Re: Amerind an offensive term (was: Early Amerind assimilation
Stephen Barnard (steve@megafauna.com)
Mon, 12 Aug 1996 12:23:04 -0800
Joel and Lynn Gazis-Sax wrote:
>
> Stephen Barnard wrote:
> >
> > Toby Cockcroft wrote:
> > >
> > > I don't think that there will ever be a solution to this problem of naming
> > > so long as Indians (please don't flame me for this one) are in a
> > > culturally and politically empoverished position vis-a-vis the dominant
> > > anglo culture.
> > >
> > > Furthermore, I don't see this as an isolated instance of naming. Blacks,
> > > women and the disabled (probably all politically incorrect terms) have all
> > > fought for control and escape from anglo male culture.
> >
> > So now "women" is a politically incorrect term? Holy Moly! What are we
> > supposed to call them now? People of the female gender?
> >
> > Steve Barnard
>
> Scoundrel bells always go off in my mind when I see the term "politically correct"
> used. And in true, high form, the evidence in this case is entirely made up.
>
[snip]
>
> But to return to Mr. Barnard: I have found that "politically correct" is most
> often invoked by persons who believe that freedom of speech also means freedom
> from rebuke. This is a common flaw on the InterNet and when I first started
> a few years ago (1989), it took the more direct form of "You can't criticize
> me for holding the views that I do." Usually the views being defended are
> racist or otherwise offensive to other people. Freedom of speech does give
> one the right to utter such views, but it does not protect one's speech from
> criticism. By using the term "politically correct", Mr. Barnard is feebly
> trying to turn his right to be offensive if he pleases into a dictatorship
> of one where no one can criticize him at all.
I'd like you to read carefully what Ms Cockcroft wrote. I'll quote it again: "Blacks,
women and the disabled (probably all politically incorrect terms) have all fought for
control and escape from anglo male culture." I'll direct your attention to the phrase
in parentheses.
Now just who is invoking the term "politically incorrect"? It seems to that Ms
Cockcroft is. She states states that "women" is probably a politically incorrect
term. I find this to be an astonishing statement.
>
> There's another dimension to this and that is one related to FACT. Mr.
> Barnard has effectively put words into the mouth of Ms. Cockcroft. We
> are often told by the Fat Boy of Incorrect Rightness (Rush Limbaugh)
> to "look it up". At some future point, I am sure that Mr. Barnard or
> some other will throw at Ms. Cockcroft the factoid that she said that
> "women" was politically incorrect.
>
I think Rush Limbaugh is a noxious gasbag, so if you want to tar me with
guilt-by-association you'll have to do better than that.
What words did I put in Ms Cockcroft's mouth? They certainly weren't the words
"politically incorrect." I quoted her verbatim. What makes that a "factoid"? Why
isn't it a fact? She can withdraw the statement if she likes. I won't hold it
against her. If she stands by it then I'll have some serious doubts about her.
There is something very peculiar going on in this newsgroup. In the past week I've
been misquoted, assigned attributions for things I never wrote, and am now accused of
something I'm obviously not guilty of (bringing up "politically incorrect"). Is this
the way that anthropologists normally act?
Steve Barnard
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