Lately I have had some issues with certain language used by family members that although I am very much not PC I still found grating. The word that began it all was the use of the word import for immigrant. A word which dehumanizes people that wanted to immigrate to Canada. We import products not people. I explained my dislike of the use of the word and it was not used again.
The second word was the word faggot for the fuck word. I spoke to one of my aunts about it and my other aunt has not used it since. The third word which I let off the hook because I only heard it used once not habitually was Japs for a group of Chinese People. I let that one go because it was only used the one time. The third thing that annoyed me was the assumption that people of different races must be foreigners and could not be born from people that have lived as Canadians for generations.
The other day when I was on a picnic with my family they talked briefly about Canoe Cove being "filled with Blacks and Yellow People foreigners." It annoyed me, but, I never heard the language out of them since that one time. I have come to realize that some people in my family just do not understand what is wrong about such collectivism and generalizations. They do not realize how really racist such things come off as to people. I do not think confronting them about it will make them make any changes.
All I can do is to pronounce my offense and disagreement in a way which will not cause friction between us. Speaking about it in my therapy and on my blog will be a non confrontational outlet about issues like this. So, just so you know I cannot stand the sort of racist and ignorant rhetoric I have heard over the passed little while. This does not mean I am a politically correct person that believes my family should be forced by language laws to stop saying what they say.
Everyone has the right of freedom of expression and even if I do not like the expressions I will defend too the death someones right to express themselves anyway they want as long as they are not inciting actual violence against people or harming certain peoples property. If the PC Police, the Social Justice Warriors, Thought and Language banners had their way this blog and my voice would be forced to not speak not just people that do say things that are really racist or truly bigoted. Hell; I would never morally or any other way sanction or help bigots, but, they have a right in a truly free society to be bigots and not associate with groups they deem degenerate or unrepentant sinners.
If you really understand and defend Canada as a land which is all about a "True North Strong and Free." As it states Canada is in our very own National Anthem; than you must defend the equal rights under the law for even the most vile racist, anti gay, sexist, whatever to not be forced to change if education and persuasion goes nowhere. What people that are not these things can and should do is call out those that are and then not associate in any form nor sanction morally or otherwise said groups. At the same time said groups have every right to not associate with those that see such views as vile. Provided no individual with such views calls for incitement to criminal activity or harm to others or their property.
Born Again Christian; Biblical Fundamentalist, King James Only, Dispensational
