There's a lot of stuff to talk about when it comes to social issues, and it can be hard to discuss them without attacking other people, whether you intend to or not. That being said, it can be hard sometimes to only listen.
"If it isn't broke, don't fix it." Silence is not acceptance, and that's also not to say that if you're not fixing something, you don't think that it's broke... but if what we think is normal is broken, shouldn't we try to fix that?
Some time ago, I was frustrated while thinking about Affirmative Action and feminism, thinking on it from "a logical perspective on equality". In my old argument, giving a favorable treatment is not a demonstration of equality. An unfortunate side-effect is that many qualified candidates are thought to have gained their employment without merit, which is not the intent or actuality. This issue is that it doesn't address equality very thoroughly.
As a straight white male, equality for myself isn't something I need to examine in my daily life, and I would argue that it makes it difficult for me to think about equality complexly. That doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't try though, and it takes talking about it to help me understand it more. Talking to people who have experienced it, trying to listen. There are posts popping up more frequently talking about "anti-white" and "anti-male" sentiments, and while I saved a few because I wanted to call them out, I'm now thinking I'd rather not give them the merit of showing them. Let me talk about that for a second-
I've had occasion where things were assumed of me because of my gender and race - HERE AND THERE OCCASIONS WHICH HAD NO REAL IMPACT ON THE OVERALL OUTCOME OF MY LIFE AND MY WELL-BEING. Not many generations have passed since it was generally acceptable to make racist and sexist jokes, and as the Political Correctness movement gained steam, many resented the fact that they couldn't make the same "jokes and observations(gonna call that out because just don't take that road)" and feel as though it starts to infringe upon freedom of speech.
Libel and slander are real concepts, and there are numerous occasions when rhetoric, WORDS, were used to start wars, incite violence, instigate Inquisitions... I hope you get the point without more examples. While there's some sort of "logic" in an argument that saying something and doing something are different things, it starts to get fuzzy when you shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater or convince a mob to lynch someone.
Let me get to why I wanted to call out the word "observations" for stereotypes - it suggests a "scientific" or "unbiased" context. While the use of the word may not be entirely incorrect by the word's definition, the social context of the word seems to encourage or at least legitimize that train of thought.
I once called something "retarded" while with a couple friends who worked with people who had special needs. They immediately snapped at me for using the word, and right before I defended myself I had the clarity to shut my mouth and open my ears. Accept that I said something I shouldn't have, even if I didn't intend to. The word still bears its social context against people who have varying disabilities, regardless of the conversation. It's my decision, but I now do my best not to use that word, and have said it less than a handful of times(so like probably less than 5 over four years). It doesn't matter if I never used the word to describe person who is disabled or has special needs, that doesn't really make it a better word when I use it.
Okay let's tie some of this together. The words we use when we talk have a social context, a social value, many of which have had a lot of negative context. Some words are more obvious than others, and some are a little more tricksy. A recent example would be the reference to Lebron James's associates as a "posse" - the context of the word creates a dismissive nature to their role. The word isn't racist or necessarily has a history of being used racially, but is dismissive and belittling in the nature of his friends/business partners.
When your everyday life isn't made more difficult by who you are, it's far easier to say "toughen up" or "get over it". There aren't that many years separating us from a time when "normal" words and conversations were racist and sexist, but the people who would be offended weren't being heard.
I like to think I'm a good person so when someone has a misgiving with me, my instinct is to defend myself - instead I don't. There is a reason they felt offended, try to listen for what that is. You may not even realize you're doing it, it could have never crossed your mind - that doesn't change it. While I like to THINK that I am a good person, I believe it is important to ask myself as honestly as possible if that's true. When push comes to shove, would I do the right thing? I believe everyone should be treated equally sure, but that doesn't mean that everyone is.
If it's not broke, don't fix it. OKAY WELL THIS IS OBVIOUSLY BROKE SO CAN WE TALK ABOUT FIXING IT PLEASE? If we want to come together as a peoples, we need to be people together. While there have been trends towards improvements in many social rights movements, ACTUAL EQUALITY is something that is far from... actual.
The notion that since we "won" the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement happened that America is not a racist or sexist country is a false equivalence. No, this is not the same as saying that everyone in America is racist and/or sexist, or that if you call yourself American that you are racist and/or sexist. It supports the notion that not everyone has the same "American" experience. The problem arises when only some of us get to be "American", despite being lawful citizens.
People aren't being treated equally, that's not really a matter of opinion, in fact it sometimes is described as "the way it is". I'm not here to argue that, but to ask if you feel like that makes it okay. When the fact that people aren't being treated equally doesn't have a major impact on your life, it becomes much easier to leave it as the way the world works.
We have the power to change how the World works, for We are the World.
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