I think everyone has blind spots. I don't think many people out there -- even if they can concede the existence of these blind spots -- are keen on seeing themselves as bad people. It's a natural reaction to defend oneself when called out. I do think that there is room in the discussion to consider whether or not some individuals are overly eager to take offense at every potentially offensive thing in the universe. I think there can be room to give people the benefit of the doubt and not always assume the worst at the utterance of every non-politically correct syllable.
However, the flipside is that I think that people absolutely should try to be cognizant not just of what they think they're saying, but also how it can be interpreted. Now obviously if you're going out of your way to twist my words and quote things I've said out of context just to make me appear to be a monster, that's not really my problem. But at the same time, I have a responsibility to try to communicate my thoughts clearly and effectively, and that necessitates understanding what words mean. Not just what I think words mean, but the broader context behind them.
Maybe some slurs really don't have much of a negative connotation surrounding them in my close social circle. Maybe I'm taken aback a bit when I see a celebrity taking heat for the word "faggot" knowing full well that I use it when hanging out with my buddies and don't really see the harm. I erroneously assume that the point of the conversation taking place right now is to demonize people across the board for using a word instead of trying to understand the overall context of the conversation. But if that's the case, I kind of feel like that's on me.
Yes, I can understand some concern about prioritizing weeding out more serious forms of bigotry. But at the same time it's important to realize that for many people, this kind of thing permeates throughout their day to day interactions. I'm very much against homophobic behavior, but I'm also not gay. I'd be lying if I argued that taking a stand against homophobia is high priority in my life. It's not something that affects me. As such, I don't really see it as my place to be the final arbiter of what is a real problem and what problems are simply the result of manufactured outrage.
There's something to be said in regards to "sticks and stones" arguments. Words can't hurt if you don't let them. But I don't think everyone has the same amount of impulse control or can just bottle up their emotions. It'd be great if we could all have thick skin and not be concerned about being insulted, but for many, many people, words do have power.
damn that hurt.
