Monday, September 11, 2006
White People Are Scum Until Proven Otherwise
Offended?
You probably should be, except those aren't my thoughts. You see, saying something like that should raise the hackles of just about everyone regardless of their ethnicity - with a few notable exceptions. It would be equally offensive if someone were to say, "Black people are scum until proven otherwise" or "Latino people are scum until proven otherwise" or "Arab people are scum until proven otherwise." It wouldn't matter if the speaker just extinguished a burning cross on their front lawn or just recovered the remains of their relative who had been blown to bits by a suicide bomber at the local bistro, the statement would be panned as absolutely inexcusable. We would certainly empathize with the victim and excoriate the offender, but we would also condemn the sweeping generalization of an entire ethnicity in no uncertain terms.
So I wonder if anyone will say a word about someone who declares that men are utter scum until proven otherwise? Lord knows that I empathize with her - if I had a daughter and someone laid their hands on her then I'd soon have a date with old sparky after going all Carl Lee Hailey on them: "Yes, they deserved to die and I hope they burn in Hell!" - but is it OK to declare all men utter scum? That is no different than if I were to say to my children, "Don't fool with them White devils - they're utter scum until proven otherwise." You would think that by now we would have learned where that mentality leads...
You probably should be, except those aren't my thoughts. You see, saying something like that should raise the hackles of just about everyone regardless of their ethnicity - with a few notable exceptions. It would be equally offensive if someone were to say, "Black people are scum until proven otherwise" or "Latino people are scum until proven otherwise" or "Arab people are scum until proven otherwise." It wouldn't matter if the speaker just extinguished a burning cross on their front lawn or just recovered the remains of their relative who had been blown to bits by a suicide bomber at the local bistro, the statement would be panned as absolutely inexcusable. We would certainly empathize with the victim and excoriate the offender, but we would also condemn the sweeping generalization of an entire ethnicity in no uncertain terms.
So I wonder if anyone will say a word about someone who declares that men are utter scum until proven otherwise? Lord knows that I empathize with her - if I had a daughter and someone laid their hands on her then I'd soon have a date with old sparky after going all Carl Lee Hailey on them: "Yes, they deserved to die and I hope they burn in Hell!" - but is it OK to declare all men utter scum? That is no different than if I were to say to my children, "Don't fool with them White devils - they're utter scum until proven otherwise." You would think that by now we would have learned where that mentality leads...
Have we learned nothing?
Read or Post a Comment
All White women are scum until proven otherwise...That does sound harsh...guilty until proven innocent?
I am a victim of domestic violence...and I would never deign to assume all men are alike at first glance...that would make me afraid of every man.
Every man wouldn't do what that man did to her daughter...but this boy I'm sure exhibited behaviors that I chose to ignore but the patterns are there....His Myspace shows his personality....
i hope she gets her some help...