tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post3396353055550568799..comments2023-10-10T12:33:43.016-04:00Comments on A Bad Case of the Dates: Education is CostlyJMGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18362998962851574254noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-81007075959937393842015-06-23T04:03:59.098-04:002015-06-23T04:03:59.098-04:00I agree with Carol, besides that wasn't nice o...I agree with Carol, besides that wasn't nice of Helen to say to her, "Up your ass!" The female student just wanted directions and being polite. No need to be rude. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02227939666164922771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-84833563367268194002012-11-11T05:43:57.025-05:002012-11-11T05:43:57.025-05:00I think he didn't want trouble or being report...I think he didn't want trouble or being reported so he found a quick excuseAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03738406563691145084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-4592331551527784832012-02-02T03:32:27.812-05:002012-02-02T03:32:27.812-05:00bwahahahahhaha best post EVER!!!!bwahahahahhaha best post EVER!!!!RDBMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14239578330174211083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-26570337395605650722011-10-17T19:17:46.305-04:002011-10-17T19:17:46.305-04:00@ TheGnome, echai, and anyone else who thinks they...@ TheGnome, echai, and anyone else who thinks they are making a difference and helping people with their misplaced political correctness.<br /><br />You are not.<br /><br />People calling someone a generally considered insult, out of earshot of someone who actually suffers from that issue, are not causing harm to anyone, unlike echais claim of 'Your intentions mean nothing. You are using offensive language, and that language can easily cause pain.'<br /><br />Sometimes, yes. usually, no. Unfortunately, if you are not capable of logical enough thinking to realize that words meanings vary with context, intent, and use, you will stay stuck on the level of those shrill protesters that wave misspelt banners.<br /><br />If you wish to do something for differently abled people, get out there and do so, rather than congratulating yourself for achieving nothing, but making a big noise in your ignorance. <br /><br />Under your amusingly PC 'ideas' all jokes about minorities would also be racist. Of course, that wouldn't apply to me, cos I have an Irish brother as well...Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14455136756424949727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-8023485958838419952011-08-30T20:39:22.217-04:002011-08-30T20:39:22.217-04:00I remember the first time I made a gay joke at a p...I remember the first time I made a gay joke at a party full of heteros (who all assumed I was a hetero too). I sounded a lot like this conversation; a little uptight and a little self-righteous. Lighten up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-54428743369040464052011-08-29T13:27:12.893-04:002011-08-29T13:27:12.893-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.SE7https://www.blogger.com/profile/01149195447196054351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-90601858592350224732011-08-29T11:47:31.839-04:002011-08-29T11:47:31.839-04:00^ That.
Reminds me of George Carlin's sketch...^ That. <br /><br />Reminds me of George Carlin's sketch of "bad words"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-68015990852272894392011-08-29T11:12:58.038-04:002011-08-29T11:12:58.038-04:00@Gnome
You notice how it's mostly the people ...@Gnome<br /><br />You notice how it's mostly the people not suffering from whatever ailment it is that get so uptight about it, like they need to protect those who are?<br /><br />Honestly, in my experience, that's worse than the people who speak without thinking. Most of the time, people who are "special needs" or "differently abled" just want to be treated like anyone else, and by making a fuss over a WORD only brings more attention to the fact that they are different.<br /><br />A word is a word is a word. If I started using the word "chair" as a derogatory term instead of "retard", it may never catch on, but because my INTENT is to harm people, it makes all the difference.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-83023381305408057732011-08-28T10:02:55.822-04:002011-08-28T10:02:55.822-04:00Gnome, that's the most concise breakdown of th...Gnome, that's the most concise breakdown of the intent/effect divide I've seen so far. You win the internets!Agneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11523545859293442992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-76055985404452211162011-08-27T18:48:53.846-04:002011-08-27T18:48:53.846-04:00Ditto, gnome.
