The Average White Guy

I’ve been called a lot of things in my days on this planet. I’m almost 29 now, so that’s to be expected. However unfounded, or undeserving, I’ve been referred to as a bigot, a racists/white supremacist (mainly because the name of this website is “The Average White Guy”), and I’ve been called homophobic at various points of my life.

While I am none of these names, and this post is not related to white supremacy, racism, or homophobia, just hearing “white supremacist” and “homophobic” in the same conversation made me ask the philosophical question:

“Why are white people who hate black people called ‘white supremacists’, while people who hate homosexuals called ‘homophobic’?”

It’s particularly puzzling, isn’t it? Shouldn’t those who hate black people be called ‘afrophobic’ or ‘negrophobic’? And conversely, shouldn’t those who hate homosexuality be called ’straight supremacists’? Of course, you’d have to pick either the supremacist or -phobic suffix and stick with it, so as not to alienate one group or the other.

I’m not stereotyping here; I’m neither the white supremacist (negrophobic) or a homophobe (straight supremacist). I just think it’s funny how politically correct America can support or promote its own agenda by giving a certain connotation to certainn types of people. Homophobia when broken down would literally mean “fear of homosexuality”. In this phrasing, it is assumed that people who are homophobic suffer from an illness, just as we might say about the claustrophobics - those who fear tight places, or agoraphobics - those who fear the world outside of their homes. This phrasing also implies that homosexuality is something normal, and should not be feared. Whether or not you believe that is true is not the point. The point is that PC America has forced you into that position. PC America dictates that homophobics are in the wrong.

The same is similar of ‘white supremacy’. While homophobia creates two victims (the homophobic and the homosexual), the phrase ‘white supremacy’ creates one victim (the black person) and the perpetrator (the white supremacist).

Both accepted phrases are designed to promote the political correctness of America. PC is bullshit folks. We should stop trying to circumvent key issues and discuss them candidly and openly. Let’s call things what they are. Here is a short list of terms and their politically correct replacements. None of which make sense:

1. Mentally Handicapped/Retarded becomes Mentally challenged - While I’m sure the ‘mentally challenged’ term was given to try to be more sensitive to the handicapped, it’s not. ‘Mentally challenged’ almost implies that the individual is not trying hard enough. If they could rise to the challenge, they would not be mentally handicapped. Shying away from ‘retarded’ as a word is even worse. When something is retarded, it means growth or advancement was halted prior to the fully-developed end product. In many cases of mental retardation, this is the case. The brain never fully developed. That’s TEXTBOOK mental (of the brain) retardation. There is NOTHING wrong with using the term ‘mentally retarded’ when discussing people who suffer from retardation.

2. Ghetto becomes Ethnically homogenous area - Are you shitting me? A ghetto is a neighborhood run into the ground, where crime is a way of life, and where most of the people are of the same color or ethnic background. Yes, I’m referring to the neighborhoods of the bronx, brooklyn, south-central L.A., etc… But if you think I’m pointing a finger at the blacks, well think again. The same can be said of South Boston (which is almost all white/Irish), East L.A., etc… But for the most part, these neighborhoods  (among others) are all ghettos, populated by the people of similar ethnicity or color.

3. Lower-class becomes financially challenged - We still discuss people in classes  in this country. You’ll hear upper class, upper-middle class, middle class, and lower-middle class. Since it’s generally accepted that people in any of the aforementioned classes are decent people, we can continue to use those terms. Lower class, however has a negative connotation. By using the ‘challenged’ token, we’re saying something to the effect of “people who can’t catch a break”. Well, in most cases, the lower class is inhabited by the lazy. People who lean on the government to bail them out, rather than taking responsibility for own lives and taking on their shortcomings. Few are truly victims.

4. Steward becomes flight attendant - The English dictionary defines ’steward’ as: “an employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers”. Isn’t that what a “flight attendant” does? Wait, there’s more. In order for me to take consume those services, I need to be in attendance for the flight. Doesn’t that make ME the fucking flight attendant?

5. Criminal becomes an unsavory character - Fuck! There are plenty of characters out there which are unsavory, who have not committed a crime. A criminal has committed a crime. Crime is the root of the word! Show me a criminal who has not committed a crime, and I’ll show you a savory person who has.

6. Mankind becomes humankind - Again, Fuck! Are women so completely and utterly insecure about being left out of the evolution of mankind that they need to change the word? Name a person who isn’t handicapped or mentally retarded over the age of 14 who doesn’t know that without woman, there would be no man. Go ahead, I dare you.

7. Fat becomes big-boned - I’ll spare you the profanity here, but know I thought it. People, whales have big bones. Elephants have big bones, walruses have big bones. People on the otherhand, do not. 90% of all adults have roughly the same skeletal dimensions (giving and taking into consideration height). Most people who are fat are called so because of the relative porportion of body fat to that bone. There is no “big boned”.

8. Suspect becomes person interest - No. They’re still suspects.

9. Genocide becomes ethnic cleansing - Ok, maybe people who don’t readily know what genocide means can take a free pass on this. Genocide refers to discriminantly killing people (by age, race, creed, religion, ethnicity, color, etc…) Anyhow, it’s still genocide.

10. Islamic terrorist becomes Islamic fundamentalist - A good one for the times - this one drives me insane. They’re freaking terrorists people. They behead, crash planes, ignite fires, detonate explosives, sink ships, and for what: to terrorize us. Given that they’re all Islamic, that makes them ‘Islamic terrorists’. P.S. I love pork and bacon.

There are tons more than 10, but I’m getting lazy (also known as ‘motivationally challenged’ - which I have heard used as recently as today). Think of some more of your own and post them here if you want to. Just give me a short little two-three sentences explaining why it’s ridiculous.

Later.