ALOHA SPIRIT, REVISITED
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RETARDS, HAWAIIAN STYLE
Another One Rides The Bus
In the era of political correctness, calling black women "nappy-headed ho's" can get you fired; if enough people complain to your employers/ sponsors: Even arch-hypocrites, race-baiters and anti-Semites such as Al "Tawana" Sharpton and Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson.
On the other hand, if the perceived group you wish to stigmatize is not on the protected species list, you're free to call them whatever you want, and everyone will laugh. Harvey Fierstein made this point about "faggots" and "fatties," recently on one of his infrequent visits to Cul's place.
On the same site, I myself compared Bushco and the Bushies to the mentally challenged, or whatever we're calling retards these days.
And then I caught a couple of local headlines. It seems that a 79-year-old "mentally challenged" man was beaten to death in the men's room at the Waianae Burger King, on the Leeward Side of Oahu. And a "mentally handicapped" man was harassed, then followed off the city bus by four men, and beaten into a coma, here on the South Shore.
These men were strangers to their attackers. They did nothing to justify or provoke such violence. All they had in common was that they were obviously retarded.
Now, to nice, sensible folk like you & me, such unfortunate souls are objects of sympathy, pity, curiosity, amusement, discomfort or embarrassment. They are, at best, like children; and are treated, and spoken of, as such, even to their faces, with the best or worst of intentions. Their behavior wins them a name, and the name becomes shorthand for that type of behavior in people who are not so afflicted.
Unfortunately, those who carry such burdensome labels are clearly tagged by society for any kind of abuse, not just verbal. To some people (with another type of mental challenge), retards, faggots, bull-dykes, fatties, etc, are pre-approved for even the most violent attacks, simply for being labelled by the rest of us.
I'm not saying we should, could or ever would stop it. Terms like "gay" and "retarded" were originally intended to replace the bad old words. Well, they did. Now they are the bad old words. Either way, they are still labels. Either way, sick, violent people will seek out the outcasts, the weakest and most vulnerable among us. But when they glance furtively over their simian shoulders for approval from us, tacit or explicit, maybe we should growl at them. Primate 201. Introduction to Humanity 101. Ascended Beings Tutorial: Requires prior approval, successful completion of Humanity 404.
It doesn't make any difference what we say, divorced from what we do. If we treat our "fat" "retarded" "faggots" like welcome members of society, and treat sick, violent punks like pariahs, maybe there will be a real, positive effect. If we don't, then our funny, bantering asides may continue to be a signal to the punks that it's OK to attack.
Given that the victims in this case are mentally handicapped, and the victimizers are themselves mentally ill, who bears the responsibility here?
Does this seem gay to you?
Do I look fat in this?
Oh, shut up you retard!
"Victim in attack at Burger King dies"
"Police seek suspects in attack"
.
.
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IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGERS:
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!
RETARDS, HAWAIIAN STYLE
Another One Rides The Bus
In the era of political correctness, calling black women "nappy-headed ho's" can get you fired; if enough people complain to your employers/ sponsors: Even arch-hypocrites, race-baiters and anti-Semites such as Al "Tawana" Sharpton and Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson.
On the other hand, if the perceived group you wish to stigmatize is not on the protected species list, you're free to call them whatever you want, and everyone will laugh. Harvey Fierstein made this point about "faggots" and "fatties," recently on one of his infrequent visits to Cul's place.
On the same site, I myself compared Bushco and the Bushies to the mentally challenged, or whatever we're calling retards these days.
And then I caught a couple of local headlines. It seems that a 79-year-old "mentally challenged" man was beaten to death in the men's room at the Waianae Burger King, on the Leeward Side of Oahu. And a "mentally handicapped" man was harassed, then followed off the city bus by four men, and beaten into a coma, here on the South Shore.
These men were strangers to their attackers. They did nothing to justify or provoke such violence. All they had in common was that they were obviously retarded.
Now, to nice, sensible folk like you & me, such unfortunate souls are objects of sympathy, pity, curiosity, amusement, discomfort or embarrassment. They are, at best, like children; and are treated, and spoken of, as such, even to their faces, with the best or worst of intentions. Their behavior wins them a name, and the name becomes shorthand for that type of behavior in people who are not so afflicted.
Unfortunately, those who carry such burdensome labels are clearly tagged by society for any kind of abuse, not just verbal. To some people (with another type of mental challenge), retards, faggots, bull-dykes, fatties, etc, are pre-approved for even the most violent attacks, simply for being labelled by the rest of us.
I'm not saying we should, could or ever would stop it. Terms like "gay" and "retarded" were originally intended to replace the bad old words. Well, they did. Now they are the bad old words. Either way, they are still labels. Either way, sick, violent people will seek out the outcasts, the weakest and most vulnerable among us. But when they glance furtively over their simian shoulders for approval from us, tacit or explicit, maybe we should growl at them. Primate 201. Introduction to Humanity 101. Ascended Beings Tutorial: Requires prior approval, successful completion of Humanity 404.
It doesn't make any difference what we say, divorced from what we do. If we treat our "fat" "retarded" "faggots" like welcome members of society, and treat sick, violent punks like pariahs, maybe there will be a real, positive effect. If we don't, then our funny, bantering asides may continue to be a signal to the punks that it's OK to attack.
Given that the victims in this case are mentally handicapped, and the victimizers are themselves mentally ill, who bears the responsibility here?
Does this seem gay to you?
Do I look fat in this?
Oh, shut up you retard!
"Victim in attack at Burger King dies"
"Police seek suspects in attack"
.
.
.
Labels: hawaii, language, politics, society
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posted by Cosa Nostradamus @ 4/23/2007 06:02:00 AM
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