Quote Originally Posted by noparlpf View Post
On the general topic of Musashi's rant:
Spoiler
Show


Remember that talk on female sexuality I was kicked out of a couple of weeks ago? Well, the girl who ran that is giving a talk on her thesis, and this is the email she sent out.
See that bolded bit?

Clearly somebody has failed to understand the point of her own thesis. Preaching to the choir is rather pointless, so the only reason to write something like that is to spread awareness to other, more privileged groups. Intentionally excluding them kind of defeats the purpose.
If you want to change the culture of privilege, power, and difference (book title), don't exclude the people who need to learn about their own privilege, and definitely don't alienate those people who realise their privilege and are trying to work with you to create equality.

So, who wants to bet I won't be allowed in because asexual doesn't count as queer?


Edit: I just realised she didn't even give a time or place, so my last question is kind of moot.
I am tempted to find a way to your settlement-of-living and show up dressed as an L, but that would be far too mean of me. Sorry. ^_^'

In all seriousness, I think it might be a good idea to eMail back and ask why exactly a thesis on Queer experience would not benefit those who do not directly experience it. Being polite and calm might be the way to make the theser (I have my own vocabulary!) rethink what is accomplished by it.

Quote Originally Posted by Musashi View Post
Spoiler
Show

Well, no one wants to educate the ignorant/oblivious. Sure, no one should had to educate someone who offended them, and one should educate oneself. That would happen in a world that approaches perfection better than ours.
However? Discussions are getting inane and insane (this last word, by the way, is also offensive in some circles) because of this principle.
Spoiler
Show
"[Use of a bad word in an ignorant but innocent context]"
"Did you seriously say that? You [insult]"
"Wait, what? What did I say?"
"You used [bad word]! It's bad! That's terrible!"
"Really? I'm sorry, I had no idea, it's always been used in a neutral way where I live! How is it bad? Where does it come from?"
"We're not here to educate you! Educate yourself! You [something]-centrist [insult]!"
"Why are you mad at me?"
"You're using the tone argument now? [Link to Derailing for Dummies]"
"Could you please not use [something]-ist insults at me at least?"
"[something]-ism doesn't exist, you idiot!"
"I'm sorry you were offended... by the way, if you're insulting someone just because they are [something they did not choose], that's technically -ist..."
"No, you're just sorry you got caught and that we dared being offended at the obvious insults you threw at us. By the way, you're now banned because you're too thick to understand anything! Goodbye, [insult]!"

In short, no one actually learns anything, and everyone pats each others on the back for driving away decent people who made the mistake of not knowing everything there is to know.
What you're describing here is the same, only without the aggressiveness. Hardly better.


Spoiler
Show
Thanks!
Yeah.
Another "funny" side effect to the phenomenon I described is that certain definitions are considered wrong by these people, generally those that end with -ism or -phobia. The justification for that is that dictionaries are written by white straight cismales, and their definitions tainted by their point of view.
Alright, but then, do I really have to check Internet for the "proper" definitions? How can I know for sure the websites I'm checking for research aren't biased too? (That question never came up, but I'm fairly certain the answer would be "if it's written by an oppressed minority, then it can't be biased, silly!".)
And while some words are obviously bad and should not be used, there are many others who don't look offensive at first glance. Ideally, research should be made before using these, that I agree on. But we're reaching a point where MANY words have bad connotations. Should we research every single word we want to sue? Where, if dictionaries are unreliable?
*Hugs*

There are bigoted people in all walks of life, but I am quite certain it is a lot rarer than it looks. The loudest are not necessarily the majority.

On that note, I wonder if that logic works if the -ism you accuse them of is based on a word they use as neutral. Turning the plates on them sounds like it could make someone notice if they are being irrational.

Quote Originally Posted by KenderWizard View Post
Jaysus, ye've been going fast since I left. Lucky Nope is around to say what we think!

Also, I just suggested Asta to make the new thread because I like the idea of passing the thread-making around so I picked a person I hadn't seen make one. Trisc works just as well.

Also also, first post, I would again like to point out that it was Qaera who made the dictionary and me who added it to the first post. Obviously it's not a huge big deal, but just to say.



I had a similar situation come up yesterday; the LGBT Officer on the student union committee of my college apparently has to be L, G, B or T. I was unable to discern if other letters "counted", but apparently A for Ally doesn't. I can understand, in both these cases, wanting to keep the focus on the people who are most important to the thing and also often overlooked, but I think it would do equally well and be more justifiable and less exclusionary to include allies and just say that people who are espouse intolerant beliefs about LGBT+ people aren't allowed. After all, I don't think many non-LGBT+ people would run for LGBT Officer anyway. I do wonder if I would count, with my heteronormative relationship. Would I have to "prove" I'm bi? (A straight person can just claim to be bi, I suppose. How would you stop them from getting in?! )
Clearly they subcontract groups from the underground to dig up embarrasing photographs of every contender and evaluate them on that basis! :3

Not that Kobolds ever do that, nope! It's the mole people, honest! >_>

Quote Originally Posted by Heliomance View Post
Just changed my name on Facebook, MSN and Skype. This is a scary thing.
Congratulations!

...Wait, Skype names are supposed to be consistent with Meat'n'HamSpace? O_o