10 December 2009

Language matters, part... where's the sideways 8?

I try to be a sensitive person. I do. Sometimes I refuse to give a shit about feelings (like say, the feelings of people who are bent on being intolerant, mean, or in the case of conservatives, both), but I try not to be a douchebag.

I have two disabled kids, so I try not to use words like 'retarded' or other ablist words like that. However, I am having a hard time not using, or even understanding the reasoning behind not calling people like Glenn Beck "crazy", "deranged", "lunatic", etc.

See, ranting and raving, being irrational, illogical and paranoid all seem to be indications of a pathology. Calling Beck crazy doesn't mean that all psychologically ill people are like him. Nor does it necessarily mean that he isn't responsible for his actions. I dunno, he might not, but he probably does.

Getting upset that people are calling him deranged/crazy/insane/psycho/etc because you are also mentally ill is ludicrous. It's like me getting mad that people call Ann Coulter a woman. She presents as a woman. And although people insist that she's not, she sure looks that way to me. Does it tar me with the same brush? No, I don't think so.

So, no, I won't call Beck crazy (etc.) on the forum where this all blew up, because it's clear that it hurts some people's feelings, and I can just call him an asshole instead. But really, I think some people are a little oversensitive on this one.

Standard comment: I'm open to other arguments or having the error of my ways pointed out.

4 comments:

Jim M said...

I follow the Jesus (slay at will) rule when speaking of Pharisees like Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, etc. Sounds like you follow the same rule already, just not quite as intense as the original desert storm;) http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Jesus+Is+Just+Allright/5464462

Luna said...

Yeah, I don't have the stomach for "slay at will". I figure I'm not smart enough to know if I'm right or not. :)

Also, there's that pesky "thou shalt not kill"...

Jim M said...

Seems like we are born smart enough but get dumbed down starting shortly after we achieve the upright position. Noam Chomsky calls formal education a system of imposed ignorance. Like control/alt/delete to unlearn what is programmed into our RNA, which could be our actual soul. I say trust the force 'luke' (matthew, mark, etc;)

Luna said...

Chomsky has a lot of wild ideas about language and what is innate about it. I'm not sure he knows wtf he's talking about. :)