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I just wanted to speak about something I saw floating around Facebook (an opinion) that deeply disturbed me and seems to be a pretty popular meme amongst some Australian folks in the wake of HeyHeyGate.
I think I could live my whole life without hearing the phrase "This is political correctness gone too far". Someone even evoked the phrase "Thought Police" in reference to people being offended by those that found the horrendous Blackface Jackson Jive act funny.
As I said in response, when you're having a discussion about "political correctness", replace those two words with "Treating Someone as an Equal" or "Not Discriminating Against" or "Not Being A Raging Arsehole".
I'm going to lay it out clear on the table, for now and for future discussions. If you're not for political correctness, if you're not for heightening the cultural tone of this country, for stamping out inequality, for ending social injustices... If you value a few white cis hetero temporarily-able-bodied folks right to have a laugh at other people's expenses over the right of those people they're laughing at to live a life where they don't have to fear the discourse of others, the presence of others, to fear living in society at all, then I'm sorry, I don't know if I'm quite the friend for you.
Because before too long, I will butt heads with you, and I'll call you out on your privilege. It might be uncomfortable. But shit - I expect people to do the same to me. None of us will get any better as people if we don't.
There'll be times where I'll grit my teeth cause I don't want to ruin a whole day. But there are also times when I will say, "Dude, that's not funny" or "That's not right". I figure I'll probably lose a few friends this way.
I get called oversensitive, humourless, goody-two-shoes. I can at least go to sleep at night knowing that I'm doing what I can to change the world for the better. Even if it's just starting with my own values and behaviour.
I think I could live my whole life without hearing the phrase "This is political correctness gone too far". Someone even evoked the phrase "Thought Police" in reference to people being offended by those that found the horrendous Blackface Jackson Jive act funny.
As I said in response, when you're having a discussion about "political correctness", replace those two words with "Treating Someone as an Equal" or "Not Discriminating Against" or "Not Being A Raging Arsehole".
I'm going to lay it out clear on the table, for now and for future discussions. If you're not for political correctness, if you're not for heightening the cultural tone of this country, for stamping out inequality, for ending social injustices... If you value a few white cis hetero temporarily-able-bodied folks right to have a laugh at other people's expenses over the right of those people they're laughing at to live a life where they don't have to fear the discourse of others, the presence of others, to fear living in society at all, then I'm sorry, I don't know if I'm quite the friend for you.
Because before too long, I will butt heads with you, and I'll call you out on your privilege. It might be uncomfortable. But shit - I expect people to do the same to me. None of us will get any better as people if we don't.
There'll be times where I'll grit my teeth cause I don't want to ruin a whole day. But there are also times when I will say, "Dude, that's not funny" or "That's not right". I figure I'll probably lose a few friends this way.
I get called oversensitive, humourless, goody-two-shoes. I can at least go to sleep at night knowing that I'm doing what I can to change the world for the better. Even if it's just starting with my own values and behaviour.
