this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2023
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I think you misunderstand the point I'm making.It's not that saying police officer in of itself is a bad thing, it's that the majority of social justice is about smaller issues like that rather than actual serious things. Those smaller, albeit well intentioned issues wouldn't be harmful in of themselves but they drown out or take the place of more serious, meaningful issues. And more irritatingly, make people feel lile they are "fighting" for real change when we're arguing about semantics instead of the children who are maimed to support our cushy lifestyles.
Another way to think about it, it is sort of like a slave owner chiding someone for using the N word in the 1700s; that's very enlightened but surely the slaves are the more pressing issue!
You really think we're going to tackle large systematic problems when we can't even agree not to use language that excludes half the population? The tiniest attempt at improving society is met by endless pushback, but sure let's play your game - give me an ordered list of the first five things we should work on
I think we should at least try for real issues, like children burning to death, vs nagging people about slightly better language.
I don't have an ordered list but like I said earlier, the women and children who die making our stuff is exactly the type of issue for which modern social justice is ideally placed. It would take nothing more than making slave made clothes uncool and then people's buying habits change and then companies would follow for thay whole "profit" thing.
Make wearing slave made stuff as uncool as saying f****t and the rest follows.
Otherwise, you're just patting each other on the back on twitter about being morally superior while not changing or doing anything.
Policing language is the junk food of social justice, it feels like real food and is fine in some quantities but the real harm is that it takes the place of real, nutritious/meaningful food/social change.
I mean, who says I don't?
But really, my social justice isn't usually online. Right now, this is me trying to contribute to Lemmy while I poop, with honest opinions.
And I do believe there is something absolutely more worthwhile that we should be focusing on instead of the latest silly social justice trend (latinx anyone?) And that is the children who are maimed and burn to death making our stuff. I live my life as best I can to avoid that and support ethical businesses, I encourage my friends to do the same and I think if half the energy that people spend on twitter being outraged about relatively meaningless shit (I am hard pressed to believe that Chappelle's jokes are somehow worse than a 6 year old burning to death) that things would be a lot better.
I don't feel morally superior so much as saddened that all those good intentions and energy are channeled to relatively meaningless battles instead of making real, tangible change that is entirely within our capability.