{{ NUMOL BITES }}

eateroftrees:

LookingOut: I’m starting to get really wary of language policing

krona:

leonineclaire:

two people attempted to call out BFP (radicalhottoff) for using ableist language when BFP experiences the disability and was using it appropriately and also in her explanation outlined her relationship to a particular word. 

and krona, i don’t understand the question. could you please rephrase it?

Sure. My question was more of a statement. I think that “language policing” is a bad phrase. I think it is arbitrary and used to dismiss people’s concerns. For example, one asshat may call someone taking exception to their usage of a racial slur “language policing”. And when there are silly things that need to be called out, I think there are better phrases. 

edit: Or am I just language policing now? :P

edit 2: Apparently (see my blog - anon question after this post) ‘language policing’ is used to describe someone being attacked for their use of English (or another language) and grammar etc. That makes a lot of sense. When I said it was a ‘bad phrase’ I was referring to when it is used to dismiss people’s concerns when being called out for being shitty, as it was in previous posts in this discussion, before I knew it had another (benign!) use. Thanks for the info anon!

Having been one of the people involved in that fuckup I’m going to side with the “We need to be really careful when discussing language” position.  Because it’s actually really easy to completely screw things up (as I demonstrated) and really hurt someone, which is, obviously, not something anyone wants to happen.

I’m not going to say being critical of usage that’s harmful is a bad thing, because language is really important, but calling out specific people’s usage (in contrast to say, a more general “This word has some unpleasant meanings attached to it” type discussion) needs to be done really carefully and with a good amount of awareness of the context.  Otherwise you’re going to end up hurting people.

i’m the other person responsible for the fuckup and i’m gonna be really, really careful about this subject, because i do not trust myself with it much at all anymore.  probably i won’t be saying much of anything about it.

but i do agree that context is important.  that may be the only thing i’m actually pretty sure of in this conversation.  i agree that (and i’m sorry if i’m taking the wrong points away from the conversation i’ve read so far) sometimes a call-out is needed, and sometimes it is a terrible fucking idea, and sometimes whether or not a call-out is needed does not even apply to me anyway because it’s just not my place to do it.

@eateroftrees: i’m sorry your ADHD is being erased — i am having trouble thinking clearly about this right now so i’m not sure if i have yet read any of the post(s) where that erasure is happening.  but i’m sorry it’s happening.

(Source: creatrixtiara)

{ On avoiding oppressive language }

(*warning*, as there are examples)

trastorn:

Don’t view it as a chore. See it as an opportunity to become more innovative and precise in your command of the English language. If you want to insult someone, it’s really easy to just say ‘piss off, you retarded bitch.’ But aside from being ableist and sexist, it’s not particularly creative either. Now if you said ‘you are a massive stain on humanity and I absolutely cannot be bothered to deal with your fuckery any longer,’ you’ve been much more cutting without relying on bigoted and oppressive language.

(Source: antesdachuva, via janedoe225)

{ Dear everyone, }

sheresists:

silverfuck:

when I talk about oppression, it’s not because I want your goddamned pity. In fact, you can shove that back down your throat. When I talk about oppression, it’s because I want you to acknowledge it exists and do something about it.

That is all.

SO much of this.

(via mytongueisforked)

{ When people constantly complain about having to be politically correct. }

genderbitch:

taniada:

You may think you’re a rebel, but really, you’re just being kind of a douche. You’re not a special snowflake because you don’t want to be ~*one of those oversensitive PC people*~. Yes, you have freedom of speech. Yes, you can say certain things. But that doesn’t mean that you should.

I can’t possibly articulate my thoughts better than this article manages to do, so I’ll just leave an excerpt here:

“…deriding left-wing* efforts to change mainstream behavior towards marginalized groups as “political correctness” is itself a subtle and politically correct way of supporting racism, sexism, and other forms of marginalization.

…Political correctness, to many, is just that. It is elitist, acceptable, “correct” to not make racist jokes. To make a racist joke is to challenge the status quo, to bravely breach manners and etiquette and correctness. It is to be the maverick that the mainstream loves to se itself as. At the far end of the right wing, it’s standing up against those fascist liberals. But in reality, those who fight what they deride as “political correctness” are doing the very opposite. They are the status quo. They see themselves as defenders against an oppressive takeover of the public sphere. Yet all that is asked of them is that they not insult marginalized people. By their refusal to stop, they are demanding that marginalized people put up with more oppression.

Political correctness, real “political correctness”, demands an end to the continued marginalization of those peoples. It is not a matter of what is offensive, distasteful, or “correct”. Therein lies the major misunderstanding, even among those who advocate for political correctness. I don’t give a damn if something is offensive, distasteful, or what. It is not about that. It is about marginalized people, and not kicking them when we’ve already stabbed them, stolen their lunch, knocked them over, and punched their kids in the face a few times.

…They are not asking for “correctness”. They are asking like everyone stop acting like they are not in the (figurative) room.

And you know what? We have a right to demand an end to a culture of marginalization, an end to rape culture, an end to celebrating indigenous genocide. And so on. This is not the same as demanding that someone change how they think, or act. But culture works through social pressure, and the only way we can change our culture is through exerting some.”

*As a disclaimer, I see left-wing folks get all up in arms about “political correctness”, too, so I don’t think it’s just a right-wing problem.

Thiiiiis^

^ oh yeah!

(Source: bubonickitten)

{ “I understand how you feel” }

eateroftrees:

ethanology:

bearwitnessunto:

eligavin:

If I had a friend who came to me upset because they were dealing with the ugliness of racism, the last thing I would say to them is that I understand.  Because I don’t.  I’ve never dealt with that, I’ve never lived their life, and so there is no way in hell I can pretend that I know what it feels like to be them in any particular moment.

And so, while people may have good intentions, it drives me absolutely insane when people who aren’t trans try to act like they understand how it feels, like they know what it’s like, because frankly they don’t.  Being trans is not just about “being a boy trapped in a girl’s body,” and I would never in a million years describe it as such.  Imagine being unable to look yourself in the mirror without being disgusted, having to suffocate yourself everyday to look more like you’re supposed to look and still being called a “lady” or “woman.”  Imagine missing out on every gender-related childhood experience.  Imagine being treated like your identity is a complete joke and being one of the most legally unprotected minorities.  Imagine walking through life without anyone seeing you for who you are, and instead giving you an identity that is not your own.  Imagine not even being able to go to the bathroom in most public places, and finding every day to be a fight to be treated with dignity.  Imagine being unable to receive medical care for something you truly need because insurance companies consider it “optional” and categorize surgeries that for many people are life and death as “cosmetic.”  Imagine being a taboo to some, and a freak show to others.  And by the time you’re done with all that, you probably still won’t have the slightest idea of how it feels to be trans, unless you yourself are trans.

I don’t know why people seem to have such a hard time saying “I can’t imagine what you are going through, all I know is it must be extremely hard, and I’m sorry you have to deal with this.”  When someone trusts you with their thoughts and struggles, you don’t have to understand, you only have to support them.  And whatever you do, don’t belittle their problems.  If it’s not your life or your experience, it’s not your place to judge how hard something is or how much emotion it’s worthy of.  Rant over.

ALL OF THIS. EVERY WORD.

Truth.

Pretty much.

signal boost.