Racy Race Remarks

This past Monday, I went to John Mulaney's hilarious stand-up comedy show held at Eisenhower Auditorium. The opener was a comedian named Seaton Smith. When Seaton Smith walked out and started telling his jokes, I immediately thought how his presence as a black comedian would give the show a different feel and more balance.

As a black man, there are different topics he can joke about and not be judged for and topics he can talk about in different ways. These differences come from the political correctness that surrounds race and what is okay for a black male versus white male to say.

Seaton Smith: Photo By Christopher Andersen

One of the major jokes Smith could make but Mulaney could not was about "all these white people" in the room. He used the fact that there was such little diversity to group all the whites in the room under one category and play on white stereotypes. It ended up being very funny and also interesting to watch.

As he talked about all the whites, white people trying too hard to be black, and jokes poking fun at the black culture it was interesting to observe the audience. At first, people weren't really sure how to take it and you could tell they were laughing out of politeness and uncertainty. As the jokes went on though, the audience began to laugh and truly laugh because the jokes were funny. This happened more and more as the jokes were pointed more at the whites than blacks. I thought this was very interesting to watch unfold. People seemed more okay with laughing at themselves than others.

Smith also used the N-word, which he even said he could say because he was black. When Mulaney came out, one of the first things he said was I use the N-word almost twice as much as Smith so I'm glad to see you weren't offended by it because that word can really backfire at certain venues.

John Mulaney: Photo By Rachel Lovinger

Looking back at this now, I realize I thought the jokes were funny but did not think using the N-word was okay. If you have read any of my posts before I'm sure you realize this is a different tone than I normally take. Most of the time I'm advocating to get rid of political correctness, but in this case, I do not think it is okay to say the N-word, especially if you are white.

I refuse to say the N-word or even write it and I tend to be offended when I hear people say it. For some reason though, it tends to seem okay to me when a black person says the word. I was reflecting on both of these points while deciding what to write about this week and was wondering why this is, especially when I am so against political correctness every other time.

The main reason I am against using the N-word is the awful history the United States has when it comes to race. Between 1525 and 1866 12.5 million people were taken from their homes in Africa and brought to America to be enslaved in a country founded on freedom. Eventually in 1863, to end the Civil War in which the south fought the north, the slaves were all freed by Abraham Lincoln. Since then, the country has suffered major issues with racism. People like Martin Luther King Jr. fought hard for years to remove the divide between blacks and whites.

Many people think the race issues in America have disappeared and we have finally reached equality. However, based on what I have observed race divisions are still a major issue in America. There is still discrimination, a lack of equality, and debilitating stereotypes present in our country.

I'm not saying that not using the N-word is a way to make up for all the awful things that have happened in our country. However, I think using a word that has been used since the 1800's as a derogatory term and that puts a target on people's back is unacceptable. There is so much hate behind this one word which has been used by hate groups and in propaganda against blacks that I just can't justify using it.

Ku Klux Klan- one of the most notorious hate groups: Photo By Thomas Hawk

I'm not entirely sure why it seems somewhat okay to me for blacks to use the N-word. It is mostly because the word has become more of a cultural thing for blacks rather than a derogatory term. Since the word has a different meaning for blacks it is more justified when it is used by blacks than whites.

With this being said, some people think when it comes to race we need to ultra politically correct. They think we must treat everyone as the same and when we really need to distinguish something by race we must say African American instead of black.

Personally, I think we need to celebrate our differences and that it is okay to use terms like black and white. My only issue is using words that have a deeply ingrained hate-filled history, such as the N-word.

So what do you think, is it okay to use the N-word and how about black and white?

E*****Y

You are probably thinking, "E*****Y, what is that, a curse word I don't know?" Well, it's a new "curse word" that is apparently becoming unacceptable in society to use due to an increase in political correctness. So, what is this new forbidden word?

Elderly.

Gasp, I can't believe I used that word.

All kidding aside, this is actually something that is happening. As the baby boomers get older, which truly started in 2011, there are becoming more and more people at the retirement age and older. These people have become offend by the use of the terms like "elderly" or "senior" because the terms have connotations with being sad and inactive. In today's society with people having longer life spans they are more likely to stay active in their later years; so, they don't want to be associated with terms such as sad and inactive. While this is a fair point, that does not justify claiming the word "elderly" is unacceptable.

