We've always failed, we've always learned

[jesse_the_k]

Dave Hingsburger is a reliably educational blogger. Today's post about a TV show not only demonstrates excellent rhetoric, but offers some useful history on getting it wrong, and then facing the facts and doing it better.

begin quote We planned a weekend where we could simply dive into the show and enjoy being entertained. And, we were. Because of the nature of the character we were a little worried that, in proof of his 'coolness', he would let slip with the 'r' word. But, no, episode after episode passed and we thought we could relax.

Then in an episode written by Mr. Boxen, the character created and played by Mr. Hawco, tosses the word, of course as a pejorative, at another cast member. We actually paused the episode to calm ourselves. It was clear that the word was carefully chosen and purposefully used. Unlike with epithets used against other minorities, which are employed to demonstrate the negative nature of a character, this is a word (which is widely and openly reviled by the disability community) that is actually used to increase the 'coolness' factor of a character. The use of the word, in the manner it was used, shows a knowing willingness to hurt one group of people to curry favour and impress another. This kind of purposeful bigotry ought to be loudly condemned, however, it is this - my complaint - that will be attacked. Every legitimate call for the concept of respectful language to include disability concerns are ignored by the powers the be and attacked by supporters of the status quo. Those who wish the freedom to hate mask themselves as fighters for the freedom to speak. quote ends

Then Dave details how Charles Dickens entertained complaints about his anti-Semitic framing of Fagin in Oliver Twist. Since his works were published in serials, he was able to make some changes mid-novel — and did so. I'm not holding Dickens up as a perfect exemplar — I don't think there are perfect humans — but he's certainly outside the "cruncy granola circle" I hear invoked when folks like us get mad about bigotry in literature and performance.

Comments

[noracharles]

Thank you for the link.