Rabble-Rousers...
Mar. 22nd, 2005 02:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflyPeople have opinions. People have very strong opinions sometimes. And people who have different strong opinions can and will disagree. And this is just discussion. It's often productive and can lead to good things.
But once you've said something that comes across as a moral judgement, then the productivity tends to fall. And people certainly have the right to say those things, but they should not be surprised when people feel personally insulted (well, again, they certainly can be surprised, but after it's happened several times, acting surprised makes them look either a. incredibly naive and possibly amnesiac or b. like they're trying to start a fight).
I mean, I read a post where someone asks "How can you not see [RPS] as ethically creepy?" and think... "Because... I don't. My ethics say that fantasy and reality are different things and different rules apply to them."
By saying that your ethics and morals are the only valid ones, you've just said that mine are invalid. Now, is that a fair opinion and do you have the right to say it? Sure. But you shouldn't be shocked if a person who isn't creeped out by RPS takes offense to the idea that this makes them morally bankrupt.
Similarly, implying or saying that the reason that people don't write or read Jack/Sam and are icked out by it is because they are sexist will offend people. You have the right to believe that it makes someone sexist. But you should not surprised when people take offense at the implication that they are sexist.
You should not be surprised if people are offended by the implication that they are racist. Etc.
Say whatever you want, definitely. But the world is cause and effect. People will react to what you say and they have just as much right to do that. Say whatever you want... and be prepared for the consequences. That's just life.
But once you've said something that comes across as a moral judgement, then the productivity tends to fall. And people certainly have the right to say those things, but they should not be surprised when people feel personally insulted (well, again, they certainly can be surprised, but after it's happened several times, acting surprised makes them look either a. incredibly naive and possibly amnesiac or b. like they're trying to start a fight).
I mean, I read a post where someone asks "How can you not see [RPS] as ethically creepy?" and think... "Because... I don't. My ethics say that fantasy and reality are different things and different rules apply to them."
By saying that your ethics and morals are the only valid ones, you've just said that mine are invalid. Now, is that a fair opinion and do you have the right to say it? Sure. But you shouldn't be shocked if a person who isn't creeped out by RPS takes offense to the idea that this makes them morally bankrupt.
Similarly, implying or saying that the reason that people don't write or read Jack/Sam and are icked out by it is because they are sexist will offend people. You have the right to believe that it makes someone sexist. But you should not surprised when people take offense at the implication that they are sexist.
You should not be surprised if people are offended by the implication that they are racist. Etc.
Say whatever you want, definitely. But the world is cause and effect. People will react to what you say and they have just as much right to do that. Say whatever you want... and be prepared for the consequences. That's just life.
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Date: 2005-03-22 11:02 pm (UTC)Yes, yes, WORD to everything you say here. I'm a pretty mellow person, and usually quite willing to overlook implications that I'm moral bankrupt because I like RPS, or misogynistic because I like slash, but -- dude. You can't expect everybody to be zen when you accuse them of stuff like that. Other people have a right to their words and their feelings as much as you do.