2 Weeks working for Mesa/Boogie - Some thoughts

[two fingers]

I'm not sure what that sentence means, but your earlier post did remind me of a memory from way back. My grandmother, who was approaching 100, was angrily muttering something about how unreasonable it was for society to abandon the use of the word "colored." This would have been during the time of Reagan, so even as a youngster, I knew that she was deliberately clinging to an antiquated perjorative -- 20 years out of date -- precisely because it was the one word that she was being asked not to use. It struck me as a completely pathetic point of pride to not only insist on calling people by a term that they didn't appreciate, but to also put forth such a transparent charade of just not being able to understand all these complex linguistic acrobatic games that were being played at her expense. I mean.... I certainly would agree that she had every right to spend her life letting people know that she had a basic lack of respect for their identity as individuals, but it seemed really small-minded and embarrassing to me. Perhaps you could provide me some insight into the need for this?

Well now. You added 2+2 and came up with about 75, didn't you?

My point, which you did an excellent job of missing, was/is as follows...

1) Not ALL people of Asian decent are offended by the term "Oriental". As another example, I know plenty of "African Americans" who DESPISE that term. So how exactly are we supposed to know how to address people?

2) The terms that are widely accepted by the politically correct change almost annually.

3) All of the labels, in my view, are incredibly idiotic to begin with.

4) Who, exactly, is "in charge" of the politically correct? In other words, who gets to decide which terms are OK from one week to the next? And, by the way, "civilized society" is a stupid and incorrect answer to the question. Because, (see point #1), there IS NO AGREEMENT among the civilized as to which terms are OK.

Glad I could help you with that. Go be a holier than thou know it all somewhere else. Thanks.

Oh, and while we're at it, I was a kid in the 80's too.

 

[bolophonic]

Well now. You added 2+2 and came up with about 75, didn't you?

My point, which you did an excellent job of missing, was/is as follows...

1) Not ALL people of Asian decent are offended by the term "Oriental". As another example, I know plenty of "African Americans" who DESPISE that term. So how exactly are we supposed to know how to address people?

2) The terms that are widely accepted by the politically correct change almost annually.

3) All of the labels, in my view, are incredibly idiotic to begin with.

4) Who, exactly, is "in charge" of the politically correct? In other words, who gets to decide which terms are OK from one week to the next? And, by the way, "civilized society" is a stupid and incorrect answer to the question. Because, (see point #1), there IS NO AGREEMENT among the civilized as to which terms are OK.

Glad I could help you with that. Go be a holier than thou know it all somewhere else. Thanks.

Oh, and while we're at it, I was a kid in the 80's too.

If you are trying to peg me as part of the PC PD, you are barking up the wrong tree. I am just perpetually confused by the segment of the population that spends so much effort opposing the way people choose to identify themselves. You call it "idiotic" for people to choose a word to describe themselves. I am just wondering why it matters so much to you. How much of your identity is wrapped up in making it clear that other people's heritage/experience/etc is meaningless to you?

 

[GregC]

2) The terms that are widely accepted by the politically correct change almost annually.

 

[bolophonic]

I don't even have time to call BS on that whole line of made-up jazz.

 

[two fingers]

If you are trying to peg me as part of the PC PD, you are barking up the wrong tree. I am just perpetually confused by the segment of the population that spends so much effort opposing the way people choose to identify themselves. You call it "idiotic" for people to choose a word to describe themselves. I am just wondering why it matters so much to you. How much of your identity is wrapped up in making it clear that other people's heritage/experience/etc is meaningless to you?

Nope. Their heritage is every bit as important as mine.

The whole exercise is simply impractical first off. If everyone gets to choose a label for himself/herself/gendernonspecificself then the only way to insure no one ever uses the incorrect label (and thusly does not offend the aforementioned self-labeled individual) is for each of us to walk around wearing badges or shirts with our custom-selected labels. It is, to me, idiotic for us to all run around trying our level best to predict which labels each gender and race has selected for each individual. Do you see it as a practical, or even realistic, way of doing things to insure the least amount of hurt feelings possible? I don't. It just seems silly.

You are not somehow "more enlightened" than I am because you see it differently. I certainly don't think you are stupid for the views you hold on the matter. Just a difference of opinions. Nothing more.

