run everything after that... whatever that is. And you black holes, you're so ominous. HA HA HA OHHH. Congratulations. YEA!!! Nothin' like taking over the world. And you planets, watch your back!”
The phrase “you black holes,” was thought to come off as “you black hoes,” a reference the NAACP said is demeaning to African American women.
Hallmark has pulled the card from retail stores and issued an apology, which reads in part:
“We believe that in the context of the outer space theme and the copy itself, the intent of the card is clear: that after graduation, there is a universe of opportunity, and this graduate is ready to take it on. However, when it became evident that there was confusion, we took steps to remove the card from stores shelves, an action we felt was in the best interest of our retail partners and of consumers who perceived our words in ways we never intended.”
Hallmark says the card has been out for three years and this was the first time they received a complaint.
The NAACP will hold its convention in Kansas City next month with some 10,000 attendees.
You've got to be fucking kidding me!
What do you want to bet if it'd sounded like they said fags, not a word would have been said by anyone.
Does anyone else get sick of the double/triple standard? I certainly do. Recently at work we received an application on which the applicant had obviously made a mistake, a hilarious one, but a mistake none the less. Under the heading "What other skills do you possess" the applicant likely started to write that they were bilingual but forgot to finish the thought and wrote "I'm bi" this has illicited more than a few laughs at the office.
Yesterday the young man I work with was talking about it and mentioned that he had told his brother about it. Brother, typically said, "Was it a chick?" Young man said, no, and brother said, "Did you throw it away?" Young man said, "Yes! I mimicked like I was tossing it in the trash can! Dude, we're on the same wavelength!"
Now, in his defense he knew as the words came out of his mouth that he was insulting me by telling me, and it was way too late to stop. So we both retreated to neutral corners for a few minutes and then changed the subject.
I know where I stand with people almost always, and this guy is no exception. beating that dead horse will produce no results and I know it. So were push to come to shove with this guy I'd lose because I'm gay. Fair enough at least I know.
I could run to the boss about it and demand apologies and beat the political correctness drum, and what would come of it? I'd be the bad guy. There is a black woman at work who bullied her way into the office by playing the race card, and revealed quite quickly that she was unable to do the job. She's pissed now that I'm in that position yet it has little to do with me. She'd be mad about anyone that wasn't her in there. What she doesn't see is that it isn't her race that took her out of the running it was her ability and willingness to do what the job requires.
But political correctness bullying is what got her in the door.
Perhaps what we need is to treat each other with civility and fairness ALL THE FUCKING TIME so we don't need to say "Hey! You excluded me because I'm gay-black-mexican-japanese-lesbian-bi-native american-whatthefuck ever" excuse we use to manipulate people into doing what we want.
Yesterday I read on
Breaktheillusion.com a piece about the very real effects of this kind of exclusionary and dismissive thinking. He says:
While researching yesterday’s talky blog, I came across an article written by Dr. John R. Diggs, Jr about “The Health Risks of Gay Sex” on the Catholic Education Resource Center’s (CERC) website. I was intrigued by the article’s disclaimer, which read as follows:
CERC will not publish articles which, in the opinion of the editor, expose gays and lesbians to hatred or intolerance.
The article basically makes the case against homosexuality based on gay men’s promiscuity, compromised physical health (increased likelihood of STDs), mental health (increased depression and suicide), decreased lifespan and inability to maintain monogamy.
By the end of the article, I was fuming. Here’s why.
Sure, some gay men are promiscuous. And some aren’t. Being gay doesn’t necessitate being a slut – as adults, each of us is able to make the choices about the sex lives that work for us. Furthermore, if someone does make the choice to have multiple sex partners, is that really something you can hold against them (let alone against an entire population of people)?
When it comes to physical health, the good doctor cites an increased risk of STDs due to the promiscuous lifestyles of gay men and women (yes, he’s against the lesbians, too!). I’m surprised he didn’t express the other stereotype that gay men are more physically fit than our apparently sex-starved straight counterparts.
When Dr. Diggs dug into mental health, I was in disbelief. He writes:
It is well established that there are high rates of psychiatric illnesses, including depression, drug abuse, and suicide attempts, among gays and lesbians.
No shit, Sherlock. But doesn’t he realize that gay people are more likely to be depressed or suicidal because people like him make it harder for us to be accepted in this world? When my ex-boyfriend’s parents rejected him for being gay, he tried to kill himself. It wasn’t because there is something dysfunctional about gay people – it’s because as a fragile and young human being, he didn’t know how else to react to his parent’s rejection. Dr. Diggs is doing nothing but fueling the flames of prejudice that ensure a more difficult and less-loving world for gay and lesbian people across this planet.
The doctor also cites shortened lifespans in his case against homosexuality. With the high number of suicides in the gay population coupled with high HIV rates, I don’t doubt that gay men die younger. But maybe the answer isn’t renouncing gay people for their sexual orientation. Maybe the answer is educating gay people on HIV, and providing support for rejected or depressed gay people. It seems more productive to help lift the lifespan of people that identify as gay, rather then hold it against us.
And don’t even get me started on monogamy. Straight men are just as polygamous as gay men, we just tend to be a bit more honest about it since polygamy is somewhat accepted in our community. I’m sure that just as many straight men have extramarital relations as gay men, they just aren’t as vocal about it. And not that there is anything wrong with polygamy, but maybe we’d be more inclined to monogamy if we were given the option to marry.
The doctor, holding that gays and lesbians should be treated with “respect, compassion and sensitivity,” concludes that:
Approving same-sex relationships is detrimental to employers, employees and society in general.
Dr. Diggs is using facts to tell a story that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. His numbers may be right, but the picture he paints is far from accurate. Furthermore, he uses this narrative to make the case against homosexuality as if gay people have some viable alternative? Since we can’t turn straight, I suppose the alternative is celibacy (we know how that worked out for Catholic priests) or a closeted life of deception.
Dr. Diggs is an idiot. This isn’t a judgment. It’s a fact. And I will use this fact to tell my own narrative. Instead of expressing respect, compassion or sensitivity, Dr. Diggs has only made it harder for the gay men and women that are already up against so much. In the name of Christ’s love, Dr. Diggs is spewing hate. It’s repulsive, hypocritical and yes, it stings.
And he's right. if we educated people, which we don't do as I regularly rant about here, they'd have some sense of right and wrong, and when they speak they'd think of their audience before they do.
Yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend about analyzing Shakespeare's Macbeth, and he said "Macbeth is evil." I disagree, but that's another post altogether, what I said in return is that when looking at Mr and Mrs Macbeth one can't apply the common rules. If you really want to find out what drives these two you can't approach their character with the notion in your head that they're evil. I suppose the play is about murder but what do these two want so badly that they're willing to kill the king to get it. That's the question. Not their morality, that's obvious, not their sanity, that becomes obvious, but what do they want, and what are they willing to do to get it.
What do we really want, and what are we really willing to do to get it is the the question that should be posed to political correctness bullies. Looking at people for what they can do, for what they can bring to the table is the right thing to do, but we teach each other to hate on sight instead. Educating everyone that ability trumps everything, would answer so much of this. Yet we close schools and cut education budgets because we can't afford to make our populace smart.
And so it goes:
