There is a distinct difference between ignorance, and stupidity. Ignorance is not really knowing how to present an idea, or thought that may be offensive to some, and putting it out there anyway. If notified that the presentation may be offensive you may change your approach for next time, and be sensitive of what happened the last time. Stupidity is continuing to approach the same idiotic perspective the same way, even when told that the approach undermines your point. Now in this day and age of political correctness people are sometimes way to sensitive, and we need to be able to joke about one another, and others to laugh as humans, and take the weight off of the air. But I'm not talking about comedians, or just general joking around, I am talking about when folks are serious in their commentary or critique of others, and how in their inability to articulate themselves, they reveal undercurrents of just how they think.
Everyone has to a certain extent some hidden prejudices that they have had to wrestle with and defeat. If they choose to. Some decide that they don't like certain folks, and aren't afraid to say so. Both actually reveal who you are because if you are fighting it then you are trying in earnest to be a good tolerant person who will make an occasional mistake in judgment, but who acknowledges these prejudices and will often think before opening their mouth. If you choose to have no desire to fight your bigotry, you will be a complete fool who will be driven by fear, and stereotypes, and will often times open your mouth without any hint of thought involved, spewing idiocy for all to see, and creating scapegoats for your shortcomings. Small minds, small thoughts, and even smaller perceptions about how the world works.
Then there is the third type of individual whom I have the most problem with. The ones who announce that they have no prejudices, but continue to say things and present points of view that are very questionable and offensive. These folks are the hardest to deal with because the bigotry is covert, and not overt. They announce that they have friends who are this, or have dealt with people who are that, and refuse to acknowledge their twisted perceptions of things, and cannot for the life of them understand why someone would be offended by their innocent comment. Yet even though they have been told that X, Y, or Z is offensive in some manner, they continue to do the same things over and over in an effort of humor or enlightenment of people.
As I have said, sometimes people need to lighten up, and believe me, I know more jokes of every group than I could possibly list here. but my point is one of malicious underlinings where in the true soul of the individual there lies a pattern of saying the same things over and over, in just a different fashion. I could give examples here, but I want people to do the simple thing of really looking at and listening to the nuances(there's that word again) of what people say and write. These folks just don't think about what they say or write, and just spout off some idiotic statement that needs questioning. I am torn daily on Facebook and different forums and blogs, and in dealing with people to comment, and hopefully constructively confront, but I will never have the opportunity to leave the house or continue about my day. It is frustrating as a Black man who loves words as much as I do, and who is very sensitive to the "Nuance" of bigotry, because I have lived in the world, and learned how to decipher just who is joking, and who has these serious underlinings of bigotry. The only thing that I have decided to do is observe and pick my battles for some of these things, because I alone can't change people, but what I do like to do is hold the mirror up to their hypocrisy and hopefully make them see themselves.
As I have said there are prejudices inside all of us, but we need to turn the rock over and expose those worms to the world so that we can eradicate it as we examine ourselves. Those willing to accept that it exists in them will have no problem identifying it, and hopefully fighting it. Those not willing to admit it, and continue to indulge in idiotic comments without thinking, write things that are stereotypical in a malicious fashion, and even encourage others by laughing at stupidity while making it very hard for all of us who do want to laugh at, and with one another about our differences. because our differences as it pertains to groups of people are fun and should be celebrated, and even joked about in a jostling manner. But our differences as just people of the world are very slim. We are all the same in that respect. Just the geography of ourselves as soul islands is the major difference. The people that want to get that concept will. The people that don't want to acknowledge it will continue what they do...... And have absolutely no clue that they are doing it.
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