Also, I was simply expression my resistance to the idea that we must all be labeled in the first place. I don't care that the CEO of my company is a female CEO. She's the boss. That's all that matters. Yet, every single PR write up about our company says "female CEO" in it, like that is somehow more special or something?

This is not really about politics, rather the subject at hand. But every single time Ben Carson (sp) comes up in the news, he is introduced as "African American Pediatric Neurosurgeon Ben Carson". What? Why not just use the name he was given (and then the one he earned) "Dr.Ben Carson"? Why does he even have to be "African American" for the purposes of whatever conversation is being had? Ehy does anyone care? And, while we're at it, did anyone in the PC media world even bother to ask him if that is the title HE prefers? What if it isn't? Does that make HIM wrong or the person covering him in the news?

See what I mean? There is now way at all to ever pull off such a ridiculous exercise in an effort to avoid hurting feelings. And, for that reason, even trying seems silly to me. Allowing each individual to self label, AND change his/her/gender nonspecific mind whenever, and expecting the rest of us to walk around on eggshells until we figure it out without hurting one's sensitive side, is ....... idiotic.

Again, please answer the question. How are we supposed to address "African Americans"who DESPISE that term? And why do we allow the media to keep using it being that so many hate it? Are they bigots? Are they ignorant?

Answer that for me and then we can talk more about labels, and who gets to choosebthem. Because clearly that segment of that population is not allowed to choose for themselves.

Ready go.

 

[bolophonic]

Nope. Their heritage is every bit as important as mine.

The whole exercise is simply impractical first off. If everyone gets to choose a label for himself/herself/gendernonspecificself then the only way to insure no one ever uses the incorrect label (and thusly does not offend the aforementioned self-labeled individual) is for each of us to walk around wearing badges or shirts with our custom-selected labels. It is, to me, idiotic for us to all run around trying our level best to predict which labels each gender and race has selected for each individual. Do you see it as a practical, or even realistic, way of doing things to insure the least amount of hurt feelings possible? I don't. It just seems silly.

You are not somehow "more enlightened" than I am because you see it differently. I certainly don't think you are stupid for the views you hold on the matter. Just a difference of opinions. Nothing more.

Also, I was simply expression my resistance to the idea that we must all be labeled in the first place. I don't care that the CEO of my company is a female CEO. She's the boss. That's all that matters. Yet, every single PR write up about our company says "female CEO" in it, like that is somehow more special or something?

This is not really about politics, rather the subject at hand. But every single time Ben Carson (sp) comes up in the news, he is introduced as "African American Pediatric Neurosurgeon Ben Carson". What? Why not just use the name he was given (and then the one he earned) "Dr.Ben Carson"? Why does he even have to be "African American" for the purposes of whatever conversation is being had? Ehy does anyone care? And, while we're at it, did anyone in the PC media world even bother to ask him if that is the title HE prefers? What if it isn't? Does that make HIM wrong or the person covering him in the news?

See what I mean? There is now way at all to ever pull off such a ridiculous exercise in an effort to avoid hurting feelings. And, for that reason, even trying seems silly to me. Allowing each individual to self label, AND change his/her/gender nonspecific mind whenever, and expecting the rest of us to walk around on eggshells until we figure it out without hurting one's sensitive side, is ....... idiotic.

Again, please answer the question. How are we supposed to address "African Americans"who DESPISE that term? And why do we allow the media to keep using it being that so many hate it? Are they bigots? Are they ignorant?

Answer that for me and then we can talk more about labels, and who gets to choosebthem. Because clearly that segment of that population is not allowed to choose for themselves.

Ready go.

I just did a google search for the words "Ben Carson" and then read the first ten news articles that popped up. The results ranged from CBS to Breitbart, Washington Post, NYT, Fox, WSJ, etc. Not one single article mentioned the words "African-American." None.

Personally, I am not buying the argument that unless we all adorn ourselves with t-shirts bearing our preferred identitifiers, then everyone will be forced to "walk on eggshells." I think you are trying to intellectualize a made-up problem.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I'm really hating my job, I've had it with everyone and this headache is killing me.

I've already applied to 3 places, hopefully I hear something soon. I'll gladly take a paycut.