Biden Suddenly Declares Travel Bans Aren't Racist

[CJD]

(01-27-2021, 11:29 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: This is a very well written and argued post.  I can say that the issues most people have, but certainly not all, with the terms "white privilege" and "toxic masculinity" is that they are frequently used as a bludgeon, an epithetic label, or to dismiss the position or arguments of a person by discounting their position as stemming from these labels.  If they were solely used to describe the behaviors or conditions you describe then I don't think there'd be nearly the same amount of push back against them.

Thank you.

I agree with you that those terms can often be misused and that's something that we, as a society, are always going to struggle with. When I criticize white privilege, I have to contend with all of the misuses in the past, as those are the memories that are most commonly fresh in my ideological opponent's head. It's much easier to remember the wrong or incorrect uses than the correct ones (it's the same reason you still cringe to this day when you think of that time you said something minorly stupid 15 years ago.) I want to say we should unburden our ideological positions from those who misuse them but that's not a realistic stance because your opponent will certainly not give you that same benefit of the doubt.

One thing I will say is that I often see conservatives say the left misuses the term "racist" more than any word in the English language. One may claim they were making an innocuous statement and was called a racist because of it.

I can't contend with these accusations because I wasn't there when they were called a racist but I would encourage anyone who experiences this to just reflect on the context and circumstances of the discussion. Why did this person interpret what I said as racist? Did I frame it improperly? Did I use a word that has a negative history or connotation? Do I have some kind of blind spot that, while obviously not malicious, may be because I am not wholly educated on their life experience?

Just because someone hears something as racist doesn't mean that it was intended to be, but further discussion or refinement of arguments may help both sides learn why the other interprets the statement as racist or not racist.

And I would encourage leftists to do the same with the right's criticism of them. I often reflect on what about my arguments would make someone think I'm being irrational or unrealistic. Obviously, some of it will be difficult to parse from ideological rhetoric (calling me a communist because I think people should have a baseline for health insurance so people don't die of preventable diseases), but there is still some room to improve not only my thought process but also fine tune my arguments to better illustrate my point. How can I better explain why healthcare is a fundamental requirement for the betterment of society without sounding like I want to abolish money and classes altogether? Things like that.

If a person is constantly being called a racist for expressing a belief that they truly believe is not racist, then I think a similar approach should be taken to evaluate how could someone possibly find this expression racist. How can I remove that portion of the argument while still properly representing my viewpoint?

But I digress. I hope you're right that most people agree with the actual definitions of those terms and just disagree with the application of them. That would make me feel a lot better about the state of the world if that is true.