“If you are serving as a mentor to an underrepresented minority student and are not a minority, be open about your own positionality and identity, your awareness of your privilege and how you navigate it,” writes [Northeastern University’s Amanda] Cornwall. “Be vulnerable. I don’t pretend my struggles are the same as those of my students or that I know what it is like to grow up as a minority in a society of structural inequality and institutionalised racism,” she continues.
It occurs to me that if someone is prone to neurotic agonising and elaborate racial hang-ups, and pretentious blathering about “positionality” and “navigating [white] privilege,” and inevitably, “social justice,” then they’re probably ill-suited to mentoring students and not much use to anyone. Had I children, I wouldn’t want Ms Cornwall near them in any position of influence.
And invoking Robin DiAngelo, as Ms Cornwall does, proudly and approvingly, is in no way reassuring.
The ethnic-studies victim narrative is fiction. Far from being shut down by its racist institutional hosts, the field is growing. Even [Columbia literature professor, Frances] Negrón-Muntaner grudgingly concedes that radical scholars “may be incorporated and even rewarded.” Are they ever! Professors in “Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies” earned almost $12,000 more than the average professor in 2017–18, reported Campus Reform, drawing on data from the College and University Professional Association of Human Resources. If you were so benighted as to teach Math, Biology, or the Physical Sciences, you earned $15,000 less on average than your counterparts in ethnic studies. This is not a salary pattern consistent with a field under siege.
As it’s Ms Mac Donald, there’s plenty more to chew on.
Like “politically correct” before it, the word “woke” has come to connote the opposite of what it means...today we are more likely to see it being used as a stick with which to beat people who aspire to such values, often wielded by those who don’t recognise how un-woke they are, or are proud of the fact.
Nothing that Fox said on Question Time was at all controversial. He suggested that the Labour party leader might be selected on merit and he suggested that Britain is not a racist country. Both these sentiments are held by the majority of the public. Yet so dominant have the minority-opinion pushers become that many people are persuaded that it would not just be career-damaging but socially fatal to say anything to the contrary. Even when that thing is the truth.
"Go back to Iowa, you go back to Ohio*. New York City belongs to the people that were here and made New York City what it is," Adams told the crowd gathered at the House of Justice on Monday..."I'm a New Yorker. I protected this city. I have a right to put my voice in how this city should run," Adams said...Shortly after the event, Adams took to Twitter to double down, criticizing "new arrivals" for not making an effort to be a part of well-established communities.
Shortly after the event, Adams took to Twitter to double down, criticizing "new arrivals" for not making an effort to be a part of well-established communities.
Good thing he's not a Canadian hockey commentator; he'd lose his job for that
Yet so dominant have the minority-opinion pushers become that many people are persuaded that it would not just be career-damaging but socially fatal to say anything to the contrary.
It's worrisome enough that there are so many who believe that speaking the truth would be socially fatal; what really scares me is how many believe it should.
And the closing of that Grauniad article should win a prize for self-unawareness: "The language has been successfully co-opted – but as long as the underlying injustices remain, new words will emerge to describe them." I mean, even if I'm willing to concede that the Right has co-opted "woke" and corrupted its meaning, do you really think the author wants to pull out the blackboard and tally up how many words each side has rendered meaningless?
It's worrisome enough that there are so many who believe that speaking the truth would be socially fatal; what really scares me is how many believe it should.
The former encourages/drives the latter.
how many words each side has rendered meaningless
Kinda how we got from the word 'African' being somewhat disparaging when used in context/reference to American blacks to 'African American'. 'Colored' got thrown out for 'Negro', 'Negro replaced with 'Black', and now the preferred term being 'African American' even when applied to people who aren't even American...and even some who have no modern-era association with Africa. 'Youth' was also somewhat popular with local TV news for a while. See also 'Cripple'/'Handicapped'/'Physically Challenged' etc. I don't think my mother never got over losing the word 'gay'. But that's a whole other thing.
While researching English music halls of the 1920s, I came across the word "Jap."
Oh ho, raycist!
Well, no. Turns out Japanese acrobats were wildly popular at the time, and so whenever wanted to refer to one of those acts, they used "Jap" instead of "Japanese."
