30 Days Of Books: Day 16

Mirrored from brigidkeely.com/wordpress.

Day 16 – Favorite poem or collection of poetry

First, I’d like to direct you to Gwyn McVay, who writes poetry: Ordinary Beans.

Some of my favorite poems include Invictus and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. A little predictable/pedestrian? Maybe.

Recommend me some poetry, if you care to!

That’s just some PC thought police bullshit.

Mirrored from brigidkeely.com/wordpress.

Here’s the thing about “Political Correctness.” It’s not about policing thought or taking away “free speech.” What it’s about is elevating people who aren’t privileged (White Privilege, Male Privilege, Straight Privilege, Cis Privilege, Abled Privilege, and more (sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone)) to the same level of humanity as people who are privileged. It’s about not doing actual harm to a person or group of people.

When people use racist or sexist slurs, or ablist language, or co-opts chunks of someone else’s culture/heritage (hipster eagle headdresses, anyone?), or uses “Jew” as a verb, or claims loudly that the only reason person X got a job was because of X’s race/religion/gender/etc, those people are fostering an atmosphere where the people they slur are treated as Other and Less Than. It’s reinforcing notions that they aren’t good enough, aren’t equal, don’t belong, and don’t deserve respect.

If you are willing to defend to the death your ability to use the phrase “gypped” or “death march”, why is that? What do you gain by causing pain to others, to emphasizing negative racial stereotypes or belittling traumatic (and relatively recent) history? Why does your “right” to express yourself trump the very real pain that other people feel? Why is your ease more important than treating other people– other human beings– like actual human beings?