EuroPROFEM - The European Men Profeminist Network http://www.europrofem.org
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28en_mas ... Masculinity
You're Either Politically Correct or Socially Corrupt © Jack Straton 1998University Studies Teaching multicultural awareness to my classes of first year college students has made me more aware than ever of the power of nonsense to mold people's responses to their world. Inevitably some of the more privileged students, i.e. those who are white, male, heterosexual, rich, and/or Christian, shrug off the reality of stories by oppressed people with their handy Teflon coating, the accusation "You're being Politically Correct." This linguistic detergent is just the thing to whiten and brighten all that gloomy talk from the day. It's great for nipping those pesky little protests about patriarchy in the bud. Why stop at simply oppressing people when you can double your investment by blaming them for sewing discord? Of course one can try to counter with an argument such as the following: Anges Repplier must have had some foreknowledge of "political correctness" when she wrote in 1897, "There are few things more wearisome . . . than the monotonous repetition of a phrase which catches and holds the public fancy by virtue of its total lack of significance." She also said, "People who pin their faith to a catchword never feel the necessity of understanding anything." (Casey Miller, Kate Swift, and Rosalie Maggio, "Liberating Language," Ms., p. 50-54 at 54 (Sept./Oct. 1997).) But those who refuse to think are asleep by the third line. What is needed is some thoughtless counter-drivel. It's time to strike back against the phrase "Politically Correct" with an equally meaningless-with-a-whiff-of-truth catch phrase. My friend Theresa and I were slinging words one day when out popped "Socially Corrupt." This phrase gets to the root of the issue. It is perfectly obvious that those who spout the "You're just being PC" thought-virus do this so they can treat other people badly with impunity. "Socially Corrupt" has got that great Nyah, nyah cadence: "Oh DON'T be so Socially CorRUPT!" And its "SC" short-form comes in handy for extended wordplay: "You're so PC." "Yeah, well you're SC." "Am not!" "Are so!!" . . . A nicely dualistic retort of "You're either Politically Correct or Socially Corrupt" might actually have a chance of scratching that Teflon oppressiveness of hate mongers. So don't be so SC; get out there and be a pest!
************** Of course there are some ways in which even good-hearted people are inconsistent. Folks might even cut you some slack --
************** Then there are socially corrupt behaviors that don't nicely fit in ironical form, such as --
************* And, of course, there are nasty, vicious, mean, and cruel things that some folks do that are so socially corrupt that to try to express them as in ironical form is to dishonor their victims. These include:
---------------------------- Profile: Meet Jack Straton
With a background in jazz, quantum theory, and diversity training, Jack Straton infuses his classes with creativity, interdisciplinary experience, and interpersonal connection. Jack Straton earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from the University of Oregon in 1977, worked as a professional jazz drummer for three years, and then returned to the U of O in the 1980s to earn a doctorate in quantum theory. Both as a volunteer and professional diversity trainer over the past 18 years, he has presented several hundred workshops on ending sexual assault and racism. Jack founded Men Against Rape groups in Eugene, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Manhattan, Kansas. He has published extensively in professional journals from his research in Quantum Scattering Theory, Gender Equity, and Diversity Training Methods. He has served as co-chair of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) and, as coordinator of the NOMAS Task Group on Child Custody Issues, is recognized as one of the leading writers and speakers in the country with expertise on ethical and public policy issues related to the overlap between child custody, child abuse, and woman abuse. Jack has been teaching Inquiry courses at PSU since 1995, currently Popular Culture and Pathways to Sustainability and Justice, always seeking to infuse them with creativity, interdisciplinary experience, and interpersonal connection. Publications Analytically Continued Hypergeometric Expression of the Incomplete Beta Function The Incomplete Gamma Function Expressed as a Sum of Macdonald Functions
Jack C. Straton, Associate Professor, Physics & University Studies (Photo © Brent Hirack) E-Mail: <straton [at} pdx.edu> The Myth of the "Battered Husband Syndrome - Filed under Ending Men's Violence, Paper. By Jack C. Straton, Ph.D. |
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