There are things of which I am afear'd. Something happening to one of my children. Frogs. People discovering I'm actually a bit of an arsehole. But just lately, one of my greatest concerns is people will lose the ability to contextualise. When you don't know how to contextualise, you don't know not to get offended by everything you see or hear. This usually applies to works of art. I have lately written about the place of learning in Minnesota that thought it a good idea to be racially sensitive and progressive by banning the texts To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn. As a writer, I follow a few pages wherein other authors discuss the viability and appropriateness of using a sensitivity reader to ensure your passage does not offend the ethnic group about which you happen to be writing. I'm not sure I actually give a steaming dung ball whether or not I offend somebody with what I write. As long as I haven't written anything inaccurate, either in terms of historical fact or possibilities, then I'm happy.
You see, when you write, there is this fun little thing you have to do in order to make your story believable, and that is RESEARCH. And as I mentioned, if I have the likelihood, scenarios, and characterisations believable, then that's all that matters. I have actually read comments stating only Jewish writers should write Jewish characters, and all that guff. Hey, listen: I have characters who have been charged with crimes. I myself have NEVER been charged with a crime, but thanks to a previous career as a criminal law paralegal, I do know many people who have - ergo, I can convincingly write a scene wherein a character is arrested, and goes through due process. And I have. Check out some of my books.
Also, I have a friend who writes space travelling science fiction. She's done some overseas travel, but I'm pretty sure she's never left the solar system.
But back to the loss of contextualisation and censorship. Yesterday, to my annoyance, I actually spent time engaging in an online quarrel with some she-flog SJW who issued an edict over the Twittersphere that people not use the word 'gypsy'. Apparently, it's an offensive word. Shit, who knew? I didn't. The etymology of the word is a flawed premise: it's from gipcyan or Egyptian, because people erroneously believed these nomadic Romany people to be from Egypt. Anyway, it's a geographic boo-boo, kind of like how Native Americans used to be called Indians. The problem, according to the SWJ, is the word is derogative to the Romany. She likened it to the N-word. Come to think of it, she's probably one of those uptight constipated types who'd call for the banning of Huckleberry Finn. I actually don't know if any Romany people find it offensive. Some possibly do. Some possibly don't give a fart in the high wind about the word. Unlike this SJW, I don't presume to speak for a sector of the world's population of which I do not form a part.
She said people were not to say the word out loud. If it appears in song lyrics, we are not to sing along. She had already lost me at the several successive - and needless - exclamation marks, as well as the needless use of the word 'literally' (what, as opposed to metaphorically not singing along, you fathead? Or maybe that should be 'Metaphorically!!!'). But when someone starts trying to tell me what I cannot do in the privacy of my own home, or car, then this is when I start to feel a touch truculent. I do wish there was a sarcasm font on the keyboard at times, but anyway, I responded along the lines of: 'Hey, thanks for the advice, but if I am in my own home and want to belt out some old Cher songs, then I'm going to. 'I was born in the wagon of a traveling show...' Sing along, readers; we all know the words!
Can people no longer listen to the Fleetwood Mac tune Gypsy, because it means they're a bunch of racially insensitive buffoons and chumps?
Are theatre companies no longer to stage the musical telling of the life and times of Rose Louise Hovick, aka, burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee? Gee, I hope all those actresses clearing their throats getting ready to belt out Let Me Entertain You at the auditions for Gypsy aren't too disappointed.
Whoever came up with this pea-brained notion, there must surely be better ways to assist people who are feeling marginalised than trying to ban works and songs, and telling people what they can and cannot sing along to. Like I said, she lost me at the pointless use of 'literally', and the superfluous multitude of exclamation marks.
Oh well, just off to sing some Cher now.
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