the_fantastic_ms_fox | Entries tagged with language

[from Facebook]

I disagree with the idea that their protections are others' protections [e.g. non-censorship of popular media]. There is overlap, but the WBC's actions are not the same as a controversial novel.

I see free speech not as an end in itself but as a means to further the public discourse; to make sure that ideas are given fair weight and not ruled out through force or other social principles that ultimately default to the threat of force (if you get evicted and refuse to go, the landlord can call in the cops - exercising force).

Following from that, I think it is reasonable to restrict speech which does not serve this purpose and which, on average, creates harm greater than the cost of prohibiting and punishing it.

Thus, I am okay with hate speech laws - one cannot advocate genocide or incite people to violence directly or through dehumanizing arguments (as dehumanization curtails empathy, which is a key step in inflicting mass violence) against a demographic of people defined by race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation and... a few other things I can't remember (but not gender or disability apparently, which is odd, but that's Canadian law for you). Through hate speech laws, we have removed "wholescale slaughter" from social consideration and will focus our cognitive engines elsewhere.

There are many other restrictions on free speech, ultimately backed by force, which I usually agree with (and which are generally considered intuitive, yet are not included in most discussions of free speech): uttering threats; breaching confidentiality; impersonating a police officer or other public official; identity theft; offering to pay someone to inflict harm; spreading malware; sexual harassment; giving false professional advice; following someone and shouting at them after they've asked you to leave them alone; breaking noise control ordinance; fraud; the old "shouting 'fire' in a crowded theatre" example; as well many other crimes even if one defines them as "performance art." All of these are crimes of communication, of speech or expression (they are "speech-acts"), and all, on average, contribute greater harm to society than a benefit that they would stand to create by furthering the public discourse. They have been ruled out of bounds. I am generally okay with that.

I don't think what the WBC does should be legal as it is harassment and hate speech and contributes nothing to the public discourse. But I don't mind that they get away with it - it does wonders for the public perception of homophobia.

Crossposts: http://hundun.livejournal.com/285540.html

I saw a video of myself being interviewed.

I come across as articulate, informed, and boyish.

Being articulate is useful and being informed is desirable. But the two together explain some hostile reactions in conversation. People hear an educated voice and know that I could, if I wanted to, walk all over their opinions, privately or publicly, with the force of learnedness. And sometimes I do that. I've like to think that I limit this only to when others are saying ignorant hurtful things, and then I've tried to be considerate, but it's hard to say "actually, you're wrong, you're making bad things happen, and here's why."

Articulate and informed yield power and privilege. A lot of class privilege. And the privilege, just or not, of having a reputation for heuristic epistemological authourity - of being someone who really does know what the fuck she's talking about, with testable, verifiable, opinions. But the two are entangled.

I could use this privilege justly, or I could use it at whim. willy-nilly, even on topics where I am wholly ignorant. And it would take a keen mind to tell the difference. When I speak, I hold this over people.

No wonder some people feel defensive.

Crossposts: http://hundun.livejournal.com/265535.html

Here's another way of encapsulating my earlier point:

To use English to refer to singular humans in the gender-neutral requires either neologism or breaking grammatical rules. But why? School systems teach us English in such a way as to support some classes, ethicities and genders over others. For gender, this includes eliminating the singular "they," and designating "he" as the universal singular. Our language has already had its grammar and lexicon fucked with, but because we grew up with this, we see it as normal. We are taught that deviations are improper, or too new to use ("ze" is too weird, so people don't use it, so it's still new, so people think it's weird, repeat - but if you start using it, it starts sounding normal).

I'm not suggesting a particular pronoun, but a way of couching your choice and explanation thereof.

In response to "what's wrong with the term "female bodied" and/or "male bodied?" And what's pereferable?

(Not because it's politically correct, but because otherwise it'll sound like you don't have a clue what the fuck you're talking about.)
( Read more... )

From Wikipedia

In gay slang, a "friend of Dorothy" (occasionally abbreviated FOD) is a term for a gay man.^[1] The phrase dates back to at least World War II, when homosexual acts were illegal in the United States. Stating that, or asking if, someone was a "friend of Dorothy" was a euphemism used for discussing sexual orientation without others knowing its meaning. The origin of the term is unknown and there are various theories.^[2] A similar term "friend of Mrs King" (ie Queen) was used in England, mostly in the first half of the 20th century.^[3]...

...In the early 1980s, the Naval Investigative Service was investigating homosexuality in the Chicago area. Agents discovered that gay men sometimes referred to themselves as "friends of Dorothy." Unaware of the historical meaning of the term, the NIS believed that a woman named Dorothy was at the center of a massive ring of homosexual military personnel. The NIS launched an enormous hunt for Dorothy, hoping to find her and convince her to reveal the names of gay servicemembers.^[9]

It scares me when I'm productive in a conventional sense.

While I once took a semester of Queer Women's Autobiographies, Eugenics and Urban Social Geography, or Chinese Lit, Candadian Sci-Fi, Antropological Methodology and Theories of Urban Economic Development now I'm studying French, Spanish, Economics and Calculus. I'm editing. I seem to be in a relationship (very weird). I warked for two candididates in the election an now I soom to be knee deep in the student election.

I was largely idle for eight months, nom I'm... doing things.

Creepy.

God help me if I ever get a job, especially if it's something especially "useful." I don't think I could take it.

Current Mood: Eerily productive
Current Music: something unidentifiable honksquawks in the distance

In the Rhino Party's latest desperate bid to capture the ethnic vote, we have decided to stop just talking louder to people who can't seem to speak Engilsh for some reason, and instead find people who speak these "other languages." If you would be able or know someone who would be able to help us reach the Roman, Klingon, Elvish and/or Esperantan communities, please leave a note.

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The Fanstastic Ms. Fox

Entries tagged with language

In response to a comment about the Westboro Baptist Church and free speech

Linguistic Privilege

A letter with regards to explaining one's use of pronouns

(no subject)

Wikipedia is the best distraction ever

Engines of production

Ethnic fever

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August 2017

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