The Comfortable Noose of Thoughtless Words

Misogyny is not funny. I watched Chris Rock's latest HBO special and much of what he said was quite funny...up to and through the duration of his blatantly sexist jokes. Making fun of rape, pedophilia and murder isn't terribly funny. I'm sure someone will call this "overly sensitive."

I sat with this girl at a study group who kept calling everything stupid or annoying to her, "gay" and I wanted to ask her "Are you ten years old or what?" But I didn't. Silly me.

So many people, often suffering the affliction of "good intentions" like an ingrown toenail, will preface the most idiotic remarks with perfunctory disclaimers such as, "I don't mean to sound" or "I'm not racist, sexist, homophobic but..." or "I don't have a problem with _______, I just wish they wouldn't force their issues on me"

And in these situations I am often silent for fear that my last shred of optimism will run from the room screaming, leaving a trail of obscenities in its wake. I keep hoping that if I work at it long enough, I'll build a vocabulary strong enough to fight such crap logic. Here's hoping anyway.

peace!