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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilja" data-source="post: 6219099" data-attributes="member: 84300">Things like this always reminds me of a similar topic, though a bit more exaggerated, that has become sort of a long-term big deal in my country, Sweden. Now, Sweden is seen as a pretty progressive country, and many here claim "political correctness have gone too far!!!!!111one".In sweden, there's a pastry, which has often been called something that translates into english as the n-word followed by balls. "n****balls" (but it doesn't have any real sexual connotation, just as in "round object" mostly). Obviously many people regard this as racist as heck, and most people don't use it anymore for very obvious reason, and nowadays most people (and certainly all bakery shops etc) call them "chocolate balls" or similar.Yet there is a bunch of (white) people saying "STOP BEING SO PC!!!" and "IT'S ALWAYS BEEN CALLED THAT!!!", and of course a small minority that just has missed the whole issue and haven't even considered the name.Now, of course not everyone that calls them "n*balls" are ideologically convinced racists, but if someone uses the phrase, and gets told that it's racist, you can tell a lot by the response.Some will say "oh, sorry, it's a bad habit" or "oh, sorry, I'd never considered that". I mean, I have a hard time believing someone saying they've never thought of it seeing as how it's been quite a big deal in Sweden, but at least there's a confirmation of understanding that it is an issue. They understand that the _expression_ is a consequence of a racist society and makes many black people feel uncomfortable. They understand that using that expression is a racist _act_; that does not mean that they as people are racist, it means they live and partake in a racist society, and if one does not wish to continue to reproduce that racist society, one has to actively take steps to prevent it. You can't be "neutral" and just continue to use racially loaded language that makes people of a certain race uncomfortable; once you are informed of the issue there isn't such a thing as "not taking sides", either you continue the racist practice or you change your behaviour. Most people are decent people when it comes to something like that, and thus most have changed their behaviour.Others will say stuff like "oh stop being so PC!!!!", or "it's just a word, it's not racist!!!!" or "that's the REAL name!!!" or "it's always been called that!" or "oh but you can say white onion?!?! (swedish word for garlic)" or "freedom of expression!!!!" or whatever. I have a very hard time not seeing these people as racist - whether they explicitly believe in a hierarcy of human races/subspecies or not (in Sweden we don't really use the word race about people the way it's used in other parts of the world) they purposefully continue to use a racist phrase even whilst knowing the issues with it. It may be laziness that they don't change their ways, it may be just because "they like to provoke" or because they don't like "all this PC <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />". It doesn't really matter how they justify it - they still continue to act racist without even trying to stop.And of course, they'd all claim that being called "racist" for their behaviour was a faaar graver insult than using the n-word.Now, of course pronouns are a bit different; they're not inherently a slur the same way the n-word is. Yet they are still a consequence of a sexist society wherein the man is the norm and example everywhere and the woman is "the other". Being "othered" is a central part of hierarchial and oppressive systems; the "othering" of women is an important leg for the still patriarchal society we live in. Yes, it's "just a word", but it's one of the most common words in the language.And the arguments are so, so very similar. "It's just a word, it shouldn't matter", "I've been taught so", "political correctness has gone too far" or "so we aren't allowed to write how we want anymore?" etc. And of course often the defendants will claim implying their actions might be sexist is some kind of insult.Whenever someone tries to actively _defend_ the usage, it makes me think of those swedes defending the pastry. And, ultimately, even apart from the usage of the word itself, I've never met one n-ball defendant who wasn't very racist in general. Not always of the Ku Klux Klan type, but always very "othering" to people who weren't ethnic swedes and in other ways reinforcing the hierarchal and oppressive system.I have a hard time for products that use all masculine pronouns, and would probably never buy a product from someone who staunchely defends the usage of all masculine pronouns.P.S. The whole "P.C." thing is so goddamn silly. I mean, comeon. I get called "politically correct" all the time while propagating for abolishon of the whole economic system through violent revolution, by people who's political opinion is in line with large corporation and major political parties.</blockquote>

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