hester_prynne wrote:I debated responding as I am not one to beat a dead horse this long. A little while maybe but not this long.
Anyways, I just want to repeat, my original query-thought was that it seemed we had bigger fish to fry than Imus. Hell, I didn't even know who he was, but I do know about other things, like the Iraq war for one.
Look, If my house were burning down, and someone called me a ho, I wouldn't pay much attention because I'd be more focused on getting out of the burning house.
It's that simple. I'm simple. The complications that arose surprized me.
H

What's simple Hester is if I go to work and call someone a whore (or ho if you prefer), or a nigger or a fag, or any other name I'm going to get fired. Even if we said we were joking, we'd still get our asses canned. Same for my husband. Same for my son's teachers, same for most everyone on this planet.
And now it's the same for Imus and I hope for any and all the other pundits to follow.
What Imus said was foul and offensive ... further; Imus did not say this privately to someone he knew personally like your friend said to you; he said this prominently and publicly, because he thought he was being 'funny.'
Well some things just aren't funny Hester. (And cecil and soozen)
Calling people names is not 'funny.' We teach our kids not to call others names, what makes us think that just because we've gotten older, or we're on TV, or on a message board someplace, it's now suddenly 'okay.'
What makes people believe that just because something was okay' once, it stays 'okay' forever. Everything spoils; including joking about another's race for entertainment, for ratings. (all selfish acts). Smart people, alive people, evolve and change ... not stubbornly resist and hand on to the old.
Hell ... even the king for the expression "Nigger" has changed:
excerpt:
Comedian removes racial slur from his onstage lexicon
Paul Mooney is keepin' it real funny
Muse to Richard Pryor and Homey the Clown is often audacious, largely obscure
By Mark de la ViƱa
Mercury News
Article Launched: 04/24/2007 01:34:31 AM PDT
...
Q You no longer use the "N-word." When did you have that "Eureka!" moment when you decided to stop saying it?
A It was with Michael Richards' meltdown. I've known Michael for over 20 years.
People called me. Jesse Jackson. Al Sharpton. Everybody called me. I was the ambassador for the "N-word."
Richard (Pryor) and I wore it out, and when Richard went to Africa, he said, "There are no N-people over there," so he wasn't going to say it again. I said I didn't care. I was married to it. It was like having a relationship with your lover. Now, I've divorced the word.
Q What changed your mind?
A Hearing Michael saying it over and over again - it's an equal opportunity word that young Asian kids, young white kids, young Latino kids and young black kids use. I just chose not to use it anymore. But if I ever start tweaking and get a jones, I can always say "Arnold Schwarzenegger" because he is, after all, my governor.
Source:
http://www.mercurynews.com/markdelavina ... ck_check=1
Things change ... and in this ever shrinking world where we are daily dealing with people 'not like ourselves' going around publicly calling people names for fun and entertainment is just one of the changes happening. We need to keep evolving; not standing still ... standing on the past.
Calling people names does not help alleviate the tensions in this world, laughing about others being called names doesn't either and saying it's okay doesn't help things either.
I personally was shocked, appalled, to come back here and see this supposed 'enlightened' group of people going on & on about this issue; both in jest and in seriousness about why it was "okay."
It's not "okay" ... it's never really been okay... and the joking around about it was a healing processes that has run it's course. And if you truly were enlightened, you'd already know this.
That's why seeing you joking about this, seeing others going along continue on, making jokes about this was so appalling. Everywhere else ... it wasn't happening.
When I explained to the people reading over my shoulder that both Jack and Cecil were white males in his 60's and further that Cecil and Soozen lived in Texas ... well the response was 'knowing grins" all around.
But you Hester ... everyone just shook their heads in bewilderment.
You wrote about (in another thread) how guys aren't knocking on your door to ask you out and you think it's because of your weight, but it's not your weight; it's because of things like this. Joking about things that aren't funny. Being a smart ass, poor-me, victim ... that's what's doing it.
We're not friends, we've never been friends; that's no secret to either one of us (or those who've paid attention on this board); so what.
Hester I'm not jealous of you. I have a great life, family, friends, loving husband... lots of great things happening in my life. All the while you're posting on this board looking for solace about not having a guy in your life; looking for a new job, and making jokes about other people being called whores etc., I'm spending time with my family and friends, enjoying my own new deeply satisfying job, and making love with my husband of 25 years. So, that's your projection, or reflection, about your unmet needs then anything to do with me or how my life (or I) really am.
Since you're 'new age' I'll leave you with a golden oldie:
"Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours."
Richard Bach - "Illusions"