Sort of like how we use "Brits" instead of "Britains." If we could shorten "Americans", we would.
'Murkans* or Yanks, neither of which are offensive from foreigners unless they are trying to claim the latter is meaning one is from north (spit) of The Line of Mason and Dixon.
*(From the NSM - 'Nited States of 'Murka - as a hoser friend of mine used to say)
Well, Mr. Muldoon, my understanding is that "Yank" is an offensive stereotype (meaning 'a youthful hoodlum') in Japan... but only if it's applied to someone who's Japanese... but then again, most of my understanding of Japanese culture is based on Anime, so I could be oh so very wrong...
1920's? My dad used 'Jap' all the time. I did as well, even when I had an ethnically Japanese roommate. My 21st birthday my buddy and I told him it was family tradition to kill a Jap on your 21st birthday. Nobody cried about it, though usage by then was kinda like talking about 'smoking grass' or saying 'groovy'. I usually say 'Japanese' now but it feels kinda stupid in certain contexts. I can say 'Brit' of 'Scott' or even 'Canuk'. Hell, that's what they call one of their hockey teams.
I made a joke at lunch today that made my boss nervous. He was eating black beans and rice and I referred to them as 'Abe Lincoln beans'. He looked kinda puzzled. I said, "You know, frejos negros". He still looked puzzled for a second and then a little nervous laughter.
I owned a toy SHADO mobile and an Interceptor. With its one big plastic missile
Heh. I was the only kid I knew who watched that show. Kinda annoyed my friends by trying to get them to watch it so we'd have something to discuss besides McHale's Navy, which came in EXTREMELY snowy at our house on UHF channel 33 out of Miami.
But the ONE missile thing used to fascinate me. Of course I knew it was all imaginary/fantasy/whatever so I used to puzzle on why, with an imaginary technology of launching planes from under water, huge base on the moon, etc. etc. etc., they would be limited to just ONE torpedo or whatever. Seemed like the pilots were being sent on what was effectively suicide missions since the aliens seemed able to reload that green laser thingy at will. But hey, at least the pilots got to go down that (presumably) big long slide before facing near certain death.
And yes, the mesh clothing. Which I thought significantly differentiated it from most sci-fi clothing/uniforms. People talk about the great "predictions" in sci-fi that became realities. Like video/mobile phones, computers you can hold in your hand, etc. Yet tunics never really happened. Which, don't get me wrong, qualifies as a good thing. Didn't see mesh clothing becoming a gay thing though. Meh, the 70's.
And I'm picturing/remembering Lt. Ellis getting dressed. If I don't get this damn SQL three table join working by lunch, I'm blaming you lot. And Gerry Anderson. Of course he's now passed on...so...
WTP wrote, " 'Colored' got thrown out for 'Negro', 'Negro replaced with 'Black', and now the preferred term being 'African American' even when applied to people who aren't even American...and even some who have no modern-era association with Africa. "
Steven Pinker dubbed this the "euphemism treadmill", an excellent turn of phrase.
Note: "Negro" also replaced the n-word. "Afro-American" was between "Negro" and "Black" but was dropped because "Afro" was used for the hairstyle.
However, for all your fashion needs to bash the fash and other assorted Nazis like taxi drivers, Ian Miles Cheong notes a sale in progress.
Not swanky enough ? A mere 3,590 metric dollars will get you this anarchy leather jacket that pairs nicely with 540 metric dollar anarchy karate socks.
Oh sweet irony. The capitalism of anarchy writ large.
... the preferred term being 'African American' even when applied to people who aren't even American...
I remember hearing a supposedly professional, and doubtless highly remunerated, newsreader describe Nelson Mandela as 'the African-American South African leader'.
Which itself being a form of linguistic colonialism. AIUI, unless something recent changed...it's ever so hard to keep up on these things, the South African proper general term for people of Bantu/Xhosa/whatever similar groups is...ahem...'Black'.
Note: "Negro" also replaced the n-word.
Well, not really. The n-word derived from Negro. Negro of course deriving from the Spanish/Portuguese/Latin-based words for...ahem...'Black'. Not that long ago (like when I was in school...ok, long ago) anthropologists had three main categories for the human race, Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid. Though not sure where Native Americans and Native Australians fit in there. I think they were considered Mongoloid. Bah. Is a hot dog a sammich...etc.
