yeah, no, and fuck you

[seperis]

Really.

On behalf of those of us who were and are single women on welfare with children in the South and at some point in our lives lived in a--I need to check the wording--"rural south USA in a welfare slum trailer"--and who do not think our population should be fodder for your smug little war on the word shack:

Fuck. You.

Are you fucking serious?

Are you comparing lower income women's lives--and since you used the word 'welfare', we all know you're talking about women, who make up the majority of welfare clients; women, whose choices and lives are limited by poverty and the difficulties raising children alone, without spousal support; poor urban women, a population that is statistically more likely to be battered by their male partner--to a fucking challenge using the word shack?

I suppose indywind felt it was 'problematic' to use the term 'trailer trash'; should I be grateful? Thank you. Your buddies in that thread who were so excited to read it--and that super clever "Now them's fightin' words!!!" jab--also have my abject gratitude that parts of my life--and my family, friends, and clients from when I was a caseworker who decided benefits for those renters of "rural south USA in a welfare slum trailer"--are being held up in humourous example of how southern poverty is totally like using the word shack. I feel as if social justice is on my side.

So, my night is shit. How's everyone else doing?

Comments

[malkingrey]

I know that I followed a link to the post in question, and all I could think of after reading it was, "Oh, for heaven's sake. Don't these people have anything more important to get offended at?"

All I could figure was that the term "shack" in the original poster's regional/social dialect must carry with it a radically different assortment of connotations than it does in the dialect of speakers from other regions/social groups . . . and that was before the First Nations came into the argument from somewhere out in left field.

[hollyberries]

Okay then. What part about the improper use of the word 'shacks' wasn't important enough to get offended at? The frankly appalling conditions the First Nations live in? The constant dismissiveness Canadians face from Americans on a cultural level? Offensive generalizations that don't take into account actual, ongoing social issues in a country that's not your own?

Please, tell me.

[hollyberries]

I've had a little bit of time to reflect, and I want to apologize for the tone of my comment. It's needlessly hostile and dismissive of your point, and thus unwarranted.

However, I consider all of the issues I raised to be relevant. Just because they are not important to you, doesn't mean they're not important at all. And now I'm going to stop commenting. Good night.

[malkingrey]

What to take issue with first? Let me see . . .

The assumption that there is only one proper use of the word "shack" and that you get to say what it is?

The assumption that nobody else knows from rural poverty and substandard housing conditions?

Or, just possibly, the idea that scolding fanfic writers over vocabulary choices in a slash meme constitutes an actual effective response to a real social problem?

[hollyberries]

Hi, I've sent you a PM in response, I hope you forgive my overreaction, it was mostly caused by personal, outside frustrations, and shouldn't have had any place here.

[malkingrey]

There's a lot of that going on all over the web. Personally, I blame the unseasonable weather and the fact that it's an election year for the US -- they're combining to make all of us less charitable and quicker on the draw than we probably should be.

[norabombay]

This isn't the Stephen Harper Rural Sex Challenge. The complaints are like arguing that a Stargate: Atlantis "Sex in a stranded Puddlejumper" challenge is horrible because the humans on Battlestar Galactica are forced to live in their stranded spaceships.

It is two things that are utterly unrelated, and trying to make them related is a recipe for failure all round.

[hollyberries]

Ugh, this is why I shouldn't internet after a long day running around. I completely missed the distinction, which is why I overreacted in such a huge way. Sorry!

I think I'm going to steep in shame in the time-out corner now.