However, this point of view is gaining support as groups make changes to reflect this mindset change. For example, the American Association of Retired People officially changed their name to simply AARP as to no longer use the word retired, which can also be seen as offensive. Another change in the population has been to change companies that provide elderly care or senior care to providing in-home or companion care.

Photo By: LCCR&LCCREF

This issue of what to call people over the age of 65 years old has been discussed more and more as the media, through advertisements, politics, and other groups, have tried to figure out what to group this range of aged people as while not offending them.

One of the main reasons I think this concept is absolutely ridiculous is based on how we have always viewed the elderly. Throughout most cultures and time periods the elderly have been revered as wise and the ones at the top of society. Why should we change this now and do we even have the right to do so?

Most people have a goal in life to achieve something that allows them to leave a legacy behind and to achieve things throughout their life. Reaching retirement used to be a sign that at least some of these goals were achieved and as an "elderly member of society" you achieved some level of wisdom and status. If we remove terms like elderly and retirement, we also remove the idea of completing a goal and to some extent seeing your legacy played out.

Photo By: Patrick Doheny

An interesting concept was brought up in an article from the Telegraph about how we call older people "senior citizens" but don't refer to those under the age threshold as "junior citizens." Personally, I think this is a good. I think you should only get a title of "senior citizen" once you have reached a certain point in your life, similar to the idea of retirement and legacies. There is no reason to have a title before this point because honestly it doesn't matter you are ultimately working the goal of senior citizen where you can enjoy an easier life.

Another point brought up in the Telegraph was that 80% of older Americans have been victims of ageism, where they were assumed less capable due to their age. The explanation for this was terms like elderly, "sweet, little old ladies," and seniors all of which apparently represented the older folks as weaker.

Come on.

A term like these, that most people associate with grandparents they adore or people have already done a lot for society does not make them weak. In fact, it makes them seem stronger as younger citizens go to them for advice.

I don't understand how people can think just because the elderly are heading towards the end of their life this makes them weak. At the end of life is when people tend to fight the most.

So for once, let's stick to what the status quo has always been- call older people elderly. I see nothing wrong with it. In fact, I see it as a honor.

It is silly that, as all political correctness has a tendency to do, we have created an atmosphere in which the term elderly is apparently seen as weaker and is therefore not an okay word to use when talking about or to older people.

So, what do you think, do we need to change what we call the elderly?

Brainwashing our Children

If you have read either of my previous blog posts you know by now that I think political correctness is a waste of time. Some of you may be thinking, well I'm not always concerned about being politically correct so is this really that big of a deal? Plus, the people who worry about being politically correct are just the politicians who have to hold up to all standards, right?

Wrong.

Well then it's just college aged kids and adults trying to get jobs and secure a future without offending potential employers. when they are surrounded by people with all different backgrounds.

Wrong again.

In America, we start teaching political correctness from the day we are born. Think about it, when a little kids hears a politically incorrect word and uses it they are reprimanded and taught to never use that word again, even if they don't understand why it is a bad word. In some cases adults don't understand why the word is considered bad.

While this post is not about race a great example of teaching kids political correctness at a young age is the N-word. An ABC TV show called Blackish recently did an episode where the son, who is black, uses the N-word in elementary school and is potentially expelled from the school. In this episode the kid was confused as to why the word was bad and no one could quite explain it to him besides that it was offensive and he shouldn't be using it.

A real life example comes from my school district's elementary schools. My township back home has a Facebook page that has over 5,000 members. It acts as a public forum and one day someone went on a rant over the fact that the elementary school's were referring to Christmas trees as Holiday trees. The post sparked over a thousand comments when the average post has maybe 20 comments on a good day.

I agree with the original poster over the ridiculousness of this. At a young age, kids are still learning about different religions and cultures, including their own. So why should we remove this ability from their learning and limit what they are allowed to discuss simply because we want to be sure no one gets hurt or is offended. Guess what, that's not the real world. 

Another thing with schools is how Christmas Break/concerts/ect. must always be called Holiday or Winter Break ect. so the other religions don't feel left out. This is ridiculous. Members of the other religions know they aren't in the majority and would expect the majority to get the say in this manner.

Children are continued to be brainwashed with more secular holidays like Valentines Day or even Birthdays where everyone has to get a Valentine, birthday treat, or invitation to the party based on classroom rules. Once again, this is not how the real world works.

Schools are supposed to be preparing kids for the real world so why do we stand by and let them get softer and softer while they walk on their tippy toes to not offend someone. If this continues, kids won't be able to handle criticism or insults when they come and they are bound to come. 

