06-05-2017, 01:48 AM
Once again I feel I should point out how lucky Aussie to live where she does and poor U.S. that has to deal with all of this racism. [/sarcasm]
Here is my friend's response to those supporting Bill Maher. I am enjoying this conversation by the way and appreciate the constructive comments to a real problem. It is not something I think about every day. There are so many issues one can be passionate about, one must choose what is closest to their heart.
To anyone thinking about defending Bill Maher: don't. There is no defense. As white people, we don't get to say that word, ever. Nope, not then. Not then either. Not even then. It is a word our ancestors created to dehumanize another group of people and maintain power over them, and no matter what the circumstances, even as a joke, it carries that history with it. The people the word targets can discuss whether or not they get to use it and what their use of it means. They can talk about whether their use reclaims it and takes away its power or reinforces its damaging history by keeping it alive and normalizing it. We don't get to be part of that discussion, we don't get to judge the people having the discussion, and we definitely don't get to use the word. No matter what we think we mean, when it comes out of any of our mouths, it will always represent the power structures it has been used to enforce, power structures that we still benefit from today, so we just don't get to say it.
Here is my friend's response to those supporting Bill Maher. I am enjoying this conversation by the way and appreciate the constructive comments to a real problem. It is not something I think about every day. There are so many issues one can be passionate about, one must choose what is closest to their heart.
To anyone thinking about defending Bill Maher: don't. There is no defense. As white people, we don't get to say that word, ever. Nope, not then. Not then either. Not even then. It is a word our ancestors created to dehumanize another group of people and maintain power over them, and no matter what the circumstances, even as a joke, it carries that history with it. The people the word targets can discuss whether or not they get to use it and what their use of it means. They can talk about whether their use reclaims it and takes away its power or reinforces its damaging history by keeping it alive and normalizing it. We don't get to be part of that discussion, we don't get to judge the people having the discussion, and we definitely don't get to use the word. No matter what we think we mean, when it comes out of any of our mouths, it will always represent the power structures it has been used to enforce, power structures that we still benefit from today, so we just don't get to say it.