Well, this seems to be moving along in a mature and clearheaded manner. Might end up having to point this thread out to Toady just to prove how well we can keep our composure when dealing with sensitive matters.
Anyways...
It makes me think you believe the fights for black rights were all fought by white people, and the fights for women's rights were fought by men. Is this accurate, or do you want to rephrase your statement?
Frankly, if it IS true that most claims these days are made by others, then I think "Thank goitre!". It means we've come to a time when the majority are willing to make a stand for the minority (probably a reverse of what it was like when the discrimination was first identified and claimed), and there's not much bad about that in my view.
Perhaps it is best I rephrase. Early on, when these issues (racism, sexism, whatever other -isms) were commonplace and had a very large influence on society (beatings, harassment, denial of employment or reduced standards), it was indeed the oppressed who fought back. And damn good thing they did, too.
But those issues were fixed. Certainly, there are people who feel personally bigoted against something or another (hell, I'm one of them. I don't like it, but I do know it), but society as a whole doesn't oppress these people anymore. Equality has been established, and people are beginning to accept each other as individuals, rather than classifications. No more massive protests are needed.
Now we've got a different problem. Some people never got the memo. There are still people who feel that these groups are provoked, given lesser opportunities or downright oppressed by the "majority", and so they demand even more equality.
Feminists have taken up the mantle (or at least the call) of women's rights advocates. However, the radicals who have a disturbing tendency of leading these groups seem to feel that women are still being heavily oppressed and that the chauvinist pigs who own everything need to lighten up.
When this batshit propaganda works, it ends up tipping the scales in the other direction. I won't go so far as to say that things are otherwise perfect now, hell no. We'll need to settle down and get comfortable for a while yet before we can achieve perfect gender equality. However, the problem nowadays seems to be that women who are otherwise unqualified are getting jobs or privileges that they normally wouldn't, since those handing them out don't want to upset the "equal rights activists". This is not equality, this is preference.
In this particular case of discrimination, there hasn't been all that much "help" from men, but that might be due to the caustic attitude some of these crazies have for guys.
I've got no problem with women. It's feminists I don't like. Why? Because they don't believe in the equality they preach, and hypocrites piss me off to no end.
However, on the subject of "race", there has been a significant amount of uproar caused by Caucasians. They're the touchiest ones, except for some radicals in the African-American (a term which is dreadfully misused, since most people in that ethnic grouping have got absolutely nothing to do with Africa) who insist on being just as insulted as ever before.
If some racist remark lets slip or someone gets wind of a black dude who got turned down for a job (which he may or may not have been qualified for), and you'll get a swarm of pasty-whites banging down the offender's doors. This would be no problem, hell it'd be great, if the supposedly offended party actually gave a damn. But to my knowledge, they're just trying to fit in without all the racial distinctions being called on, whether it be in their favor or otherwise.
This is where I see a problem. People are getting offended, because they feel someone else should be offended. As I stated before, if an individual tells me personally that something I said or did (regardless of what it might be) offended them, I will try and refrain from doing or saying that around them or in reference to them. However, if some white guy comes up and says that something I said or did is offensive to an ethnic group in general, and that I should be ashamed of myself, I will politely tell him to depart and perform autointercourse.
This is particularly strange when there are three parties in a conversation, and while I am talking to the second party the third party tells me that something I said is offensive to the second party. I will generally disregard this, as it seems stupid to me that the third party should claim how the second party feels.
I'm going to have to break this off now, but I intend to continue with some comments about gay pride. Again, nothing against them. Just against the fanatics.
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Topic: On political correctness and whether or not it can go too far. (Read 10149 times)