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no laughing matter
2007-Dec-24, Monday 10:28 amIt bothers me when I hear people say "That's so gay" as a put-down. It bothers me in the same way when I hear people talk about blondes, fat chicks, and "those people" (of whatever variety).
It sounds like I've succumbed to political correctness, doesn't it? I want people to stop using other people as insults. In this matter, I tend to have liberals on my side, while conservatives decry any standard for Polite Thinking [tm]. "Freedom Of Speech!" and all that rot. Yet the hypocritical tables turn when the favored target changes to different groups of people. Consider rap songs waxing eloquent about the killing of police. Now the conservatives talk about needing censorship, and liberals talk about artistic exploration of the real world. "Freedom Of Speech!" and all that rot.
Let me be the first to state that I like uncensored Bugs Bunny cartoons with their violent content, and I like computer games with their violent content. I believe that this universe is a violent place, and pretending otherwise is a disservice to us all. But simultaneously, I realize that what's true of individuals (and their liberties) is not the same as what's true of populations. These small things (blonde jokes, "I shot the sheriff" lyrics, and "that's so gay" comments) really DO affect people.
So what is the middle ground? Where does individual freedom of expression fall beneath the weight of responsibility to the population?
I remember several years ago when the KKK had their rally at the St. Paul capitol building here in Minnesota. I met people who wanted to utterly silence the KKK. I know the danger. I've had police involved when a suspected Klansman threatened my life long ago. But I didn't want them silenced. Instead, I wanted people there who would challenge them at each and every step, speaking counterpoint to their every sentence. The visual image that stays with me is this:
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Voltaire, sort of
Some people die as a result of the things that other people say, and some people suffer discrimination. Is that cost still more acceptable than a society which forbids seemingly "harmless" phrases and speech? I'm undecided.
It sounds like I've succumbed to political correctness, doesn't it? I want people to stop using other people as insults. In this matter, I tend to have liberals on my side, while conservatives decry any standard for Polite Thinking [tm]. "Freedom Of Speech!" and all that rot. Yet the hypocritical tables turn when the favored target changes to different groups of people. Consider rap songs waxing eloquent about the killing of police. Now the conservatives talk about needing censorship, and liberals talk about artistic exploration of the real world. "Freedom Of Speech!" and all that rot.
Let me be the first to state that I like uncensored Bugs Bunny cartoons with their violent content, and I like computer games with their violent content. I believe that this universe is a violent place, and pretending otherwise is a disservice to us all. But simultaneously, I realize that what's true of individuals (and their liberties) is not the same as what's true of populations. These small things (blonde jokes, "I shot the sheriff" lyrics, and "that's so gay" comments) really DO affect people.
So what is the middle ground? Where does individual freedom of expression fall beneath the weight of responsibility to the population?
I remember several years ago when the KKK had their rally at the St. Paul capitol building here in Minnesota. I met people who wanted to utterly silence the KKK. I know the danger. I've had police involved when a suspected Klansman threatened my life long ago. But I didn't want them silenced. Instead, I wanted people there who would challenge them at each and every step, speaking counterpoint to their every sentence. The visual image that stays with me is this:
me, nervous about the rising emotionality, beginning my walk back to my car. passing through the crowd at the main steps, looking downward at people's feet to help me navigate, not seeing any faces. catching a glimpse of a man's fist wrapped around a rock, held at his side.*shudder*
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Voltaire, sort of
Some people die as a result of the things that other people say, and some people suffer discrimination. Is that cost still more acceptable than a society which forbids seemingly "harmless" phrases and speech? I'm undecided.