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Friday, February 10th, 2006
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7:54p - Racism
Yeah, I'm surprised too!
But apparently white people cannot be anything but.
Saying the n-word is worse than beating a black person, or lynching, or dragging someone behind your car, or spraying protestors with firehoses.
Let's say we have two white kids.
White Kid #1 has grown up in the KKK. He attends white power rallies. He shouts the n-word at random passing black people and throws things at them. He's trying to avoid getting convicted of first-degree murder on account of the time he and his cousin Jim-Bob saw some black kid sitting at "their" table in the cafeteria and decided to "teach him a lesson."
White Kid #2 has grown up in a neighborhood, and going to a school, in which he was often the only white kid in his classes, on his bus, at neighborhood parties. He follows hip-hop culture from A to Z, because it's what he grew up with. On any given night, he'll be hanging out with his friends, perhaps one or two of whom are white, not that he's given it much thought. He speaks as they do, including occasional n-words, because he has no appreciable sense that they are different from him, or that he is different from them, unless someone happens to mention their respective races.
White Kid #2 is a worse racist than White Kid #1, apparently. Anyone who sees where White Kid #2 is coming from is also a racist. And anyone who would not commit violence against White Kid #2 is a racist.
Yes, I have two people arguing (well, they're idiots, so I'm not gonna pursue it over there with them anymore) that offensive speech out of ignorance or social context is worse than racism out of malice.
And that in a debate about semantics, social context or intent doesn't matter.
So, y'all: It doesn't matter if you're in the KKK, a social worker, or screwing Jesse Jackson: you're a racist if you even grant that the n-word may exist in a grey area in some cultural and social contexts, and that it's better to explain if you find the word offensive than to threaten bodily harm against the offender.
And we wonder why Americans can't talk honestly about race. ::rolls eyes::
(If you're one of those idiots, over there arguing that white people are inherently racist, don't bother commenting, you'll be banned from here. I am really not interested in hearing from people who will threaten and screech against others who, honestly, are not lighting up the fucking cross you've put yourself on. Either come to me ready to actually listen to someone whose skin is a different color but lives in the same goddamn country you do, or go say your piece somewhere else, because I really don't give a fuck about your racist ignorance.)
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7:54p - Tethers
Hey y'all, I'm at the end of my tether with people in general; I'm gonna go live offline for awhile. Not sure when I'll be back posting on this or really following the Internet in any real way. If you wanna wait for me, fine; if not, fine too. (If ya leave, you won't know when I'm back.)
I'll be watching comments of course, probably responding to them, if there's anything pressing. There's e-mail if you need to chat. And if you have a pressing need to remain on the flist while I'm gone, like you need a flocked post or something, let me know and I'll put you back on.
(comment on this)
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