Friday 6 September 2013

An Adventure in Fence Theft

Firstly, I would like to clear up one major niggle of mine.
This isn't being "politically incorrect":
Not Politically Incorrect
That is called "lacking empathy".
This is being "politically incorrect":
Politically Incorrect
With that settled, children, I shall start.
Many of the same people who claim to be politically incorrect also chastise anybody who takes offence at their political incorrectness. I would like to offer an alternative view: being offended is often perfectly reasonable and not a character flaw. It does not mean humourless, overly sensitive or misanthropic.
So, what makes people take offence?
Offence
Okay, so not that. For the purposes of this post, I'll class something as 'offensive' if it is upsetting to, and/or reinforces stereotypes about, an individual and can be generalised to a larger group of people. The concept of offensiveness as a bad thing can be particularly powerful when referring to a group of people who have been marginalised by society. When somebody tells you to "stop being so easily offended", they are shutting themselves off from further explanation as to why they were offensive in the first place. This makes it much harder to challenge harmful attitudes among those doing the marginalising.
But hang on, "What is a marginalised group?", I hear you cry. Well...
Marginalised Groups
... yeah, it's not that. A synonymous term is 'systematically oppressed'. This is an accurate analysis, but I prefer not to use it as as I feel it perpetuates the victim status of members of a group. It's personal preference. Some examples of people within marginalised groups are LGBTQ, female, black, disabled and dragons. Admittedly dragons less so, in the realms of real life... but they are more fun to draw, so I'm going to stick with dragons, (and you can't stop me)!
Dragon
If you are part of a marginalised group, you may have grown up with a certain view of yourself. I have previously blogged about the negative effect language can have in these circumstances. The way you are portrayed by the media is often stereotypical.  Prejudice no longer registers, because it is so commonplace. Jibes, mockery and misinformation have become expected. You might internalise a lot of these views, and begin to believe them.
Internalising
Once you become aware of this stigma, it can become infuriating to let it go unchallenged. It can feel impossible to switch off from the fact that misconceptions are so deeply ingrained in society. When one person says something offensive it isn't just one thing from one person; it a reflection and reminder of how a large number of people react a large amount of the time.
Some people are very direct in the way they communicate their resultant anger. I understand why. After all, they didn't ask to be hurt by this person, or by society, so why should this person get to chose if they are hurt? It is absolutely somebody's prerogative to express their anger. Offence does not come from a desire to play at being offended; it comes from justified frustration and feeling wounded.
Anger
I personally feel more comfortable communicating in a way that encourages discussion, rather than merely producing guilt. More than anything, I like to believe that most people have good intentions and will listen if they are made aware of the effects of their actions. Very few people want to upset others, but they simply don't see the connection between their words/actions and the continued systematic oppression of a group.
At the same time, I have the right to feel comfortable in a space. If I am doing something which is meant to be enjoyable or sociable, then I have to right to point out anything that stops me feeling that way. I try to weigh up my options, and do my best to contribute to an environment involving the least unpleasantness for everybody. I hope I get it right most of the time.
I never wish to censor anybody; I'm constantly trying to create a dialogue. For the few people who are upset by the thought of having to adjust any offensive words and actions, however, I am happy to assume that a) you are lazy, and b) it is actually you who is overly sensitive. And, to those same people, who wore the badge of "politically incorrect" with pride, and are now struggling to find a way to describe their world views - I offer a substitute:
Ass
Yours defensively,
BT

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