I didn't see OP as trying to be...Ditto, gnome.<br /><br />I didn't see OP as trying to be an ableist asshole for saying she was a "special needs" student. Had he called her "retarded," then yeah, not cool. But "special needs" really IS broad. Hell, a kid with ADHD could be considered "special needs." It doesn't have to be insulting in the way that everyone is saying it is.<br /><br />And to whoever pointed out that using the phrase "it's so gay" and "retarded" in "non-offensive situations" still reinforces the negativity of being gay/mentally handicapped: YES. (I don't feel like scrolling up to see who wrote that.)<br /><br />Also, I love/lust Howie as well.Claire (and Nikki)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03946625511421997222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-31602925363108247712011-08-27T11:49:27.929-04:002011-08-27T11:49:27.929-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.SE7https://www.blogger.com/profile/01149195447196054351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-8759843744020934592011-08-27T08:19:48.131-04:002011-08-27T08:19:48.131-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-4748092833332057782011-08-27T04:13:45.708-04:002011-08-27T04:13:45.708-04:00Sure are a lot of people with aspergers hereSure are a lot of people with aspergers hereAshleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13733974260099709340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-6675399502412824772011-08-26T16:00:41.764-04:002011-08-26T16:00:41.764-04:00Mediator: I think when you point out to someone ho...Mediator: I think when you point out to someone how this is harmful, and they react by kicking up a fuss about how they would NEVER mean it that way and defending its use, then they're someone who is more interested in not being labelled racist/ableist/what have you than actually not being racist/ableist etc. If I've got a baseball bat and I swing it around, and I hit someone, do I then refuse to apologize and insist I didn't mean it so what I was doing to cause harm doesn't matter? Intent counts, and it's not like I went around deliberately hitting people with baseball bats, but it's not everything. We're not perceiving intent, we're talking about the harm using the terms that way causes, intentionally or otherwise.<br /><br />OP didn't use it in a non-derogatory fashion, so it doesn't fall under reclamation, and he's not disabled (as far we know), so it's not like the term is something he can reclaim anyway.SE7https://www.blogger.com/profile/01149195447196054351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-87667514763800576702011-08-26T12:54:15.383-04:002011-08-26T12:54:15.383-04:00The term 'special needs' is very broad. It...The term 'special needs' is very broad. It can mean any kind of disability. Her being a complete douche bag to a complete stranger could be a result of a disability, such as tourettes, aspergers (yes I said them again ;)), or any other mental illness. Maybe she got offended because she has a known mental illness, and doesn't like it when it gets found out. It kinda sounds to me like she DOES have special needs.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06213563190078338707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-73142773125813198692011-08-26T12:17:17.077-04:002011-08-26T12:17:17.077-04:00@echai
My personal belief is that unless a person...@echai<br /><br />My personal belief is that unless a person intends to cause harm, it isn't offensive. It reinforces nothing, unless they use it in a way that does. Tone, and situation mean everything.<br /><br />In my experience people perceive intent where there isn't any solely because they want to feel justified in being offended by a person's actions.<br /><br />Realistically, only by using terms in a non-derogatory fashion can we change their meaning and lower their impact.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-44066166673789481342011-08-26T11:49:27.732-04:002011-08-26T11:49:27.732-04:00Much lust, Agnes!
<3Much lust, Agnes!<br /><3Howie Feltersnatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11146278801013346618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-26220709017942779482011-08-26T11:12:14.659-04:002011-08-26T11:12:14.659-04:00Howie, I think your long tenure as an ABCotD troll...Howie, I think your long tenure as an ABCotD troll (and I have friends who are trolls here, too, so I can use that word without offending anyone!) has PROVED that you can say anything you want, and often do.<br /><br /><3Agneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11523545859293442992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-32893567809814658652011-08-26T08:00:14.210-04:002011-08-26T08:00:14.210-04:00minus that extra commaminus that extra commaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-72673243817865740672011-08-26T07:59:04.353-04:002011-08-26T07:59:04.353-04:00Love the new twist on the "I have a black, fr...Love the new twist on the "I have a black, friend, so it's OK!" card. No, it isn't. Your intentions mean nothing. You are using offensive language, and that language can easily cause pain.<br /><br />The word is offensice, regardless of what you want it to be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-79191930361454710272011-08-25T20:57:47.347-04:002011-08-25T20:57:47.347-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.SE7https://www.blogger.com/profile/01149195447196054351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-48257067156268431182011-08-25T20:13:44.149-04:002011-08-25T20:13:44.149-04:00echai said...
Jason: Not quite. It's not c...echai said...<br /> Jason: Not quite. It's not cool to joke about someone being 'retarded' or 'special needs'. It falls under 'ableist', a term meaning a prejudice or bias against those who are mentally or physically disabled. Even if he was well intentioned, he ought to now realize how hurtful such language can be and stop using it. Ignorance is one thing, willful ignorance quite another.<br /><br />I hate to say it, but it doesn't really matter, unless you are saying it to someone who actually IS retarded in some way. Sometimes words are just words, and DONT mean your 'abelist' or biased against special needs people. I can easily call one of my mates retarded when he does something stupid, and I grew up with an intellectually handicapped brother, so I have a fair idea of the issues and challenges that face them. <br />Its a different thing to call someone who is obviously not retarded, retarded, than to call someone with possible issues in that respect the same. <br /><br />In my country, we had a TV guy fairly recently say that Susan Boyle was retarded due to oxygen retardation at birth, and that 'if you look closely, you can see it'. Now, THAT is offensive to me, to her, and was to most of the country (the guy was fined for it).Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14455136756424949727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-40258127189877513032011-08-25T12:27:56.182-04:002011-08-25T12:27:56.182-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.SE7https://www.blogger.com/profile/01149195447196054351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-46755044015985008942011-08-25T11:12:30.900-04:002011-08-25T11:12:30.900-04:00^What Pinkerton said.^What Pinkerton said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3186499665856075184.post-84689535247772665412011-08-25T10:09:30.890-04:002011-08-25T10:09:30.890-04:00I think she was just upset that he said something ...I think she was just upset that he said something negative about her, so she made up the thing about her cousins. I've seen it done many times. (I especially think it's a lie because of the fact that she claims to have multiple family members who have special needs, but hey it's just my opinion.) It's the classic way to shift embarrassment from yourself. As for the guy, it's not like he called her retarded. He was just making a joke to excuse her rudeness and she blew up so that he 'lost' the date, not her.Pinkertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09737889205968450015noreply@blogger.com