Ignorance is Bliss

Crommunist has a fantastic post up discussing some more of the recent sexism dust-up, centering around some Twitter comments and insults made regarding Rebecca Watson, who I’ll reiterate is awesome. In particular were some comments made by an ignorant twit named Ian Adelstein, who is like a Misogyny Bingo Card unto himself. I just looked over there and found ‘some of my best friends are feminists,’ which is kind of like Rick Santorum’s gay friends and all the good Daleks.

But the best part is the hole this dickbag has dug over his use of the phrase “uppity cunt.” He apologized up and down for his use of the c-word, but the idea that a word like “uppity” might be insensitive or offensive? Perish the thought! Some choice quotes:

“@Samuel_Erkison damn. I had no idea! Thanks! I just thought it meant arrogant. Sorry @jamiekilstein and Rebecca Watson.” (link)

Which was a graceful admission of ignorance and apparent apology. I give him an 8.5, taking points away because he didn’t @-reply to Rebecca.

If only he’d stuck the landing:

@Chris___B yea the uppity thing blew my mind. Had no idea that word was offensive now too. (link)

“Now,” of course, means “for the last 130 years.” Continuing…

@Chris___B baggage for some people. The dictionary doesn’t even define uppity as offensive. (link)

Did you know that dictionaries are meant to provide detailed connotation information, including dictating whether or not a word is offensive? I mean, Dictionary.com describes that it was “originally used by blacks of other blacks felt to be too self-assertive (first recorded use is in “Uncle Remus”),” and the first result on a Google search for the word brings up Urban Dictionary, which gives definitions like “Taking liberties or assuming airs beyond one’s place in a social heirarchy. Assuming equality with someone higher up the social ladder” and “Word used by racist old white Southerners to refer to any black person who looks them in the eye. Usually followed by nigger.” But no, the word is just a synonym for “arrogant,” nothing more. We certainly won’t get into the fourth link produced by a Google search.

@Chris___B b/c of the thesaurus. They are used interchangeably to most, besides liberal d bags. Go vote for Obama, pussy. (link)

“Yep, only liberal d-bags like Joel Chandler Harris and the Online Etymology Dictionary think the word might mean more than “arrogant.” Go vote for Obama, you pussy! Also, I’m totally not a racist or misogynist. And more liberal than you!”

This is, obviously, a brilliant move for the bigots out there who want to avoid the nasty social implications of their bigotry. Let me offer a few more, which you can use at your leisure:

• “When I said she should ‘know her place,’ I just meant it’s important to know how to get back home!”
• “Right, a ‘woman driver’! A woman who drives! Look it up in the dictionary!”
• “When I called you a pussy, I just meant you were like a scaredy-cat! Most people use it interchangeably!”
• “I didn’t say you couldn’t make yourself a sandwich too! And where else would you do it but the kitchen?”
• “I didn’t know ‘fembot’ was offensive! I just meant that you’re hot and have guns for nipples!”
• “Guys can be sluts too! Plus, women use the word, so it’s okay!”
• “When I said that she sleeps with men to pay your rent, I just meant that she sublets her small apartment to a male tenant, and they have similar schedules! Apparently to liberals, ‘sleep’ means ‘have sex with,’ now.”

But it doesn’t have to stop with women!

• “The thesaurus says ‘chink’ is a synonym for ‘weakness,’ and that’s all I meant.”
• “What? He was doing hard work in the hot sun! Of course his back is going to get wet!”.
• “Oh my god, now you liberal politically correct word-police want to make ‘boy’ an offensive word? He’s a boy, isn’t he? It’s a synonym for ‘male’! You’re the one bringing his race into it!”
• “Duh, ‘faggot’ just means ‘a bundle of sticks,’ moron. Look it up. All it means is that I want to set you on fire.”

There you go, bigots! Let your ignorance be your force-field, and you can shield yourself from all consequences!

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I shouldn’t have to note that Dictionaries are not the arbiters of offense and that intent isn’t some magic get-out-of-saying-offensive-shit-free card, but apparently I do. Words mean more than their dictionary definitions. If you call someone a goose-stepping brownshirt, you’re not saying that they walk like a bird and dress in earth tones. Anyone who would disagree with that either has their head so far up their ass that they’re chewing on polyps, or is too dumb to function.