printIn an uncontaminated culture, Elizabeth Hasselbeck would be seen and not heard. Alas, this lefty is the conservative movement’s brain trust on a show called “The View.” To be fair to the woman, Hasselbeck is no stupider than her co-hosts. Whoopi Goldberg, from the few snippets I’ve endured, is the best of a bad bunch.
Hasselbeck has contributed the sob and the wide-eyed stare to Socratic debate; when words fail, she weeps, splutters and uses extravagant gestures. I told you she’s brilliant.
Following Jesse Jackson’s calling Obama by the “N” word (yawn), a debate has ensued as to whether it’s ever appropriate to use the word (yawn). Hasselbeck took sanctimony to a new level and—wait a sec, while I wipe the tears—began bawling on “The View”:
“How are we supposed to move forward if we keep using words that bring back that pain?”
CAN’T WE JUST GET ALONG? (Note how crying–sentimentality–is confused with authentic compassion and imbued with virtue.)
I’ve had my fill of so-called “black pain,” which I hold between the tongs of quotation marks for a reason. But this lily-white woman weeping in empathy is even more nauseating than suffering the sight of Sean Hannity and Al Sharpton at a love-in on Fox News. (Yet more thoroughbred conservatism on show.)
In any event, I am fully on the side of Whoopi and other blacks who’ve briefed the bleeding hearts wanting to (just about) ban the word as to the proper etiquette of its use. Blacks use it among themselves and in what Obama termed the art of hip hop. Whites should probably steer clear.
As a Jew, I have been known to say the odd outlandish thing, such as, “Around 11:00PM I am seized by an Auschwitz hunger.” It’s outré (bad, Ilana). Still, I think it would be a tad ruder if a non-Jew said that. Jewish-related comments, when uttered by a gentile, could be experienced as impolite if not hurtful.
What’s the big deal? It’s common sense.
However, by the same token, if whites can recognize and respect that blacks have different cultural references, blacks should accord whites the same courtesy (that’ll be the day). That’s the real issue here.
It’s all about etiquette, courtesy and reciprocity.
Context matters too, which is what you are saying.
Double standards exist and life isn’t fair (big yawn).
I like what Bill Cosby has to say on this issue, but you won’t see him on The View any time soon.
So this brings me to pose the following question. Is using the term “wetback” derogatory when referring to illegal aliens from Mexico? Apparently so, to my 30 something colleagues in Cincinnati; none of whom has ever had any interaction with an actual illegal.
I, on the other hand, am 52, grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles County and went to Catholic school in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood. The larger percentage of my buddies were American of Mexican descent. They had no problem referring to illegals as wetbacks. You know, the “wet” part is a euphemism suggesting they got wet crossing the river (Rio Grande) to enter the country. How that is derogatory is a beyond me.