I agree, to an extent. I think that knee-jerk reactions are too common, and often from people that don't fully understand what's even going on. I think there's a lot of humor out there that is meant to call out ignorance and, rather than poking fun at the marginalized, it pokes fun at those who are doing it to them. And that, I can totally get behind and enjoy, and I think that some of it is automatically labeled offensive because people miss the deeper meaning. The only thing that tends to bug me about stuff like that is that it works both ways - there are also people who don't get those jokes and take them literally, and as fuel for their own racism/sexism/homophobia etc. But even in those cases, I have a problem with those specific people, and not the source.
I think sometimes getting offended on behalf of other people isn't even welcome by them, but I also think it depends on the nature of a joke, and the subject of it. Like, rape jokes are a no go for me, absolutely no matter what, because joking about something like that normalizes it and desensitizes people.
So I guess you could say that I've considered this before, and don't disagree with you XD But this wasn't really what I meant for this entry to be about. My issue was less with RuPaul's opinion and everyone who agreed with it (I actually wasn't so much offended by it as much as I simply disagreed), but more with their treatment of the people who disagreed in the comments. I could even ignore the people who tried to justify his use of it, but the ones that bothered me were the ones who were trying to put down anyone who felt hurt by what he said, or who recognized that it could hurt people. When it's an opinion regarding something like an aspect of someone's identity, I can understand why they would take it personally.
There is such a disdain in the world of anyone who shows any signs of weakness or vulnerability. I mean, I don't exactly want or expect everyone to coddle each other, but some understanding/compassion wouldn't kill people XD Or to follow Thumper's eternal advice!
I keep staring at your icon, it's so pretty *_______*
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Date: 2012-01-18 02:21 am (UTC)I think sometimes getting offended on behalf of other people isn't even welcome by them, but I also think it depends on the nature of a joke, and the subject of it. Like, rape jokes are a no go for me, absolutely no matter what, because joking about something like that normalizes it and desensitizes people.
So I guess you could say that I've considered this before, and don't disagree with you XD But this wasn't really what I meant for this entry to be about. My issue was less with RuPaul's opinion and everyone who agreed with it (I actually wasn't so much offended by it as much as I simply disagreed), but more with their treatment of the people who disagreed in the comments. I could even ignore the people who tried to justify his use of it, but the ones that bothered me were the ones who were trying to put down anyone who felt hurt by what he said, or who recognized that it could hurt people. When it's an opinion regarding something like an aspect of someone's identity, I can understand why they would take it personally.
There is such a disdain in the world of anyone who shows any signs of weakness or vulnerability. I mean, I don't exactly want or expect everyone to coddle each other, but some understanding/compassion wouldn't kill people XD Or to follow Thumper's eternal advice!
I keep staring at your icon, it's so pretty *_______*