This will all be very disjointed and very random.
The conversation went like this:
Ryan: Man, I’m freezing.
Cook: Do you want me to warm you up?
Ryan: Sure, you want to get naked?
Cook: What are you a faggot?
Ryan: Hey dude, I don’t like that word.
Cook: Oh, it’s ok. One of my best friends is gay.
He wasn’t being mean to me. We always tease eachother like that. I just didn’t like him saying “fag”.
It reminded me of a Weekend Update with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon. The skit went a little something like this:
Jimmy: Today at the San diego zoo a black bear was found to have…
Tina: Wait a second.
Jimmy: What?
Tina: Why do you have to call it a black bear? You don’t call a Polar bear a white bear! You know what you are Jimmy? You’re racist…no, you’re specist.
Jimmy: Oh really? Really Tina. Well I’m going to make a fool out of you Tina Fey ’cause I happen to carry something around with me. (Jimmy pulls out a framed picture of him with a black bear in a wedding dress) I happened to be married to a black bear! So whose the idiot? You or the guy who married a black bear…thats what I thought.
end scene
Use whatever word you want, racism, prejudice, bigot, intolerant…whatever the case…what’s up with it, huh?
Rasheed Wallace (a basketball player) used the slave/master relationship when complaining about him being on the receiving end of many technical fouls this week. If a white guy says that, there would be an uproar. As a matter of fact those of you who know sports might remember the idiot John Rocker who ruined his career by making racist remarks a few years ago. Doesn’t Rasheed (who gets paid millions and millions of dollars for playing a game) disrespect those who lived in slavery just as much as a white guy who makes those remarks? Just because he’s black doesn’t mean that he has the right to equate him getting fouls (for 16 million $ a season) and his ancestors getting beat as slaves. Seems wrong doesn’t it…even if he is black.
Is the unnamed cook at my work justified in using crude remarks about the homosexual community simply because he knows someone associated with that group? Behind his comments, I believe, is the fact that he has no ill will toward that group and that he’s just joking. But does that change the fact that he’s using a slur against a particular people group? Could he have said the “N” word if he had friends who were African American? Doubt it.
In closing, I wish I were Jewish. I wish I were a minority of some sort. It’s a get out of jail free card when it comes to comedy. I can’t make fun of many people. If I were Greek, though, I could make fun of the Greek culture. If I were a Jew I’d make fun of Jews. You get the idea. I think Seinfeld even had an episode about this topic. The unspoken rule apparently is that you can be disrespectful of your own people. The only problem with this is that making fun of white people isn’t funny unless you’re a African American doing it (and that itself should be against the rules right?).
In second closing…I often get up in arms about the fact that as a white male I am a member of the most discriminated group in America. You know all the arguments associated with that point of view…there can’t exist scholarships soely for white males. Or. If it comes down to two canidates for a job these days the minority always wins over the white dude. Blah blah blah. My only thought that I think I think about this is that it’s amazing that it has not been even 50 years since segregation ended in America! Thats pretty amazing isn’t it? Though we were in the post civil war era, though we had that one thing called the emancipation proclamation, though we no longer had slaves here in America, we were still a legally and blatantly racist society within this existing generation. That means that African American’s have only had one generations time to work their way up from the forced bottom rung that we (Caucasian America) made them start at. That seriously and genuinely sucks doesn’t it?
In my real and final closing I’d like to leave you with this: I don’t like Jessie Jackson. I think he’s more racist than most hillbillies from Arkansas. I don’t like Rasheed Wallace. I think he’s more racist than a Church of Christ elder from Texas.
the end
Yeah I struggle with the f word myself, I've kicked the habit with so many words that were so silly but I still struggle with that one, man I'm stupid. Anyway I know I've really really hurt some great people with that gross mean slur. But yup…
I came back from Portugal saying the N bomb all the time. Thats just what you said over there. All my friends were Africans (the real kind) and they would always tell me "Ryan, what am I? I'm your N%$*&#!. Call me your…" you get the idea. So when I came back I naturally called all my friends by that. In the end my wife made me stop. I now call my friends Brer Brent and Brer Jessica. I think it's better that way.
did you watch oprah yesterday? casue it was about this very thing…ryan, caught in the act of watching oprah.
