andicap
02-28-2003, 11:32 AM
Since PA closed the threads I need to respond to a couple of posts
1) Karl, I was referring to Hymie the Robot on "Get Smart" not "Hymie" as in Jesse Jackson saying "Hymietown." I am Jewish.
Hymie the Robot did anything you asked of him, was incredibly focused, and took everything literally. If you told Hymie to "shake a leg," he would literally shake his leg. Drove Maxwell Smart crazy.
So when Max asked him to "kill the light," Hymie pulled out a gun and shot out the light.
2) I knew sligg was probably not using the word intentionally. I was just pointing out -- and I think sligg agreed with me! -- we must be careful of the context in which we use words. "Chink" is a fine word, I use it all the time, but in the context of talking about the "Chinese Double," it can hurt people's feelings. Of course I know sligg wasn't being racist! But if a Chinese-American person was reading it, maybe he wouldn't see it that way considering all the racism there still is in this country against Asians. (And the huge history of racism against the Chinese in the U.S.)
Yes, I agree there is way too much political correctness in the world. I tell ethnic jokes, can laugh at the foibles of the Jews, and for the most part, don't take things all that seriously. But words like "******" are poison. Yes, African Americans use them, but when they do it's an an ironic sense that they are allowed to do because they are black.
(Relatedly, you can go too far in being PC. Some schools have outlawed the use of the word "niggardly," which means cheap and has absolutely nothing to do with being black, etc. Whole different etamology. That to me is almost as bad as saying the word because it shows just a lack of understanding of the word "******" to begin with and its orgins.)
If I call my Jewish friends, "dumb kikes," we can laugh. If a non-Jewish person uses that word, I'll get nuclear pissed.
Even inadvertantly, words can hurt if you're not careful. I don't think it's asking people too much to think a little bit before opening their mouth.
1) Karl, I was referring to Hymie the Robot on "Get Smart" not "Hymie" as in Jesse Jackson saying "Hymietown." I am Jewish.
Hymie the Robot did anything you asked of him, was incredibly focused, and took everything literally. If you told Hymie to "shake a leg," he would literally shake his leg. Drove Maxwell Smart crazy.
So when Max asked him to "kill the light," Hymie pulled out a gun and shot out the light.
2) I knew sligg was probably not using the word intentionally. I was just pointing out -- and I think sligg agreed with me! -- we must be careful of the context in which we use words. "Chink" is a fine word, I use it all the time, but in the context of talking about the "Chinese Double," it can hurt people's feelings. Of course I know sligg wasn't being racist! But if a Chinese-American person was reading it, maybe he wouldn't see it that way considering all the racism there still is in this country against Asians. (And the huge history of racism against the Chinese in the U.S.)
Yes, I agree there is way too much political correctness in the world. I tell ethnic jokes, can laugh at the foibles of the Jews, and for the most part, don't take things all that seriously. But words like "******" are poison. Yes, African Americans use them, but when they do it's an an ironic sense that they are allowed to do because they are black.
(Relatedly, you can go too far in being PC. Some schools have outlawed the use of the word "niggardly," which means cheap and has absolutely nothing to do with being black, etc. Whole different etamology. That to me is almost as bad as saying the word because it shows just a lack of understanding of the word "******" to begin with and its orgins.)
If I call my Jewish friends, "dumb kikes," we can laugh. If a non-Jewish person uses that word, I'll get nuclear pissed.
Even inadvertantly, words can hurt if you're not careful. I don't think it's asking people too much to think a little bit before opening their mouth.