i've had a few responses to yesterday's entry, and I also thought a lot about it while lying in bed last night. I was thinking about how people are allowed to use a racial slur if they belong to the race being insulted. I make jewish jokes all the time, but it's okay, because I'm jewish.

Then there's the related situation where people take a slur and twist it so it becomes a positive thing (i.e. black people using "nigga," gay people using "queer"). I couldn't decide if this was a good thing or not. It's cool that people can become empowered by what was formerly denigrating, but don't the negative meanings of these words still lurk in the background and reinforce negative stereotypes? And although it might be okay for black people to use "nigga," it becomes appropriated by white people, and that's really confusing. Is it bad because white people are basically using the word "nigger" and they think it's okay, or is it good because the word loses it's power as a epithet?

Or do people give words too much power in the first place?

Andrew said that I shouldn't use words like nigger, kike, or spic for a cheap laugh. i agree that when those words are used, it's a easy way of getting a laugh. He also said that I shouldn't "be that guy who thinks he's upholding some sacred duty to be 'un-pc'." Which I'm not. At all.

so anyway, here's how i feel about it all for the time being: i've going to stop using slurs as ironic bigotry. it's just a personal thing. i don't think it would offend me if someone else does it (although seriously racist or homophobic bigotry would offend me, obviously).

also, i think my point yesterday got clouded by the whole racist argument. i was talking about my friendship with my roommates, and how there seems to be this general feeling of suspicion and spite between us. Maybe it's just me. i really don't want to get into too much detail about it, but i think it all boils down to insecurity. Either I want to be able to trust and feel closer to my idaho friends, or I want to find a friend i can feel comfortable with. Maybe I just need a girlfriend.

That's all I'm going to say. I'm tired about talking about it, probably as much as you are about reading it.

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