sixwordstories | (no subject)

What do you mean, unfortunate typing errors?

Those too suck.

No I accidentally used the term "the Jews" to describe the office, which was run by Hasidic Jews, that I used to have to give my rent too. I didn't mean it in a racist way! But I think trying to explain myself made me seem even more offensive.

It, it's fundamentally a bad idea to preface any persuasion with a definite article.

I'm well aware. I wasn't even thinking because I was thinking in terms of what they actually were.

Of course now I come off like some sort of racist pig. I didn't really like the woman I offended anyway but I hate people thinking THAT sort of thing about me.

In terms of what they actually... I don't know what you've just said. They who? Actually what?

It wasn't, wasn't technically racist but it falls under that umbrella. It's more about othering poeple. Call it racist if you like— semantics. It's prejudice certainly. Absolutely. But it's not the end of the world if you're not out there actively crucifying people. It's still bad form, bad form. And you'd do well to clean that up, but society is not color blind, you know? Not color, or creed or genetically, or or any other form of blindness. And we don't exist in a vacuum so we're apt to pick up on prejudicial habits without being hateful people. You can control what you do, mostly, what you do, but you can't control what other people are going to think about you.

That's not important. Over-explaining things is what got me in a pickle before. It's just not worth it.

No I know. People who are being racist would say that and while people aren't colour blind I'm not like that. I never have been and never will be. I accept all sorts of people for how they are, what colour their skin is, and all of that so it bothers me to be labeled as one. Especially since it was an accident.

The thing of it was is I didn't know any of their names. Had I known their names I would have used them. As it was they were all of that religious decent working in the office. It's why I used the term, but truth be told I could have used something else and probably should have. Sadly once you physically say something you can't just erase it even if you really, really wish you could.

It should. It should bother you. I'd be concerned, more concerned if it didn't. My point is prejudicial habits can still be a part of you subconsciously. I can almost guarantee are a little prejudice. Work it out. Work on it. You'll do better.

Yes, right, well. I know it can be tricky to stop you're mouth from running off with itself, but you can practice that. With various, various speech therapy exercises.

I'll work on not saying stupid things but I am not prejudice. If I was I wouldn't hang about with the people I do. But I do get what you're saying. So I'll choose to just leave it at that if you don't mind.

My mouth has the worst habit of speaking before my brain can tell it to shut up. It's a bad habit of mine. But I don't think talking more is going to help that one.

You are mistaking. You are mistaking active prejudice and passive prejudice.

Are you familiar with the adage, the adage practice makes perfect?

Well I'd like to be neither to be honest. Allowing yourself to accept one as an 'excuse' is like allowing the other in as well.

Yeah well. It's not high on my list of things I need to fix about my life to be quite honest. There's other things that come first especially considering this sort of thing never comes up really and the next time it comes up I'll be mentally prepared.

And I'd like to be Gene Kelly.
Acceptance is not an excuse. Alcoholics. Alcoholics and drug addicts are told to accept that they have a problem. That's not where they need to stop though. Acceptance is not the same as, as, as resignation. Or apathy. If you realize you do have all these subconscious prejudices likely imprinted on you by vastly, incredibly, scary depths of social conditioning we're all exposed to every moment of every day of our waking lives— if you realize that you can spot them at work. If you spot them you can fight them. If you fight them you can overcome them. Acceptance is just admitted I'm flawed and here's how. It's self realization. It's helpful. If you can't accept it you're denying a very important part of reality.

I think, I think the debate can be made that it comes up a lot more than we're aware. In some capacity. But I won't make that argument for you now. It's a good one though. Some fabulous thinkers have some fabulous writing on the topic.

Of course. But I don't have a problem with them. It was merely a verbal slip up which had never happened before and wont happen again. Now you're making this into something more than it really was just like the other woman was. It was not a racist statement at all. I was making an observation and it was wrong to state in such a way but it was just that, an observation. It seemed better than calling them 'the office workers' at the time but come to find out that's what I should have stated.

I'm sure they have and if I ever wish to read on the subject more I'll certainly look them up. As it stands now I'd just like to pretend none of this ever happened. I feel terrible enough as it is.

The problem in this analogy isn't a subconscious dislike of anyone. It's just that some part of your brain decided that was the best way to distinguish them from you. Some part of your mind saw them as collectively other than you on the premise of ethnicity and some part of your language patterns agreed with that, and then our language itself offered limited alternatives for your expression. The root of the word discriminate is just to differentiate. To recognize distinction. The trouble is we all tend to recognize troubling distinctions as first and foremost when it's actually kind of hurtful that we do.

I'm a hypocrite to tell you not to dwell on it, but I hear that works wonders.
If it's any consolation I'm Jewish and I've heard worse.

The way you were sort of saying that made it seem like it was.
To me it's not an insult, that's like someone calling me British, or one of my good mates Jamaican. Unfortunately we associate picking something like that out as singling them. When really it's just another distinction, at least in my eyes, I don't feel stating someones heritage should be considered racist. But that's just me and I've never been one to agree with popular opinion.

It's impossible for me not to dwell on something like that. Being constantly worried about everything is kind of my thing.
Not really. But thanks?

No, no, no, no. Passive prejudices don't actually require you to dislike anyone. Just have an innate understanding that they are different than you and and different from what your brain automatically associates with an understanding of normal. It's not that you called them Jews, they're jewish that's a fact. That's not what's in bad taste. No, it's the use the article and the context in which you labeled them to set them apart categorically from non-jews. If you say Eli is jewish, that's one thing, a factual thing. If you say Eli, he's a Jew, without having been asked to offer a description by denomination then you're using that fact to differentiate me from a perceived normalcy and you have to be much more cautious, more cautious with that.

You say that like it's, it's a hobby.

Huh. I guess that makes sense in some way. But I don't like to be considered prejudiced at all. I mean, I put a lot of effort into understand and accepting all sorts. Mostly because it's just my nature, and another part is I truly believe that's how I believe everyone should act in such a manner.
But that's how I differentiate them from the people who previous owned the building, and from all of my landlords before. I don't know. I realise now that I was not very tactful in my word usage. Of course I've never been known for things of that nature so I'm not so sure why I'm so upset.

It might as well be at times.