...anthropologists had three main categories for the human race, Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid.
That's what I was taught, and how I still think of things. Amerindians were regarded as an offshoot of Mongoloids. And the Australian Aubergines were called Australoid but not considered a major group. Of course, this still left some anomalies / unclassifiables, such as the Bushmen and Hottentots of southern Africa (sometimes called Capoids) and the Ainu of Japan.
I expect to be tracked down and severely recalibrated for using outdated terminology. Please remember me as fondly as you can.
Yeah, it's also recently become associated with the male-ist part of the male anatomy. I learned this whilst talking with millennials at lunch one day. Not that either one of us knew what the other was talking about. We all just knowingly smiled at a reference to what someone was eating. I think I was the only one who understood the meaning you just linked to. The millennials made comments such that perhaps I needed to look the word up again as they certainly didn't seem to be using it in the context that I understood it. Then the conversation made sense again. Somewhat mildly amusing which I'm planning to keep to myself until perhaps it becomes useful.
I remember hearing a supposedly professional, and doubtless highly remunerated, newsreader describe Nelson Mandela as 'the African-American South African leader'.
. . . . . I don't remember the fellow's name, and googlemancy is not coming up with a reliable result, but some years back I either read or watched a black British comedian doing an entire comedy bit on labels . . .
[Definite paraphrase]
People keep talking about African Americans, that's perfectly fine if it fits, but that's not me. Do not call me African American, I am black. I am not African, I have never been to Africa. I was born in London, I grew up in London, my home is London. I am not American, I am English!!!
[/Definite paraphrase]
Have at it, me hearties.
Can we do the whole thread in *pirate voice*? ARRR.
Posted by: Mags | January 21, 2020 at 08:34
Can we do the whole thread in *pirate voice*?
If it would make you happy, I suppose so, yes.
Posted by: David | January 21, 2020 at 08:38
ARRRR.
Posted by: David | January 21, 2020 at 08:38
I thought you meant Tumbler.
Posted by: Tony Tea | January 21, 2020 at 09:55
It occurs to me that if someone is prone to neurotic agonising and elaborate racial hang-ups, and pretentious blathering about “positionality” and “navigating [white] privilege,” and inevitably, “social justice,” then they’re probably ill-suited to mentoring students and not much use to anyone. Had I children, I wouldn’t want Ms Cornwall near them in any position of influence.
And invoking Robin DiAngelo, as Ms Cornwall does, proudly and approvingly, is in no way reassuring.
Posted by: David | January 21, 2020 at 10:34
Somewhat related, Heather Mac Donald on sinking standards and pretentious victimhood:
As it’s Ms Mac Donald, there’s plenty more to chew on.
Posted by: David | January 21, 2020 at 10:57
"Related"
https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1219466921332105218
Posted by: [+] | January 21, 2020 at 11:41
The Guardian bemoans the fate of the word "woke".
They say that as if it is a bad thing...
Posted by: Farnsworth M Muldoon | January 21, 2020 at 13:03
They say that as if it is a bad thing...
Douglas Murray, here.
Posted by: David | January 21, 2020 at 13:35
They say that as if it is a bad thing...
“We just wanted free hits, forever.”
Posted by: Squires | January 21, 2020 at 14:41
"Our betters"
https://youtu.be/ImH8AjZrEcY
Posted by: Liz | January 21, 2020 at 15:57
Diversity
Mach FreiIs Our Strength, except when it isn't.Maybe they should build a wall.
*"What do think of Flushing, NY ?" "Great Idea"
Posted by: Farnsworth M Muldoon | January 21, 2020 at 16:45
They really thought tweeting this rubbish would make them look good:
https://twitter.com/PinkNews/status/1219649504502276097
Posted by: Captain Nemo | January 21, 2020 at 17:14
They really thought tweeting this rubbish would make them look good
I suppose that at some point it becomes a reflex, a compulsion. An ideological tic.
Posted by: David | January 21, 2020 at 17:21
... a reflex, a compulsion. An ideological tic.
Yes, yes, it is, probably news to all those workers who were in the Wartburg, Trabant, Lada, ZiL, and Moskovich factories.
