In case the circles don't overlap *quite* enough....

[kyburg]

Found a lovely link to an article on Racism - thought-provoking, don't agree with all of it, but well written and a fresh perspective.

Honky Want a Cracker?

But then again, silverkun always knew the best way to deal with epithets.

Comments

Ever Wonder at Why All Non-Anglo Slurs Start with "G"?

[silverkun.livejournal.com]

Actually, cadhla came up with that little touch of wisdom.

Gaijin.
Gwailo.
Hells, even the nomadic term Gaje starts with a "g". I think there may be a Sesame Street song in there somewhere.

Racism. Ah, what a wonderous convention of organized hate. Not ageist. Not classist, either. Certainly not sexist, though some people have managed to make a fortune on asian porn. Hells, you don't even need to look the part anymore; one quick geneology check and your Hopi great grandmother can keep you from getting a job. (No shite. It really happens. Much suckage. Sorry, Yana.)

And although I may go off as being the slant-eyed, brown-skinned, gook bastard, even those words aren't particularly accurate, either. I like to adopt the term "almond-eyed". And I'm more of a tan than a brown. Gook referred to those of central asian descent, not pacific islander. I know who my father was, thank you very much, and he was a good man.

Does it matter? No, not really. Do the people who use these terms care? Nope. Not even me, though I'd hope that my apathy is from analysis and comprehension, not stubborn adherance to voluntary ignorance.

Disliking someone is fine. I've grown to dislike many people in my short time on earth. Disliking several people is silly. And there had better be something in common in them than the way their hair lies or how much tone they have to their skin.

Hate? Hate is just a general form of ignorance. Let the stupid ones be offended. Let the smart ones see something humorous, whether it's meant to be or not.

*winks and tosses a pair of pennies*
-Silver
Yes, That Slant-Eyed, Brown-Skinned, Gook Bastard