![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
A quick lesson in bigotry and tolerance
While not every adult using this journal system is part of the educational staff, I felt a few recent comments deserved looking over.
First, assume you came across a message with this basic content:
Mutants are scum. Every one of them. We don't need them, and the moment one steps out of line we have every right to visit physical violence and assault on them, and be applauded for it. After all, just because a few are bad, that's obviously reflective of the whole.
Most of you - being reasonably rational and intelligent people - would dismiss this as a raving lunatic racist, akin to your average Friends of Humanity protestor or internet troll.
But replace the term "Mutants" with "Humans". Imagine someone - let's say someone on this journal system - was espousing hatred and violence towards humans. After all, there's a lot of them out there who hate us, right? And they discriminate against us in ways both obvious and subtle. So that must mean it's okay to hate all of them, right?
Wrong.
It's wrong, and every single one of us with a functioning brain stem knows it.
Further distillation: replace the subject with, say, "Men".
Oh, then it becomes a valid complaint? Something to be ignored or waved off? No. It's bigotry and hatred all the same. There's a line between valid emotional venting and outright hate speech, and lately it's not only been crossed, but crossed in a manner akin to the Germany/Belgium border in 1914.
To the students: A lot of you have had direct interaction with jerks, and discrimination, and abuse, and hatred. But you haven't turned around and become that kind of hate-fueled monster yourself. That kind of self-control and enlightenment is to be commended. For whatever stumbling blocks you all might encounter as individuals, none of you have become the kind of reactive bigots that give humanity a reason to hate and fear mutants.
To Jennie: You, however, have achieved EPIC FAIL at common decency and rational thought. Maybe the common denominator in all your failed relationships is you.
First, assume you came across a message with this basic content:
Mutants are scum. Every one of them. We don't need them, and the moment one steps out of line we have every right to visit physical violence and assault on them, and be applauded for it. After all, just because a few are bad, that's obviously reflective of the whole.
Most of you - being reasonably rational and intelligent people - would dismiss this as a raving lunatic racist, akin to your average Friends of Humanity protestor or internet troll.
But replace the term "Mutants" with "Humans". Imagine someone - let's say someone on this journal system - was espousing hatred and violence towards humans. After all, there's a lot of them out there who hate us, right? And they discriminate against us in ways both obvious and subtle. So that must mean it's okay to hate all of them, right?
Wrong.
It's wrong, and every single one of us with a functioning brain stem knows it.
Further distillation: replace the subject with, say, "Men".
Oh, then it becomes a valid complaint? Something to be ignored or waved off? No. It's bigotry and hatred all the same. There's a line between valid emotional venting and outright hate speech, and lately it's not only been crossed, but crossed in a manner akin to the Germany/Belgium border in 1914.
To the students: A lot of you have had direct interaction with jerks, and discrimination, and abuse, and hatred. But you haven't turned around and become that kind of hate-fueled monster yourself. That kind of self-control and enlightenment is to be commended. For whatever stumbling blocks you all might encounter as individuals, none of you have become the kind of reactive bigots that give humanity a reason to hate and fear mutants.
To Jennie: You, however, have achieved EPIC FAIL at common decency and rational thought. Maybe the common denominator in all your failed relationships is you.
no subject
Ms. Stavros, I don't know you. I'm new here, and reaching out isn't my best forte, but if Mr. Forge came on here and vented about how a girl he liked was with another guy behind his back and he booted her between the legs, I think your reaction would be fairly similar to his is angeredness (just from what I've read here and on other posts, mind you) and dismissing what he's said with, uh, flippancy? Is that a word? Well, that thing. It just goes to prove his point.
"When children have their feelings hurt, they break their own toys. Adults move past it." I think Mr. McCoy said that once. Anyways, Just my two cents.
no subject
Think about it, up north here the second a guy socks a girl everyone is screaming "ABUSE" at the top of the lungs.
When a girl hits a guy, it's totally socially acceptable.
...Hot damn, I love this part of the country. I think I'll go out and beat up men tonight.
no subject
Jennie's just in "grr, argh" mode. She'll get over it, I'm sure. If not, and she doesn't want to go out with any more guys, at least we'll know she won't be kicking anyone in the balls for making out with someone else.
no subject
I didn't have the most mature of reactions, I will be the first to admit this, but I was not the first person in the history of the world to get thrown out of a bar for kicking a douchebag ex in the testicles and I most certainly will not be the last. Having everyone come down on me like I've just killed a puppy is, shall we say, overkill. For those of you who think that I am in the wrong, we will have to respectfully agree to disagree and leave it with that, because any amount of public shaming will not work. It's been proven, repeatedly, that I am immune to it. If Forge had come to me, IN PERSON, and discussed how what I had said and done had offended him, then I would have given it all due respect.
Coming on the journal system, disrespectfully comparing me to a bigot when definition of one is, and I quote: "a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion." and in no way involves "words spoken in the heat of the moment which have no actual bearing on said individuals ACTUAL beliefs" while acting all high and mighty when he HIMSELF has not exercised the best judgment in tense or emotional situations caused me to treat his statements with the respect they deserved.
Does this answer satisfy everyone? Or do we feel the need to drag all the other bad things I've done in the light and wave a shame finger at me? Because the only people I've ever owed apologies to have already been apologized to. I am not perfect. I have never claimed to be, nor do I expect others to be. How can we be forgiving and tolerant of people who hate and fear us, and yet turn around and become wholly intolerant for those of us who screw up?
(Did everyone seriously have judgment tea with their breakfast this morning? Seriously, the hell?)
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I find that the best touchstone for this sort of thing is: turn the situation around and look at it from the other side. Would it seem fair to you in that light?
Sadly, not many people can do this. Which is why we have concepts like "reverse racism" and the like.