Don’t you just love it when people show off their hate and think they have the freedom to do so because it’s their right to be offensive? A person can turn his(her) mouth into a second anus and talk some racist/sexist/homophobic/Islamophobic shit about a group of people or about you as a member of a certain group. Yet, the offended are never supposed to say an unkind word in return. They are expected to turn the other cheek no matter how many times it gets slapped. And when someone steps up and check that fool’s behavior, that fool starts throwing a hissy fit or starts crying that his(her) feelings are hurt.
In this day and age of the first Black President racism seems more open than it has been since the 1960’s. From celebrities like the newly broken and exposed Paula Deen to some idol-minded internet troll looking for trouble in cyberspace, individual hatred is coming out, and most of the time, the excuse is that they are free to do so whether it bothers others or not.
We all – at least once – ran into or met such people who believe they can be assholes if they choose to be. Yet, common sense is always lurking to kick them in the ass – sometimes literally. To those who think they are above such karma, let’s break this down, point by point:
1. A racist word by any other name is just as hurtful. If you refer to a certain group of people in a derogatory way, that is insulting and racist. You may not think it has any significance or malice. But that is likely due to you not being at the receiving end of such crap which happens more often than you would like to believe. So, you don’t know how it feels to be called the N-word, a f*g, a c*nt or a sand n**ger, just to name a few.
2. Stop saying how you’re not racist, and then you say something that is racist. I’ve seen and heard dozens of comments that start off with “I’m not racist, but…” I’ve seen a few comments with ‘sexist’ and ‘homophobic’ replacing ‘racist’. However it begins, it ends with a statement strongly contradicting just what they claim not to be, hinting that the person may just be what he claims not to be. Hell, there are Tumblr and Twitter pages dedicated to exposing those who uses such a statement. I kid you not.
Here’s the deal. No one is calling you a racist. But what you’ve said was racist. You need to be held accountable for what you’ve said. And there will be people who will hold you accountable whether you like it or not. The same goes for homophobic, misogynistic and Islamophobic comments as well.
3. When you are called out, take it like an adult. One of the worse things done is when the offender shifts blame back to the offended who was the actual victim to begin with. They do it by whining, griping, crying, anything to take responsibility. Even if you claim you didn’t “mean it a certain way”, you still need to apologize and learn from your mistake.
4. Don’t tell us what is what and what is not considered offensive. It’s another lame tactic to transfer blame back on the offended. But it also makes you look worse. It’s obnoxious to tell people what to think or how to feel after you’ve insulted them. And besides, it doesn’t matter what you think is hurtful. The point is that people are hurting because of you. So, own up to it. Unless you’re proud of being lower than sewage.
5. Expect responses. Don’t let common sense fail you, but at the same time, don’t expect nothing. When you insult a particular person using a racial epithet or call out a certain group of people, expect members from said group to say something in return. Expect counter-insults, puns, sarcasm, lectures, articles, and the like, but do not expect nothing.
If it’s interpersonal, it may become a civil argument, unless you want to ride your 1st Amendment right through the limit prompting a physical confrontation (an ass whooping). So, your best bet of coming out unharmed would be to shut the hell up, listen, apologize and learn. Chances are the ones in the group you ticked off will address you in a civil manner. If not, don’t think you’ve done nothing wrong if and when they turn the tables – on your head.
We know many of these kinds of people will likely troll on the internet with their hate speeches hiding behind their computers. We all know they are too cowardly to use their Freedom of Speech in real life. But the best part about dealing with these losers is that you can block or mute them with one command.
6. To hell with your “proof” games. Some of these people love to use statistics, articles and pseudo science from at least three centuries ago to justify their hatred. It is especially true when it comes to black people and crime. In their heads black crime is worse than institutional violence. If you argue, they always ask you to prove it to them. But when you do, it’s unacceptable. The word “liberal” is usually used as an excuse not to accept any information that supports opposing arguments.
I’m going to say this upfront. Don’t even try to play that game because the rules are nonsense. POC can not “prove” racism. It’s not because we are incompetent or as unintelligent as you “superior whites” think you are. It is because racism is illogical, immoral and just imbecilic. It makes no sense. It destroys lives. It is more complex than you want to see, and it’s a huge part of the world we live in.
Instead of assuming that it’s just lies and typical whining, why not do the humanly thing is hear us out without making asinine assumptions?
7. Freedom is not an excuse for ignorance. Sure, you think you are awarded the freedom to say whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want and how you want it. No one said that you have to be nice and polite all the time. You’ve may had a bad day. You may even been brought up that way. But no matter what the reason is, no matter what your excuse is, your offensive comments will have responses. Not all of them will be kind. Not all people will agree with you. Deal with those possibilities.
Welcome to the real world. You are not too privileged immune not to expect consequences. Freedoms are not limited to just you. Not everyone is going to think and feel like you. You are not perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. And you are not the victim when you offend someone. Try and face up to your mistakes, fix them and become wiser not to make the same mistake again. It will save you a lot of headaches doing so.