"A Church of Christ elder from Texas". Ha!What if all then went out of the arena of race, and into any kind of insults. Would that mean that I could only call someone stupid if, in fact, I was truly stupid? Or only retarded people could call people retards? (Wait, maybe that SHOULD be the rule on that one…)
Dude, solid post. I wish I had some sort of answer to these questions, but . . . A part of me wants to say that we make too much out of words and we shouldn't all tip-toe around eachother trying to not offend. Maybe if we actually got to know one another and could gage the intent behind people's words then we could call our friends 'fags' and 'niggers' and 'chinks' and 'wops' and 'retards' without giving any offense (ok, raise you hands people, how many were offended that I actually typed those words? Even though they don't refer to anyone in this context, no one is being degraded or defamed, but we still allow words to have that kind of power. That's a little odd to me . . .).On the other hand, I am infuriated by the "Christian" group that go around with the protest signs that read: "God hates fags" and "Go to hell, faggot". They are the opposite of what Jesus was and what he wants us to be. They use those (and other) words for the simple reason that they are hurtful. They don't want to know anyone beyond a derisive label that can be used to catagorize, dehumanize, and dismiss individuals with whom they disagree. Jesus would engage with people and tear down the labels that the world used. Jesus crossed social, political, cultural, religous, and economic boundaries in order to reach people and to love them. Epithets tend to reinforce those boundaries and so work in opposition to the heart of Jesus.
Good comments all. I HATE racism. It ticks me off when people say racist things and then excuse them by saying, "But it's TRUE." The truth or falsity of the accusations were never the issue, the TOTAL lack of disrespect for those people whom you are defaming and for the rules of polite society are the issues![What I don't understand completely is whay Carlos Mencia, Family Guy and Lamb don't offend me. Maybe it is because they are using travisty to make fun of such things.]For the Christians out there, the Apostle Paul argues that people should behave by societal standards in I Corinthians 11, when he talks about head coverings for women, a societal requirement for women who were in public places during that time (like removing hats was in the early part of the last century in America). He argues for societal standards again when he insists that services be conducted in a way that outsiders will not find offensive in Ch 14. Try to avoid it all you want, but the truth is that Christians are required to respect the standards of society (and surpass them). So, maybe political correctness has gone a bit too far, but that doesn't mean that the impulse which drives it is wrong.
I think "I think he's more racist than a small town Church of Christ elder from Texas," is more accurate.But tomato, tamaaaaaaato.
I'd also like to argue that Christians are discriminated against. It's cool to be PC and tolerant about other faith's and spirituality but not Christianity. At least this is what I'm finding in my (christian) grad program
reading James' comment, or not reading it as the case may be, has made me loose all… um… i forgot what i was going to say."i don't know what to say" followed by the longest comment ever. Your comedic timing is priceless, Jimmy… priceless indeed.ps: i will nevermore call you Jimmy. Jamie maybe? No?Ok. I have to tell you, i saw that weekend update, and i laughed my butt off. i feel guilty for laughing at some things that are not very nice… like monkeyfishsquirrel butt sex. but i do. and i can't stop. But… no one likes anyone else, but we keep pretending like we care what others think. Just today, in Les Bois, i saw a news story that said "Christmas is back at Wal Mart" or something like that. That is really the opposite of what this post is about though, so… I'm going to go… um… do something else and then come back with a real comment for you.
