Wow, I did not have “arrogant dickhead” on my bingo card.
You are correct, I am a musician, by way of a degree in classical music. Then there are the two degrees in mathematics — which may be why illogical arguments are unsatisfying if not indeed offensive — plus coursework in philosophy, physics, and writing. Other interests include the natural sciences, Greek and Roman mythology, archeology, astronomy, or really anything that catches my interest at any moment.
Not to imply I measure up to your overwhelming intellectual superiority, but still.
I just think a serious article should include verifiable facts and logical arguments. If I have to have read your entire oeuvre to understand, don’t blame me if I don’t.
But in the end, the problem arises when I put my logician’s hat on — some of your opinions don’t appear connected to reality as I understand it. And as a writing tip: don’t do something as silly as equating a missed pronoun to condemnation as a serial killer. It’s the kind of factless hyperbole that will color the reader’s perception from then on.
The funny bit is that you and I appear to agree on most things. I just find what I see as a blind spot on the subject of “wokeness” (I try never to use the term with quotation marks since it’s been rendered almost meaningless through overuse and right-wing redefinition tactics).
You dismiss things like microaggressions or offensive speech out of hand, but perhaps without consulting the targets of them. I used to agree with you until some kindly souls took me aside and explained it, and I realized with considerable embarrassment that I should have sorted it out for myself.
Does it go too far sometimes? Does any social movement not go too far? For example, conservatism wasn’t always the intergalactic f*cking freakshow it is now — as the saying goes, a plane needs a left and a right wing to fly. Societies need and will always have conservatives. Ours just fell victim to a mental disorder and took it to ridiculous and potentially catastrophic extremes.
So on the logic front, here’s an example from one of your pieces:
WOKESTER: You just committed a microaggression and should be ashamed of yourself. You told a racist joke. Don’t try to deny it.
RACIST: I told the joke, sure, but what’s wrong with that?
WOKESTER: What’s wrong with it? It’s racist! You’re implicitly discriminating against people of colour. You’re glossing over their individuality and humanity and treating them as a monolithic and inferior race.
RACIST: I suppose that is what I was doing. But I still don’t see why that’s bad. It’s only a microaggression, like you said. So why worry about something so small?
WOKESTER: I’ll tell you why: a microaggression is the tip of the iceberg. You’re only a pawn of the institutions that make our culture so systemically racist — and sexist, oppressive, and lethal to most wildlife to boot. So your racist joke doesn’t exist by itself but stems from colossal, ancient injustices. By condemning your behaviour here and now, I’m really addressing those larger power dynamics.
Thus far, you’re doing very well, other than sneaking the word “pawn” in for disappointingly nefarious reasons we’ll get to. Also, the “lethal to most wildlife” bit is actually true in a sense, but you’re just doing it to be rude.
Other than that, very well put. To my mind, logically unavoidable.
RACIST: Right, but if we’re all just pawns of much larger forces, why does it matter what happens to us? Why shouldn’t we denigrate, oppress, or kill each other if we feel like it? Why shouldn’t we be sacrificed at the behest of those greater forces? Isn’t sacrifice what pawns are for?
C’mon, man. Nice routine, but the dismount has left a smoldering crater. You pounce on the word “pawn” you slipped in earlier so you can play silly word games and “prove” absurd assertions to make your point.
The most essential part of any rational argument is the last step. This isn’t proof, it’s debate tactics.
I recommend further reading, in part because fighting the greater forces to rise beyond the level of a pawn is part of the point. Articles from An Injustice! can be helpful.
Racist comments do have a negative effect on society at large by subtle (or not) denigration of minorities and providing cover for racists. Language is a product of society but can also lead, as I’m sure you are aware.
The bit about microaggressions is more understandable. I used to miss it, too. Yes, each of them is small. But they add up. Tiny drops of water can carve stone.
To sum it up, this reminds me of the trailing edge of every social movement. It’s the 21st-century analog to the guy from my youth who said, “Women can work outside the home, but they shouldn’t complain if I make lewd comments or give ’em a quick feel once in a while. They wanted to be here and that’s the kind of thing that’ll happen.” It sounds appalling, but it was the norm not that long ago, and the anti-woke arguments of today sound uncomfortably familiar.
It’s awkward for me, old man that I am, to wrestle with these issues. But the logic and facts are there, so I have no choice but to pay attention.