However, for all your fashion needs to bash the fash and other assorted Nazis like taxi drivers, Ian Miles Cheong notes a sale in progress.
Not swanky enough ? A mere 3,590 metric dollars will get you this anarchy leather jacket that pairs nicely with 540 metric dollar anarchy karate socks.
Posted by: Farnsworth M Muldoon | January 21, 2020 at 18:45
Posted by: dcardno | January 21, 2020 at 18:58
...he'd lose his job for that
No, he is a Mayor of Color, speaking truth to power, or something like that.
Posted by: Farnsworth M Muldoon | January 21, 2020 at 19:47
Yet so dominant have the minority-opinion pushers become that many people are persuaded that it would not just be career-damaging but socially fatal to say anything to the contrary.
It's worrisome enough that there are so many who believe that speaking the truth would be socially fatal; what really scares me is how many believe it should.
And the closing of that Grauniad article should win a prize for self-unawareness: "The language has been successfully co-opted – but as long as the underlying injustices remain, new words will emerge to describe them." I mean, even if I'm willing to concede that the Right has co-opted "woke" and corrupted its meaning, do you really think the author wants to pull out the blackboard and tally up how many words each side has rendered meaningless?
Posted by: Governor Squid | January 21, 2020 at 20:59
It's worrisome enough that there are so many who believe that speaking the truth would be socially fatal; what really scares me is how many believe it should.
The former encourages/drives the latter.
how many words each side has rendered meaningless
Kinda how we got from the word 'African' being somewhat disparaging when used in context/reference to American blacks to 'African American'. 'Colored' got thrown out for 'Negro', 'Negro replaced with 'Black', and now the preferred term being 'African American' even when applied to people who aren't even American...and even some who have no modern-era association with Africa. 'Youth' was also somewhat popular with local TV news for a while. See also 'Cripple'/'Handicapped'/'Physically Challenged' etc. I don't think my mother never got over losing the word 'gay'. But that's a whole other thing.
Posted by: WTP | January 21, 2020 at 21:26
While researching English music halls of the 1920s, I came across the word "Jap."
Oh ho, raycist!
Well, no. Turns out Japanese acrobats were wildly popular at the time, and so whenever wanted to refer to one of those acts, they used "Jap" instead of "Japanese."
Sort of like how we use "Brits" instead of "Britains." If we could shorten "Americans", we would.
Because we're linguistically lazy, not raycist.
Posted by: Uma Thurmond's Feet | January 21, 2020 at 21:53
If we could shorten "Americans", we would.
'Murkans* or Yanks, neither of which are offensive from foreigners unless they are trying to claim the latter is meaning one is from north (spit) of The Line of Mason and Dixon.
*(From the NSM - 'Nited States of 'Murka - as a hoser friend of mine used to say)
Posted by: Farnsworth M Muldoon | January 21, 2020 at 22:35
Well, Mr. Muldoon, my understanding is that "Yank" is an offensive stereotype (meaning 'a youthful hoodlum') in Japan... but only if it's applied to someone who's Japanese... but then again, most of my understanding of Japanese culture is based on Anime, so I could be oh so very wrong...
Posted by: Smokepunk | January 21, 2020 at 23:22
1920's? My dad used 'Jap' all the time. I did as well, even when I had an ethnically Japanese roommate. My 21st birthday my buddy and I told him it was family tradition to kill a Jap on your 21st birthday. Nobody cried about it, though usage by then was kinda like talking about 'smoking grass' or saying 'groovy'. I usually say 'Japanese' now but it feels kinda stupid in certain contexts. I can say 'Brit' of 'Scott' or even 'Canuk'. Hell, that's what they call one of their hockey teams.
Posted by: WTP | January 21, 2020 at 23:41
I made a joke at lunch today that made my boss nervous. He was eating black beans and rice and I referred to them as 'Abe Lincoln beans'. He looked kinda puzzled. I said, "You know, frejos negros". He still looked puzzled for a second and then a little nervous laughter.
Posted by: WTP | January 21, 2020 at 23:47
I am informed by The Times that there is such a thing as woke coke.
Posted by: Hal | January 22, 2020 at 03:22
Sort of like how we use "Brits" instead of "Britains."
