I find it fairly ironic that people who don't want to hear sexist comments often make sexist comments themselves. I have also heard people complain about racist comments while making racist comments themselves. Same story with sexual orientation comments, size comments, etc.
I have worked hard to eliminate sexist/racist/etc. comments from my speech patterns and it is tough. First you have to think through things we are used to hearing and decide if they are biased and then you have to constantly filter what you say to make sure you don't repeat a biased comment that you have heard. It is difficult and I wouldn't say I was perfect but at least I am aware and try.
Worthwhile things are often difficult, but we should always try. Meanwhile I get to laugh at you when you complain about sexist comments in one breath and make one the next. :)
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4 comments:
I am probably guilty as charged.
Yeah, the irony is amusing. There are people who manage to excise most bias from their language most of the time, and their speech becomes bland unless they are particularly talented in the craft of words.
Usually, bias in speech is crafted to draw an "us versus them" response, to which most people subconsciously respond. We are hard-wired to be part of a herd, therefore polarizing speech makes us feel satisfied at a level that lies well beneath speech in our hierarchy of feelings.
Should we try to dispense with it? I don't know... are we as a species prepared to drop the herd mentality? The number of wars still being fought over resources suggests that those in power have not finished with the herd mentality yet. I don't think its going anywhere any time soon, though the "global village" remains a worthy ideal to which we should aspire.
I'll keep trying because I think the ideal is worth promoting, but I don't beat myself up when I miss the mark.
I don't beat myself up when I fail, I just think the effort is worthwhile. And perhaps my speech is bland since I am not particularly talented with words, but I can live with that. Being self consistent with my ideals is more important to me.
yep, consistency plays a strong role in the way I try to do things as well, doesn't always work, but its been important to me for a long tme
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