This entire post is going to make me sound really ignorant or whatever. I don't care. Just thought I'd give you a heads up.
I was offended today. For some reason that gets me every now and then. When it's brought up, it gets me going. I was offended by the implication of being white. Being culturally white, not just having some really pale pigment. Though, I am really pale. In that respect, I am really white - as in the color. But let's just examine "white culture" for a moment. (This. It's probably good enough to serve the purpose. http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/)
I mean it's funny. This shit is hilarious when not taken seriously. It's not supposed to be taken seriously. But it's interesting how, somehow, if something along the lines of ethnography catalyzes a personal connection, it becomes a sensitive topic. And if someone pushes the topic too much, people with personal connections can become offended.
My lemma: Being sincerely offended is an individualistic thing alluding to personal experiences. Likewise, being sincerely offensive is an individualistic thing alluding to personal experiences.
My second lemma: Words themselves, from a purely linguistic perspective, are not offensive. The combination of context and intent is what invites further implications and makes an utterance offensive.
So, in a way, I've separated the individual from society and I've separated the literal utterance from the context and intent. You could also consider the level of intimacy between the two people. I personally am not as deeply offended if a stranger says something offensive to me because they are obviously ill-informed. But it's different if an acquaintance says it. But that's just me so I'm not going to consider levels of intimacy.
With that said, we can have four characteristics; two types of offenders and two types of offendees.
(1) Those who are easily offended.
(2) Those who aren't easily offended.
(3) Those who purposefully offend.
(4) Those who don't purposefully offend.
Let's put these people together in all the possible permutations and imagine what would happen in a situation where the offender said something that was potentially offensive.
Combo: Person (1) who is easily offended. Person (3) who purposefully offends.
Outcome: Person (1) is obviously offended by the words of Person (3). Person (3) looks like a bully.
Combo: Person (2) who isn't easily offended. Person (3) who purposefully offends.
Outcome: Person (2) might be annoyed but probably won't be offended. Person (3) looks like a fool.
Combo: Person (1) who is easily offended. Person (4) who doesn't purposefully offend.
Outcome: Person (1) will probably be offended. If called out, Person (4) feels ironically defensive.
Combo: Person (2) who isn't easily offended. Person (4) who doesn't purposefully offend.
Outcome: Person (2) and Person (4) get by with virtually no ill feelings.
Despite using this method to try to understand most things in life, this seems way too logical and isn't how things actually go down in the real world. I should instead have a corollary to my first lemma which suggests that personal experiences are emulations of cultural and ethnic identities. I could also assume that people who aren't easily offended can still be offended.
What bothers me, though, is that an utterance without the context nor the intent can still be offensive. However, I know one of the things white people like is to be aware of other cultures and know what words and phrases are not ok to say. Does anyone else see the irony here? We're in this juxtaposition of 'white man feels bad for the bad things other white men did to non-white man so he feels the need to rectify himself by going overboard with being non-offensive and ends up looking like a racist fool.' It's almost as if trying to understand other cultures is racist for white people to do.
So I stopped. A long time ago. (I tried to.)
Instead, I've reflected on my own ethnic heritage. To the passerby, I'm a white guy. Let's be honest. I might appear to be a bit ginger but only a few people acknowledge or notice that. Still, ginger is white. However, I have a strong personal connection to my diverse yet Caucasoid ancestry. So it shouldn't be a surprise that being called "white" would offend me - because of all the white-people stereotypes that I detest. You could say I hate the idea of "white people" and being associated with that idea... in a hipster sort of way.
Maybe something else white people like is hating their own people. But that's certainly not unique to white people.
I've been told I think about this too much. I know and I don't care.
I was offended today. For some reason that gets me every now and then. When it's brought up, it gets me going. I was offended by the implication of being white. Being culturally white, not just having some really pale pigment. Though, I am really pale. In that respect, I am really white - as in the color. But let's just examine "white culture" for a moment. (This. It's probably good enough to serve the purpose. http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/)
I mean it's funny. This shit is hilarious when not taken seriously. It's not supposed to be taken seriously. But it's interesting how, somehow, if something along the lines of ethnography catalyzes a personal connection, it becomes a sensitive topic. And if someone pushes the topic too much, people with personal connections can become offended.
My lemma: Being sincerely offended is an individualistic thing alluding to personal experiences. Likewise, being sincerely offensive is an individualistic thing alluding to personal experiences.
My second lemma: Words themselves, from a purely linguistic perspective, are not offensive. The combination of context and intent is what invites further implications and makes an utterance offensive.
So, in a way, I've separated the individual from society and I've separated the literal utterance from the context and intent. You could also consider the level of intimacy between the two people. I personally am not as deeply offended if a stranger says something offensive to me because they are obviously ill-informed. But it's different if an acquaintance says it. But that's just me so I'm not going to consider levels of intimacy.
With that said, we can have four characteristics; two types of offenders and two types of offendees.
(1) Those who are easily offended.
(2) Those who aren't easily offended.
(3) Those who purposefully offend.
(4) Those who don't purposefully offend.
Let's put these people together in all the possible permutations and imagine what would happen in a situation where the offender said something that was potentially offensive.
Combo: Person (1) who is easily offended. Person (3) who purposefully offends.
Outcome: Person (1) is obviously offended by the words of Person (3). Person (3) looks like a bully.
Combo: Person (2) who isn't easily offended. Person (3) who purposefully offends.
Outcome: Person (2) might be annoyed but probably won't be offended. Person (3) looks like a fool.
Combo: Person (1) who is easily offended. Person (4) who doesn't purposefully offend.
Outcome: Person (1) will probably be offended. If called out, Person (4) feels ironically defensive.
Combo: Person (2) who isn't easily offended. Person (4) who doesn't purposefully offend.
Outcome: Person (2) and Person (4) get by with virtually no ill feelings.
Despite using this method to try to understand most things in life, this seems way too logical and isn't how things actually go down in the real world. I should instead have a corollary to my first lemma which suggests that personal experiences are emulations of cultural and ethnic identities. I could also assume that people who aren't easily offended can still be offended.
What bothers me, though, is that an utterance without the context nor the intent can still be offensive. However, I know one of the things white people like is to be aware of other cultures and know what words and phrases are not ok to say. Does anyone else see the irony here? We're in this juxtaposition of 'white man feels bad for the bad things other white men did to non-white man so he feels the need to rectify himself by going overboard with being non-offensive and ends up looking like a racist fool.' It's almost as if trying to understand other cultures is racist for white people to do.
So I stopped. A long time ago. (I tried to.)
Instead, I've reflected on my own ethnic heritage. To the passerby, I'm a white guy. Let's be honest. I might appear to be a bit ginger but only a few people acknowledge or notice that. Still, ginger is white. However, I have a strong personal connection to my diverse yet Caucasoid ancestry. So it shouldn't be a surprise that being called "white" would offend me - because of all the white-people stereotypes that I detest. You could say I hate the idea of "white people" and being associated with that idea... in a hipster sort of way.
Maybe something else white people like is hating their own people. But that's certainly not unique to white people.
I've been told I think about this too much. I know and I don't care.
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