We're Britons, actually, but no hard feelings.
Posted by: Ray | January 22, 2020 at 04:51
We're Britons, actually
Well, I didn't vote for you.
Posted by: Daniel Ream | January 22, 2020 at 06:11
“Our betters”
Mesh shirt alert.
Posted by: David | January 22, 2020 at 06:48
Mesh shirt alert
Um, if you insist.
But who gets to fly the jet?
Posted by: Hal | January 22, 2020 at 08:33
Oooooh, UFO. Gerry Anderson's best work.
Posted by: PiperPaul | January 22, 2020 at 12:41
Oooooh, UFO. Gerry Anderson’s best work.
With groovy title music, as I recall.
As a wee seedling, I owned a toy SHADO mobile and an Interceptor. With its one big plastic missile, on which the fate of the Earth would often depend.
Posted by: David | January 22, 2020 at 12:51
“We're Britons, actually, but no hard feelings.”
Do Britons find “Brits” offensive? Or is it on a level with “Yanks”?
Posted by: pst314 | January 22, 2020 at 13:42
I owned a toy SHADO mobile and an Interceptor. With its one big plastic missile
Wow, me too. Though then for many more years I owned an Interceptor without its one big plastic missile :(
I also laboured under the sad misconception that one day "all these toys will be worth something".
They weren't.
Posted by: Karl | January 22, 2020 at 13:42
"With groovy title music"
My phone's ringtone.
Posted by: PiperPaul | January 22, 2020 at 14:19
then for many more years I owned an Interceptor without its one big plastic missile
A common, and emotionally scarring, experience.
Do Britons find “Brits” offensive?
Unless one were determined, I shouldn’t think so.
Posted by: David | January 22, 2020 at 14:36
I owned a toy SHADO mobile and an Interceptor. With its one big plastic missile
Heh. I was the only kid I knew who watched that show. Kinda annoyed my friends by trying to get them to watch it so we'd have something to discuss besides McHale's Navy, which came in EXTREMELY snowy at our house on UHF channel 33 out of Miami.
But the ONE missile thing used to fascinate me. Of course I knew it was all imaginary/fantasy/whatever so I used to puzzle on why, with an imaginary technology of launching planes from under water, huge base on the moon, etc. etc. etc., they would be limited to just ONE torpedo or whatever. Seemed like the pilots were being sent on what was effectively suicide missions since the aliens seemed able to reload that green laser thingy at will. But hey, at least the pilots got to go down that (presumably) big long slide before facing near certain death.
And yes, the mesh clothing. Which I thought significantly differentiated it from most sci-fi clothing/uniforms. People talk about the great "predictions" in sci-fi that became realities. Like video/mobile phones, computers you can hold in your hand, etc. Yet tunics never really happened. Which, don't get me wrong, qualifies as a good thing. Didn't see mesh clothing becoming a gay thing though. Meh, the 70's.
Posted by: WTP | January 22, 2020 at 14:46
But the ONE missile thing used to fascinate me.
It wasn’t the most compelling tactical decision. Though I did like the use of a fake film studio as a cover for the UFO-busting operation.
I’m now mentally humming the bloody theme tune.
Posted by: David | January 22, 2020 at 15:03
I’m now mentally humming the bloody theme tune.
And I'm picturing/remembering Lt. Ellis getting dressed. If I don't get this damn SQL three table join working by lunch, I'm blaming you lot. And Gerry Anderson. Of course he's now passed on...so...
Posted by: WTP | January 22, 2020 at 15:28
picturing/remembering Lt. Ellis getting dressed.
And there goes me, down the rabbit hole.
Posted by: Uma Thurmond's Feet | January 22, 2020 at 19:02
Terry Jones
1942-2020
Posted by: Hal | January 22, 2020 at 22:29
WTP wrote, " 'Colored' got thrown out for 'Negro', 'Negro replaced with 'Black', and now the preferred term being 'African American' even when applied to people who aren't even American...and even some who have no modern-era association with Africa. "
Steven Pinker dubbed this the "euphemism treadmill", an excellent turn of phrase.
Note: "Negro" also replaced the n-word. "Afro-American" was between "Negro" and "Black" but was dropped because "Afro" was used for the hairstyle.
