Imagine that you are a liberal. Picture yourself in a social setting with several of your liberal friends. The subject of “wypipo” comes up in conversation. One friend delivers the speech that DSeid quoted:
You guys have got to stop playing into the alt right’s hands.
Like it or not, the term “wypipo” is indeed a derogatory term that is used to negatively stereotype white people. That makes is a slur. Yes, many of us are not really offended by it. But, if you’re going to make racism into a moral issue–which it very much fucking is!–then you have to be consistent on that message.
Yes, Jake is an asshole in claiming he’s being oppressed by the word. But Ryan_Liam has a point. We say that when someone tells you that a term is racially loaded and offensive and has a history of being used derogatorily, we should stop using it. So we should fucking stop using it.
If we don’t, then we’re telling the alt-right that we do not actually hold the principles we say. We make exceptions for us, meaning that we don’t really believe what we claim to believe. They have no reason not to use that as proof that we are racist against white people, or self-hating white people. We can no longer treat all that bullshit as a strawman, because they would have a fucking point. We’ve got to stop giving in and doing the shit that they claim liberals do. You’re making their alternative facts into a reality!
I said in the other thread that I understood why MrDibble did what he did. I get his frustration. But that doesn’t mean we should give ammunition to our enemies. And, no, you aren’t “woke” if you accept this term being used about you.
I don’t actually find “wipipo” offensive either. But my feelings are not more important than making sure we stay on message, and present a united front against all racism. That we stand for principles. Sure, we can be uncivil, but we MUST remain entirely against all racism, even the small stuff. If we aren’t, then we cannot fight racism.
If we lose our principles, our morals, then this really does become just about “what we find offensive.” And there’s a reason they try to boil it down to that–because it’s where they can win. White people do not face racism of any appreciable degree in this country. I entirely agree with that. People claiming racism against white people are usually wrong.
But fighting racism means not even giving the most benign form of it any quarter. We must stand for our principles, or we stand for nothing.
One of you is going to tell that person to shut the fuck up. You might be chuckling, but that would definitely earn a STFU. That unbearably pompous, scolding and cringey closing line…we must stand for our principles, or we stand for nothing …deserves an entire chorus of shut the fuck up.
Sure, maybe everyone should lighten up on T. But it wouldn’t hurt if he considered that his detractors have a point about his posting style.