Hmm

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Somebody just doesn't get white-male privilege? Or is there a stronger point: one should not be harsh to anyone, not even whites, men, nor even Christians or libertarians?

Comments

[dexeron.livejournal.com]

In the world of privilege, context and history don't exist.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

But what about the argument for the high road that says we shouldn't take shots at the privileged, either, that they are, after all, humans?

[wight1984.livejournal.com]

Seems fair, but no need to make that point by pretending that all insults are equal.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

But I'm also thinking: wouldn't this high road take all 'the funny' out of the world, or at least much of it?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Social justice warriors lack the basic understanding of humor, so they have no context of what's being lost.

[icelore.livejournal.com]

I like that. Not everything said to minorities and/or women are said *because* they are minorities and/or women. But in the new pissing contest that is the privilege debate and oppression olympics, that fine point seems to have been missed.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

I don't mind if the 'social justice warriors' manage to carve out some safe places, in which everyone must be on their absolutely best behavior, where never a suggestively ill word is said against anybody else, but I sure do hope we maintain a strong 'free speech' rule overall in this country. I like having forums where we can be a little raw.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

In our bid to be sensitive, we can become arguably over-sensitive, especially as people outbid each other to be more enlightened and caring. Though, it is easy to understand why the traditional objects of marginalization and oppression are a sort of suspect class, deserving of at least some extra wariness, because to be weaker socially and economically is to be vulnerable to a true exploitation, I think.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

As do I. But those sorts of closed-down forums are where I've seen this posted before. It's a criticism of the culture (or, as put in the OP, ignoring the concept of "white privilege") by people who have made a hobby of shouting down those who hold incorrect viewpoints about issues of race and gender relations.

[macychick.livejournal.com]

My way of thinking is that it's okay to be politically incorrect at home with your family and friends; but out in public you have to be politically correct.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

There's being respectful around your intended (and unintended) audience, and then there's the bullying callout culture (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/18/online-bullying-ugly-sport-liberal-commenters) that tries to police that respectful appropriateness. This comic is more about the latter than the former.

[icelore.livejournal.com]

"because to be weaker socially and economically is to be vulnerable to a true exploitation, I think."

I agree. But to have enlightened people who continue to almost search for problems, where indeed sometimes they do not exist, does not help the cause, nor move us forward as a people imo. There is so much blatant sexism, racism, homophobia, etc. still rampant, I feel that energy would be much more wisely spent focusing on that rather then looking over shoulders and accusing the littlest things continuously of having ulterior motives.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

it's okay to be politically incorrect at home with your family and friends

Shouldn't we have greater leeway than that, such as comedy night clubs, for instance? Do we really want our movies and books to be scrubbed for only the most sensitive expressions? Surely, some of the Internet should be free-speech fire zones. Though, I appreciate that, on the Internet, we have enough forums that go way over any generally accepted lines - the true hate stuff. But, in priniciple.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Look at the reaction to Seth Macfarlane at the Oscars. The answer is yes, many do want a scrubbed culture.

[trog.livejournal.com]

We need the hierarchy of victimtude, though.

Suppose it's Native-American calling an African-American worthless? Vice-versa? What about a transgendered lesbian Korean single mother calling a Hispanic hermaphrodite disabled single father (?) stupid? Vice-versa?

Does anyone have the definitive privilege scale available?

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

The Oscars, though, are such a universal event that I can see that being made airtight, as much as I might start watching the Oscars again if it could be more raucous. I tend to avoid network TV altogether, because it is so antiseptic.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Does anyone have the definitive privilege scale available?

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Ah, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
I'm afraid that requires much more theology than I have.

Though, to be clear, the 'high road' does have an answer: no one should speak ill of anyone else, not even against rich white dudes who are Christians. It simplifies things considerably, but as some of us are discussing above, it perhaps makes things too simple.

[trog.livejournal.com]

These things need to be fleshed out. If a lesbian, female, Jewish holocaust survivor and a transgendered, gay, single father Native-American get into an argument over who has less privilege, which one wins?

[trog.livejournal.com]

What units are privileges measured in?

[macychick.livejournal.com]

Shouldn't we have greater leeway than that, such as comedy night clubs, for instance?

Yeah, you're right about that.

[macychick.livejournal.com]

I hear you. People like that are the very reason why I was either kicked out or voluntarily left several different feminist communities online. In one such comm, I was actually called racist for saying that it was okay to be politically incorrect at home with your family and friends.

[macychick.livejournal.com]

Eh, the Oscars is a very different venue than a late night comedy show. I'd put the Oscars in the category of "places where you have to be politically correct" and late night comedy shows in "places where it's okay to be politically incorrect."

[macychick.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[macychick.livejournal.com]

Why is Jewish more priveledged than Christian? Jews are among the most marginalized and oppressed groups in history.