Gillard, what the hell!?

[logansrogue]

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/pm-wants-refugee-debate-without-borders-20100704-zvo3.html

When I hear people say, "Oh, let's not have to worry about political correctness" or "This is political correctness gone mad", I want to PUNCH FACES. I find that very distressing, because I'm a pacifist and I do not hit people.

Political Correctness = NOT BEING AN ASSHOLE.

So when you say, Ms. Gillard, "Let's not worry about political correctness," you're saying, "Let's exercise our institutional, long-standing white privilege in this discussion, regardless of the feelings of those that need our help or may already be here after seeking our help, for the benefit of those that are uncomfortable being confronted with that privilege or having that privilege challenged in the first place," or, basically, "HEY, FREE PASS TO BE A RACIST ASSHOLE, ONLY, YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY RACIST IF YOU'RE SCARED OF BROWN PEOPLE, LOL!"

I am so annoyed by this. I'd be disappointed, but I was more hopeful about Julia Gillard rather than convinced of her Leftness and expecting definite improvements in policy. She's doing what she can to keep Labor in government, I understand that. She's savvy and shit. I just wish people weren't such small-minded turdburgers that that sort of thing was necessary.

Looks like I'm hopelessly voting for Greens again.

Comments

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I understand where you're coming from and I can even see the line of your reasoning. I just can't agree that a viable solution is to drop a word from vocabulary every time someone expresses offense at it. If I use a word someone doesn't know or like, they can ask and I'll explain the meaning or origin, or if I don't know and find out it does have offensive origins sufficient to drop its use, I will. As for the written word, if you're holding a book or paper, chances are you have access to a $4 pocket dictionary or a library, where they are free. The Internet has reputable dictionary and etymology sites if you can afford to be online reading or go to a library to do so (again, free reference books).

If you're referring to non-English speakers, then my part on the conversation is moot, because I certainly wouldn't expect speakers of Swahili or German to drop words that I don't understand simply because I don't know rheir origins - or meaning.

However, all you're advocating is personal choice to regulate one's own word use, and I am all for that freedom and commend you for having a philosophy that you've also given thought and effort to developing. Not everybody does.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm so glad I have the sort of people on my flist that can have this sort of conversation without it devolving into wank. I love you guys. *hugs offered*

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Years ago, I was on the f-list of someone who regularly stood back and let some f-listers take shots at others with no lifeline, and sometimes joined in. I always said I wouldn't put up with it in my journal or try to do it in someone else's. But really, she was polite, so there's no reason I shouldn't be anyway. :-)

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

If it gets rough, I'll step in and say, "Woah, cool off, guys!" cause I love my lj mates and hate to see people tear each other new ones.

[countessdeweird.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to be able to have this sort of conversation. Hooray for well-mannered people on the internet :)

I was a little worried about starting the discussion in your space, and probably should have asked you if it was okay first. For future reference, do you generally prefer conversations not on the topic of your post to happen elsewhere, or are you not too fussed about this kind of thing?

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

As long as people are polite and civil, anything goes. :)

[countessdeweird.livejournal.com]

I can see your reasoning too, and to an extent I agree with you. I certainly agree that people should be able to choose how they use language, and I hate to drop cool words because other people misunderstand or misinterpret them. And I think it's great for people to be educated wherever that's possible. On the other hand, though, I've come to see that expecting people to have or even to want that education can be a bit problematic because of the way that expectation intersects with a lot of the privileges I have.

I've known a lot of people who use language differently to me, and conversations about our different usage of particular words usually boils down to an assertion of privilege on one side or the other. As a fairly privileged person who's had a great education, the person asserting privilege in that discussion is usually going to be me. If I insist that my way is the right way because it aligns with the historical way, or the way in the dictionary, it can have classist or sometimes racist overtones. The people whose words are typically recorded throughout history, the people who write dictionaries, and the people who complain about other people using or interpreting language incorrectly, are usually the people with privilege. Having the access to education to know that your (general you, not you personally) way of speaking and interpreting language is the "right" way because it aligns with a history shaped by other privileged people is a privilege in itself. It'd be nice if everybody had that access to education, but if everybody had that education and adhered to the rules of how to use language according to all the centuries of privileged people who wrote the rulebook, many idioms would die out. A valuable part of many cultures would be erased. The way we communicate, how we navigate through this world, can also be very important in shaping the way we think about ourselves as individuals and understand our own identities, and telling people that their understanding of language, rooted in the idiom of a particular group, is wrong or inferior can be quite a personal attack. Telling people who misinterpret my words as meaning something offensive that isn't in the dictionary that they're wrong and I'm right and here's the academic proof, can have all kinds of layers of privilege and crap to it. That's not something I want in my interactions with others.

Meep, what a long comment this is!

Shorter version, in case of tl;dr: aside from generally not wanting to use words that I know will hurt people, issues about education and "correct" language use are often influenced by class and race in ways that can't easily be dismissed and that I'm not keen on perpetuating.