Today is 11/9. Or 9/11 as our American friends like to call it. 8 years ago, some fucking rag-head* (and I don't apologizes for that, not when they have murder on their hands) ordered an attack,which ultimately resulted in the deaths of 3017 people and more than 6000 people injured.
What do I remember...those many years ago? I remember coming back from my lunch break and seeing the security guards watching TV, watching the 2nd plane crash into the 2nd tower and wondering what was happening. I remember getting an email inviting me to join a sweepstake, betting on who was responsible. I remember Aysher, a Muslim friend, putting her head in her hands and crying what have they done? I remember a sinking feeling, that think this would all result in a massive balls up. I remember the hope of the Not In My Name march, the crushing feeling as we saw the troops going to war.
But most of all, I remember the humanity, the feeling of us, as a species, as I saw the people aiding in the rescue and clear-up of the atrocity. The heroism of the "common people" involved. And that is what they, in charge, whether President, Prime Minister, or terrorist leader, forget, that they need us, the "ordinary people" to do what they say. And we are both the best, and worst, that humanity has to offer. But mostly the best. And that is something that can never be forgotten. That the "ordinary man" has survived, despite every tyrant and dictator, every king or president has done. And we will always survive, bound by our common love of life, our wish to provide our families with a better future that we have, and our desire that no-one else should truly suffer, and have a fair chance at everything.
This is something that I found on youtube, which I include mainly because of John Stewart's speech. This was the speech Bush should have made after the attacks. Or the one from Spiderman the Black Issue.
* As has been noted below, this term is racist, and all racism, at heart, comes from ignorance and lasyness. It was a cheap shot at best. However, I (perhaps foolishly) have stated I'll stand by the statement, and I do, in regards to the actual men who gave the orders that resulted in over 3000 deaths and the world changing forever. Middle-age and elderly men, who think they know the will of God, cowards who send youngsters to their death while smugly congratulating themselves. I have no real problem with calling these monsters a hateful name. The term I used was in no way directed at everyone who lives in the Middle East.
What do I remember...those many years ago? I remember coming back from my lunch break and seeing the security guards watching TV, watching the 2nd plane crash into the 2nd tower and wondering what was happening. I remember getting an email inviting me to join a sweepstake, betting on who was responsible. I remember Aysher, a Muslim friend, putting her head in her hands and crying what have they done? I remember a sinking feeling, that think this would all result in a massive balls up. I remember the hope of the Not In My Name march, the crushing feeling as we saw the troops going to war.
But most of all, I remember the humanity, the feeling of us, as a species, as I saw the people aiding in the rescue and clear-up of the atrocity. The heroism of the "common people" involved. And that is what they, in charge, whether President, Prime Minister, or terrorist leader, forget, that they need us, the "ordinary people" to do what they say. And we are both the best, and worst, that humanity has to offer. But mostly the best. And that is something that can never be forgotten. That the "ordinary man" has survived, despite every tyrant and dictator, every king or president has done. And we will always survive, bound by our common love of life, our wish to provide our families with a better future that we have, and our desire that no-one else should truly suffer, and have a fair chance at everything.
This is something that I found on youtube, which I include mainly because of John Stewart's speech. This was the speech Bush should have made after the attacks. Or the one from Spiderman the Black Issue.
* As has been noted below, this term is racist, and all racism, at heart, comes from ignorance and lasyness. It was a cheap shot at best. However, I (perhaps foolishly) have stated I'll stand by the statement, and I do, in regards to the actual men who gave the orders that resulted in over 3000 deaths and the world changing forever. Middle-age and elderly men, who think they know the will of God, cowards who send youngsters to their death while smugly congratulating themselves. I have no real problem with calling these monsters a hateful name. The term I used was in no way directed at everyone who lives in the Middle East.
VIEW 11 of 11 COMMENTS
Cunt isn't a derogatory term for a woman, it's a vulgar slang for vagina. While it might be subjectively offensive to some, that's obviously based more on the vulgarity of the word itself than any anti-female connotations some might read into it.
Cunt is a complicated and multi-faceted word that has a close relationship with the intellectual discourse of gender politics and is not universally read as negative, even by the most hardline of feminist writers. In fact as far as I understand it, many women (especially those intellectually concerned with questions of modern womenhood) are quite fond of the word. You might find a few of those women on here, actually.
If you really wanted to make the argument that Cunt is universally offensive and degrading to all women and as bad as a word like 'raghead' or 'sand nigger' or alike you'd have to give me some clear indication that it's widely become a popular shorthand for a negative or contemptuous portrayal of women in all contexts. Which we both know it hasn't.
Words like prick are fairly unproblematic and it's slightly patronizing to suggest that all women need to cotton-wool swaddled when it comes to language and their cunts.
The term Raghead however, and the sincerity with which you used it, can only be interpreted one way and that's as a term of severe contempt and willful ignorance towards muslims of the middle east. That's deliberately offensive to entire culture of people, which is something I'm not personally a fan of.
The fact you chose the word Raghead over Cunt is also significant because regardless of the character of the person you're insulting, it indicates less how you feel about them and more about the whole culture that you perceive them to have come from. Conversely, calling him a cunt would carry none of these frankly racist connotations and unless the person you're referring to was a) a woman or b) a feminist of the particular view that the word Cunt is distasteful (doubtful, hm?) would've made you look like less of a racist.
Get it?