What's up with the Redskins name and the much ballyhooed Daily Show clip of Redskins supporters, of a somewhat diverse ethnic makeup, discussing their love of the team name? At the end of the segment, they are confronted by a group of Native Americans who are opposed to the team name. This part of the segment is without audio, save for a voiceover by Jason Jones, on the original broadcast. What was left out was apparently a brief, somewhat heated exchanging of words.
There were a group of people, who believe deeply in their hearts that something they love isn’t hurting anyone. They were confronted by another group of people directly and clearly stating to them that in fact, yes, this thing, this name that you hold so dear, is hurting us and their reaction wasn’t an introspective on what it means to be a member of society, it was essentially “Get the fuck out of my face.” That is what I want to talk about - being racist or sexist or ageist or classist or whatever “ist” is your bag, doesn’t mean you have to don a white hood or a fedora. You can participate by actively choosing to simply ignore the other side of the issue. You just reject it flat out. It’s rather easy, really.
Method 1:
You punch me. I say that it hurts. You ask me to explain to you why it hurts. I do, but you don’t feel any pain after I explain so then it must not hurt. I lose.
Method 2:
You punch me and it makes you happy. I say that it hurts. You ask me to explain to you why it hurts. I do, you can see how a punch can cause pain, but punching makes you happy so, oh well. I lose.
Method 3: (My favorite!)
You punch me. I say it hurts. You don’t care. No discussion. I lose.
These are gun control debates; they are equality debates; they are any discussion on racism. You don’t care. You really just, don’t care OR it makes you happy, so oh well. You aren’t riding around in a hood, lynching people. You aren’t a beating your wife. You aren’t walking into a mall, opening fire on the food court. You just don’t care that other people are. Own it! Own that shit! You can have you cake and eat it too, because you don’t have to tell anyone you have one. You can’t say that you aren’t part of the problem however. You don’t get to do that. Ignorance is one thing. Not being aware of something and its potential effects is different than being made aware of it and sticking your fingers in your ears and humming the Star Spangled Banner.
We do bad things all the time. We speed. We let the guy who has a crush on us keep bringing in those cupcakes even though nothing is going to happen. We call in sick because we’re hung over. Those things don’t make you a terrible person. Being directly confronted with the potential or ACTUAL consequences of those actions and being all like, “Well, so” is what makes you a terrible person.
Regardless, OWN THAT SHIT!
There were a group of people, who believe deeply in their hearts that something they love isn’t hurting anyone. They were confronted by another group of people directly and clearly stating to them that in fact, yes, this thing, this name that you hold so dear, is hurting us and their reaction wasn’t an introspective on what it means to be a member of society, it was essentially “Get the fuck out of my face.” That is what I want to talk about - being racist or sexist or ageist or classist or whatever “ist” is your bag, doesn’t mean you have to don a white hood or a fedora. You can participate by actively choosing to simply ignore the other side of the issue. You just reject it flat out. It’s rather easy, really.
Method 1:
You punch me. I say that it hurts. You ask me to explain to you why it hurts. I do, but you don’t feel any pain after I explain so then it must not hurt. I lose.
Method 2:
You punch me and it makes you happy. I say that it hurts. You ask me to explain to you why it hurts. I do, you can see how a punch can cause pain, but punching makes you happy so, oh well. I lose.
Method 3: (My favorite!)
You punch me. I say it hurts. You don’t care. No discussion. I lose.
These are gun control debates; they are equality debates; they are any discussion on racism. You don’t care. You really just, don’t care OR it makes you happy, so oh well. You aren’t riding around in a hood, lynching people. You aren’t a beating your wife. You aren’t walking into a mall, opening fire on the food court. You just don’t care that other people are. Own it! Own that shit! You can have you cake and eat it too, because you don’t have to tell anyone you have one. You can’t say that you aren’t part of the problem however. You don’t get to do that. Ignorance is one thing. Not being aware of something and its potential effects is different than being made aware of it and sticking your fingers in your ears and humming the Star Spangled Banner.
We do bad things all the time. We speed. We let the guy who has a crush on us keep bringing in those cupcakes even though nothing is going to happen. We call in sick because we’re hung over. Those things don’t make you a terrible person. Being directly confronted with the potential or ACTUAL consequences of those actions and being all like, “Well, so” is what makes you a terrible person.
Regardless, OWN THAT SHIT!