Posted by: NateWhilk | January 23, 2020 at 02:51
However, for all your fashion needs to bash the fash and other assorted Nazis like taxi drivers, Ian Miles Cheong notes a sale in progress.
Not swanky enough ? A mere 3,590 metric dollars will get you this anarchy leather jacket that pairs nicely with 540 metric dollar anarchy karate socks.
Oh sweet irony. The capitalism of anarchy writ large.
Posted by: Fay | January 23, 2020 at 06:09
Funny thing about "Briton" is that you only ever hear it on the news, in the context of, e.g. "Mud slide in Bolivia, three Britons hurt."
I find Brit preferable to limey/pommie bastard, but I'm pretty thick skinned.
But I see I've upset dear Daniel, so I'll shut up now.
Posted by: Ray | January 23, 2020 at 12:06
... the preferred term being 'African American' even when applied to people who aren't even American...
I remember hearing a supposedly professional, and doubtless highly remunerated, newsreader describe Nelson Mandela as 'the African-American South African leader'.
Posted by: Trevor | January 23, 2020 at 13:55
'the African-American South African leader'
Which itself being a form of linguistic colonialism. AIUI, unless something recent changed...it's ever so hard to keep up on these things, the South African proper general term for people of Bantu/Xhosa/whatever similar groups is...ahem...'Black'.
Note: "Negro" also replaced the n-word.
Well, not really. The n-word derived from Negro. Negro of course deriving from the Spanish/Portuguese/Latin-based words for...ahem...'Black'. Not that long ago (like when I was in school...ok, long ago) anthropologists had three main categories for the human race, Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid. Though not sure where Native Americans and Native Australians fit in there. I think they were considered Mongoloid. Bah. Is a hot dog a sammich...etc.
Posted by: WTP | January 23, 2020 at 14:32
...anthropologists had three main categories for the human race, Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid.
That's what I was taught, and how I still think of things. Amerindians were regarded as an offshoot of Mongoloids. And the Australian Aubergines were called Australoid but not considered a major group. Of course, this still left some anomalies / unclassifiables, such as the Bushmen and Hottentots of southern Africa (sometimes called Capoids) and the Ainu of Japan.
I expect to be tracked down and severely recalibrated for using outdated terminology. Please remember me as fondly as you can.
Posted by: Trevor | January 23, 2020 at 15:57
Please remember me as fondly as you can.
You’ll be happy to hear that the moral realignment lounger has just been reupholstered.
It was overdue, frankly. The stains just wouldn’t sponge out.
Posted by: David | January 23, 2020 at 16:16
Australian Aubergines...
Eggplants ? Now you are in real trouble...
Posted by: Farnsworth M Muldoon | January 23, 2020 at 17:33
Now you are in real trouble...
Yeah, it's also recently become associated with the male-ist part of the male anatomy. I learned this whilst talking with millennials at lunch one day. Not that either one of us knew what the other was talking about. We all just knowingly smiled at a reference to what someone was eating. I think I was the only one who understood the meaning you just linked to. The millennials made comments such that perhaps I needed to look the word up again as they certainly didn't seem to be using it in the context that I understood it. Then the conversation made sense again. Somewhat mildly amusing which I'm planning to keep to myself until perhaps it becomes useful.
Posted by: WTP | January 23, 2020 at 18:13
Yeah, it's also recently become associated with the male-ist part of the male anatomy.
I've seen it used thusly as an emoji. Its association with a gentleman's appendage is not immediately apparent to me, but then I am positively vestal.
Posted by: Trevor | January 23, 2020 at 19:25
I remember hearing a supposedly professional, and doubtless highly remunerated, newsreader describe Nelson Mandela as 'the African-American South African leader'.
. . . . . I don't remember the fellow's name, and googlemancy is not coming up with a reliable result, but some years back I either read or watched a black British comedian doing an entire comedy bit on labels . . .
[Definite paraphrase]
People keep talking about African Americans, that's perfectly fine if it fits, but that's not me. Do not call me African American, I am black. I am not African, I have never been to Africa. I was born in London, I grew up in London, my home is London. I am not American, I am English!!!
[/Definite paraphrase]
Posted by: Hal | January 23, 2020 at 23:18