Political correctness has a lot to do with how people feel. Another thing that bothers me to no end is how everyone these days has to say how they feel, or how something someone else is doing makes them feel, and what they wish they would do to stop it. You can no longer just ask someone to cut it out because you may say something offensive in the process. 

One of the reasons schools tend to be brainwashed towards political correctness is the tendency for them to be run by liberals. While there is nothing wrong with being Liberal, conservatives push their views too, I have always been taught by teachers that politics were a no go, especially in public elementary schools.

Photo By: DonkeyHotey

Come high school you are allowed to start discussing the separate parties and what you think of the different views. However in elementary school and even middle school we could never discuss politics and teachers were supposed to teach all classes without a tilt one way or another; they were supposed to be impartial. So why is it that "impartial" elementary teachers can push so hard a liberal idea of being very politically correct all the time.

I have a hard time seeing how today's youth will function in a society with obstacles and harsh realities lined with insults when we are brainwashing them to be ultra-politically correct and to share all the time how they feel. Neither of these things exist in the real world and they will be unprepared for the one thing schools are supposed to be preparing them for, the real world.

Ultimate Midget Wrestling

America is a unique country and sometimes I see things or hear certain remarks that just scream to me, "Only in America." At the end of last month, Champs Sports Bar held an event that struck me in this way; it was called Ultimate Midget Wrestling. Check out Onward State's article to see a bit of the quotes that proved to me just how "American" this event was.

Photo By: Fellowship of the Rich

On this evening, the bar transformed into an area for a wrestling match. The place was sold out as people came to watch midgets, legally people under 4ft 10inches, wrestle each other. 

This brings me to the political correctness topic of the week: disabilities- or more specifically midgets, versus dwarfs, versus little people. 

People under the adult height of 4ft 10inches are legally considered dwarfs, the condition itself being called dwarfism. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, dwarfism is considered a disability and people fitting the requirements can apply for benefits that come with the act.

It used to be common place to call people with the dwarfism condition dwarfs or midgets. For some reason over time this became viewed as an offensive term. Now the term little people is considered the politically correct way to refer to these people. 

Even as I'm writing this I'm having a hard time figuring out what to call the people- should it be dwarfs, midgets, little people, or people with the dwarfism condition. Even though I find political correctness a waste of time it has been so ingrained into me that I struggle with it sometimes. 

If you think about it, if your friend uses a term you consider inconsiderate or politically incorrect don't you stare at them in disbelief and look down on them a bit? This is how we have all be trained and it is not universal terms that are considered "bad," hence one of the major issues with political correctness.

This is what has happened with the word midget. The word used to be used to describe dwarfs that were put on display for entertainment purposes. Since then, this term has stuck as a derogatory term for many people with the condition. Now the Little People of America organization is fighting to get the word abolished.

Although I don't personally have the condition, I think this is a bit silly. We live in America where we are supposed to have the freedom of speech. We are not supposed to be limited to what we can say based on who the word may offend. 

If someone uses the word "midget" as an insult, in my opinion it is like using any other word that would be directed at certain people. For example, the word bitch is almost always used as an insult to women. Although this word is considered a curse word, I hear it on a daily basis and there is no wide spread stigma around adults using the word to express themselves. 

Also, sometimes the word midget is just the best describer at the moment to get across who you are referring to when communicating with others. Just because the word midget, or even dwarf, is used instead of little people does not mean the speaker is trying to offend.

Personally, I know whenever referring to a midget I hesitate on what to refer to them as and I normally end up just calling them midgets because I see no issue with the word.

 We had an midget wrestling event here just a few weeks ago that was both sold out and well advertised and occurred without protests. This shows me that I'm not alone in thinking it is wrong to be overly cautious and always worrying about if I should refer to someone as a dwarf, midget, little person, or some other title.

I would like to end on the note I read on the Little People of America's website that I agree with. When asked what to call people with dwarfism the website said "Such terms as dwarf, little person, LP, and person of short stature are all acceptable, but most people would rather be referred to by their name than by a label". While I don't believe in political correctness, I do believe in human decency and think that calling someone by their name rather than coming up with a name for them is always the better option.

I'm really curious to hear what you have to stay about this topic; please comment below!

I promise you Jew is not a bad word.

