An intuitive case for most people: we all recognize the car from The Dukes of Hazzard, but you probably shouldn’t put the confederate battle flag on your own car as a reference to it.
Known? It seems like many people are disagreeing with you. Who knows that it is offensive? Who decided? Can you tell me or did you just write it in this way to avoid saying directly that it is just your personal opinion that this word is offensive?
But that’s entirely separate from the question of whether the word “pimp” is, in fact, offensive. I think failing to acknowledge that it is a generally offensive word is more a testament to obstinacy than anything else.
Unironically, virtue signalling is offensive to me. What now? Who defines offensiveness?
>you probably shouldn’t put the confederate battle flag on your own car as a reference to it.
Who are you to define a cultural symbol for other people?
I think we need to recognize that offense is not given, it is taken; and it is up to the individual to recognize that context matters before taking offense. The alternative is effectively authoritarianism, dictation of culture and weaponization of victimhood.
If you feel offended by other people saying that they are uncomfortable with things (which, again, doesn’t clearly translate to “virtue signaling” to me), then that sounds like a “you” problem. It’s worth introspecting on why others’ feelings affect yours that much, and why that comes out in such breathless language as “authoritarian,” “weaponization,” &c.
This is only true if you live in an urban bubble. The confederate flag represents more than racism and slavery to southerners, frankly, you are narrow minded. And your interpretation is, ironically, offensive to those who live in the south.
Herein lies the conundrum. You have no right to dictate, what is and is not cut and dry to other people.
>why that comes out in such breathless language as “authoritarian,” “weaponization,” &c. Because inevitably those among us who are the loudest regarding political correctness use it as a tool to grab at power that more often than not is undeserved. They are aggressors in a culture war which is has long ago consumed academia and is rapidly spreading through industry; political correctness is literally thought control and as such forms a foundation for authoritarianism.
I repeat, you have no right to dictate what symbols mean to me - your culture does not supercede mine. All symbols must be considered alongside within the context of intent. I am not offended by people saying that they are uncomfortable, I am offended by such people telling me I am not allowed to use certain symbols or language, or have certain thoughts, under penalty of termination of employment or blacklisting, since ultimately this is a unilateral imposition of culture.
And in fact when such political correctness spreads to other countries, when westerners start insisting that, say, Japan is not diverse or LGBT friendly enough, this is modern cultural imperialism. I don't need it at home and it isn't right abroad either. This is about far more than pronouns and flags.
I don't think they are. My impression was merely they're attempting to convey the general perception. Their's to be sure, but also what they believe to be the accepted consensus.
> This is only true if you live in an urban bubble. The confederate flag represents more than racism and slavery to southerners, frankly, you are narrow minded. And your interpretation is, ironically, offensive to those who live in the south.
This isn't the first time I, an urbanite have heard this. I thought it was stupid then, and I still do. I've never seen a single person wave the confederate flag that wasn't also in the best possible interpretation for them, at the very least, ok with with the confederacy generally. The amount of willful and intentional ignorance as to the reason the confederacy exists, itself is egregious enough. The confederacy exists to promote human slavery. Totems and emblems of it, are inexorable tied to slavery. To fly the confederate is to condone the one of the worst mistakes in American history. "But it doesn't mean racism to me!!!!" You're flying the flag, you should know why it exists. Why did the confederacy exist? "States rights!!!!" States rights, to... do... what? You can continue to lie to both yourself and to me, but that's my point about willful and intentional ignorance of reality.
But I'm more than willing to be convinced I'm wrong, or mistaken. What does the confederate flag mean that's so important, or so valuable that it's existence as a symbol of the group willing to kill to protect the ability to own human slaves should be ignored?
> All symbols must be considered alongside within the context of intent.
I completely agree with you, only I think the responsibility to consider the context and intent lies with both the listener, *and* the speaker. Se why are you willing to ignore the negative connotation or context of the culture?
> I am offended by such people telling me I am not allowed to use certain symbols or language
That's one interpretation of it... I'm not sure it's reasonable. I'd frame it more like: "I wouldn't let someone scream racist obscenities in my ear." Only I'm willing to go farther than that, I'm not willing to let someone display a symbol I believe to be in existence to promote racism at my coffee shop. If the owner agrees, good, if they disagree. Then it's really not my coffee shop. I'll go somewhere else. It just happens to be that there's more people unwilling to tolerate racism than there used to be. And those that are willing to tolerate it are now outnumbered.
> under penalty of termination of employment or blacklisting, since ultimately this is a unilateral imposition of culture.
No, it's the rejection of a harmful culture. I wouldn't willingly work with someone constantly threatening to harm someone. I wouldn't work with someone constantly exclaiming that I'm going to hell because I'm going to the wedding of my gay friend. And I won't willingly work for someone I know owns a slaves. The difference is that instead of me leaving the community, it's me refusing to allow someone spewing such toxicity from joining one I'm already a member of. I'm not saying you can't fly your symbol of racism. In fact I'm glad if you do fly it. Because it makes it easier to know where you stand on the importance of racism. It saves me the trouble of wondering how you feel about racism and slavery.