ps: we just talked about the "God Hates Fags"/ "Thank God For Dead Soldiers" couple in BJ class on Thursday…
3 days later: I like how Unnamed Cook was able to turn it around and make you the homosexual one when, in all actuality, he was being weird and asking you if YOU wanted HIM to warm you up… what's with the weirdos at your work, Ry… weird. O.(i am of course making a slight reference to the former Maxim Mormon Manager– best story of my life…)
Has there ever been so many annonymous comments on one post ever? I think it's Arwen, but I'm not sure why she wouldn't log in.Anywhooo, I'm sick and delirious so reading all the comments has left me confused and sick and delirious. Nothings really making sense right now so just in case I'd like to clear up what I think about racism:Although I think pollitical correctness often goes too far and although often it becomes more of a joke, I do think that the intent behind it is noble and should be honored. Just because I don't agree with how it has expressed itself does not mean that I don't agree with the idea behind it. I believe that that idea is to think about others before you speak, to put their potential pains and hurts before your own ease and joking.Tara: Jones is a Jew. And I'm proud of it.Anonymous: I think that I often hurt people or at least say hurtful things in the name of being funny. Even if my friend is ok with me calling him a slur, what does that communicate to others? It's just a dangrous road that I've decided to ignor. I think/hope that I can be funny without it.Ty: I think you're exactly right. PC is goofy. It often degrades those it's trying to protect simply by it's rote usage. Christians, however, have the opportunity to be nice and to love people not based on anything about thier behvior, background, or family but because Jesus died for them just like he died for the rest of us.Kara: I actually know of quite a few elders at big name churches who I consider to be racist. I doubt that many of thier friends would agree with me…but thats ok. And I'm know it's not true of many…but it's still funny. I'm pretty sure that our society says that it's ok to make fun of Christians, so I'm still ok on this joke.Kristi: I think that Christians do better when they're in minorty or even persecuted. Granted, I obviously don't want that, but I think it serves as a reminder that this world is not our home, that we Gods servants in an often hostle world. etc…
I completely agree with you, and its one thing that my husband and I promise to do in my house: no derogatory comments are allowed in my house. I always considered the "white males are the most segregated group" in the United States. However, I hesitate to disagree with you. There are numerous groups that do not have a voice, a society or group to advocate for them, or the means to actually speak out against what kind of treatment they receive. I know you don't know me, but I know you're friends with Arwen. I'm not here to stir the pot; I just wanted to throw my two cents in. I feel that people with disabilities are far more discriminated against than white males. It’s more obvious with people who have physical disabilities. Those people get stared at and looked at and even talked about like they don’t exist.Ever think about the words that we use to describe something we don't like? Such as: Idiotic, Stupid, Lame, Dumb, Retarded, etc. have all at one point been used to describe someone with significant cognitive disabilities. These people have been historically marginalized and continue to be affronted by society and do not receive equal support now.Now, I'm here to get up on my soap box; I do agree with you. I cannot stand any form of racism, classism, sexism, etc. to the point I will not watch a TV show that I feel is defamatory to others, (especially Carlos Mencia, and even the George Lopez show.) I'm sure you're thinking that “she's a stick in the mud” but I think poking fun at racism in comical matters just propagates hate and makes people think that it's okay, when quite simply, it is not.
Good points. Thanks.I totally agree…whats funny though is that I love Southpark. I think it's that they make fun of every race and people grouping possible which makes it somehow ok. I don't know, I guess I don't really watch it much (we actually don't even have a TV), but I sure do love it.Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Boil it down, it's either "a closed mind" or "selfishness". I know people who "HATE racism" but are so "closed minded" that the conversion is over if you disagree with them. (even when their possession is based on hearsay). "right Ty" ? The question is not where you are, but how far you have traveled. (Grace enters in) I once knew a cofC women that came from the south and went to church three times a week. She told me "A (n word goes here) has no more of a soul than a mule". Here daughter (three times a week cofC) told me "If a girl has a baby before she is married she will not be saved, even if she repents and becomes a Christian". When you try to talk to the granddaughter, its all about her or what you should do for her. (yes still another three times a week cofC er) and yet the forth generation, who also view themselves "Great Christians" continue the closed minded, judgment of others. So before you condemn the "elder from Texas" do you know how far he has come? is he just carrying on the family tradition? It doesn't matter what you call it; being racist,or judgmental,or foolish enough to believe what your taught or told with out researching it,or closed minded,or lazy,or arrogant, are all wrong.