"I mean, [our society is] very much like Nazi Germany. And I know you're not supposed to say 'Nazi Germany,' but I don't care about political correctness. You know, you had a government using its tools to intimidate the population. We now live in a society where people are afraid to say what they actually believe." -Dr. Ben Carson

Dr. Carson received some considerable push-back after this statement; however, I think he said it perfectly. 

Americans have this strange perception that they need to please everyone. Guess what? They can't. It's time the public wakes up and realizes political correctness is not the answer to all of life's issues.

In the past few years, political correctness has taken over the public sphere and it is all people seem to care about. Before people, write, speak, and sometimes it seems as though think the first thing to cross there conscious is: who might I offend and is this politically correct?

This is silly. You can't make everyone happy; it's just not possible. We live in America where we are supposed to have freedom of speech, a right we fight to protect. How can we hope to have this right if we censor ourselves in an attempt not to offend anyone?

Photo By: Carolyn Tiry

Throughout this blog, I plan to look at different topics political correctness surrounds and how it impacts the topic and other things people may believe do to it. I'm curious if my readers feel the same way about political correctness as I do, please do not be afraid to comment your opinion on political correctness as a whole or any topic discussed throughout my blog. 

This week I'm diving into political correctness and how it impacts religion. Since I'm Jewish I'd like to focus on ways I have seen political correctness when it comes to being a Jew. 

Since coming to Penn State, I have been shocked by the number of people who told me I was the first Jew they had met. Besides being Jewish myself, I come from a relatively high Jewish populated area, so I was a bit shocked to hear this. The lack of previous interactions with Jews tied in with the fear of saying something politically incorrect seems to have created a few misconceptions I'd like to clear up.

The first one being, that the word Jew is a bad word or even a racial slur. Jew is NOT a bad word or racial slur. This belief first came to my attention the first few weeks of school when I was talking to a fellow Jew who told me they had recently read an article by a fellow Penn State student claiming Jew was a bad word. I was intrigued so I found the article myself and was in disbelief as I read it. The author compared the word Jew to the "N word" and claimed that calling someone a Jew was politically incorrect and if anyone should be saying the word only Jews should. 

I am truly blown away by this. I religiously identify as a Jew, someone of the Jewish religion. You've probably noticed by now that I have called myself a Jew multiple times throughout this post and that's because I see nothing wrong with it. Plus, I have never expected my friends to refer to me as anything but a Jew or as Jewish when talking about my religion. This made me wonder what my friends here thought. It turns out a lot of them thought the word Jew could be offensive.

I found it really interesting that the author and my friends thought saying Jewish was politically correct but saying Jew was not. All that was done was adding -ish to the end. We don't think taking a word like the "N word" and adding -ish to the end makes it ok so why would Jewish be okay but Jew would not?

I also can't believe you would be able to claim two words are the same level of "bad" but not even be able to type one of them, the "N Word".

This badness seems to come purely from what people believe is politically correct, a term that seems to differ in meaning from person to person.

I believe if a word describes how a person religiously identifies, a Jew, it should not be considered politically incorrect to use.

Photo By: Aia Fernandez

The lack of knowing Jews also seems to result in confusion on the Jewish holidays and some kind of political correctness stigma around asking a Jew about it. There is nothing wrong about asking about a culture you don't understand, as it is the only way you will be able to understand it. When people ask, they tend to realize there isn't anything scary about the religion and the culture that goes with it and often find it's not so different than their own. If people understand each other's religions better we may be able to knock out some of the tiptoeing we do as to not offend anyone.

This brings me to one final point involving holidays. A huge pet peeve of mine involving political correctness is trying to appease everyone in December. There are so many religions out there that we don't wish its members a "Happy fill in the blank" throughout the year, so why do we try so hard to get it right in December. No one seems to know if they should say "Happy Hannukah," "Merry Christmas," "Happy Kwanza," or something else, so they play it safe and say the cringe-worthy, politically correct "Happy Holidays." This is emphasized ad nauseam in schools, stores, and in the workplace. In my opinion this needs to stop now.

Anyone I have ever asked, no matter their religion, has told me they couldn't care less what you wish them around Christmas; they are just glad you are thinking about them.

My Jewish friends and I joke around and say when someone says "Merry Christmas" we should just smile and reply "Happy Hannukah." I think this is a much better solution than saying "Happy Holidays" or my personal favorite "Happy Christmakwanzakkah!"

So next time, please, call me a Jew, ask me about my traditions, and wish me a Merry Christmas, I won't take offense.


Please share your take and experiences on political correctness as a whole and in religion.