Yes, there’s a clear distinction between “Democrat Party” and “boy”. A better comparison is to “Chinaman”, particularly if you know that “Englishman” is a widely used and acceptable piece of terminology. I would not blame someone for not realizing that “Chinaman” has offensive connotations, and I would not blame someone for not realizing that “Democrat Party” is (a) not the correct name, and (b) frequently and deliberately used as an insulting diminuitive.
If you are informed of those facts and continue to deliberately use “Democrat Party”, however, then you are being a bit of a dick*.
What’s so hard to grok about that?
*Note: “BIT OF” a dick. It’s not a big deal, but it is a clear discourtesy.
If you address someone as “Tim” and he says “I prefer to be called Timothy”, hey, no harm, no foul, honest misunderstanding. If you keep calling him “Tim”, you’re being a dick. Replace “Tim” with “Timmy”, and you’re being more of a dick. But that doesn’t mean he should introduce himself as “Timothy-not-Tim-not-Timmy”.
I’d like to point out that **doorhinge **posted in this thread since this post but somehow managed to ignore it. Yet he reiterated his silly request without commenting on the perfectly good solution I gave him to his issue.
Either he didn’t see my post, or he ignored it intentionally because a simple and polite solution to his “problem” was not what he was looking for, not really. It’s much easier to complain about some undue burden on his communication and therefore make anyone around him the problem than to just take my advice above.
This doesn’t seem like the most important issue one would want to martyr themselves about, but you know…
Did anyone else catch Eric Cantor’s speech upon losing his primary? He tried to repair bridges with his fellow republicans by saying that rifts within his party are nothing compared to between them and the “left and their Democrat…ic Party.” Am I the only one who thought he noticed a tiny pause where he almost said “Democrat” but caught himself? I very well may be wrong.
Hmmm, I found it here at around 12:15. I think I’m mistaken upon seeing it again: it looks like it’s just the slowness of a Southern drawl especially considering he actually does fumble over other words in the speech.
Martyr yourself all you wish. I’m not in a position to stop you and I wouldn’t try if I could. It never occurred to me that you would discover that I was ignoring your post without you doing some sole searching (looking down and examining your feet) as to why that might have happened.
Assume that I strenuously object to your telling me to, “put your big boy pants on”. According to your theory, you would then be expected to apologize and not use the term again.
I see you can’t respond to the substance of my point. Therefore, I won’t be saying that to you. In fact, I won’t be saying anything to you. I made my point to observers and you’re not worth the time.
You want to dictate what people can say and some people refuse to give you that authority. I suggest that you make a list of words you want removed from public use and then compare your list to the lists of the other Ray Bradbury firemen-types. I have no idea what your combined lists could then be used for.
I’ll stop you there with that strawman. I have no desire to dictate what anyone says. But I will tell someone when they say something offensive and if they apologize and/or simply stop using that language then there’s nothing more to be said.
On the other hand, If they continue to use offensive language after they have been made aware that the language is offensive, then that says a lot about them. So by all means, say whatever you want! Just don’t be surprised that people start thinking you’re a jerk when you are acting like one.
I’ve mentioned this before, but the “I won’t be responding to you” works better when you don’t respond. Failing that, you could actually respond. That works well too. For instance -
If someone tells you they are offended by being told to ‘put on your big boy pants’, do you apologize, or not?
Since he has yet to put his big boy pants on, I see no reason to apologize.
If he thinks I am a jerk for saying it, I think I can live with that. Because I don’t care what he thinks, just as you have shown that you don’t care that others think you’re a jerk based on how often you act like one, Shodan.
Did I say he had to care what I thought? He might not. He might care about what a group of people think, however. And even if he doesn’t, I can only control myself.
Unlike what his strawman and your lack of reading comprehension suggest, I have no desire to tell others what to say or what to think.
I will tell you what I think. You’re not obligated to care or even listen.
And I suggest (and notice it’s a suggestion, not a requirement or demand) you not discuss extending courtesies to anyone when you have made it patently clear in your posting in this thread that you are quite content to be discourteous.