Why are ethnic slurs considered worse than any other form of cruel speech?

[Anonymous]

We will never all be truly equal until we each reject the idea of cruel and hateful speech for all people. It is hard to imagine that there are so many people who feel passionate about the crimes and cruelties of the past, but at the same time think that it's not so bad to be personally abusive in the present.

Maybe in the past had individuals stood up and said this is wrong, those atrocities of the past might have been halted before those practices took root and became institutionalized.

The idea that my pain is worse than your pain is just baffling.

If you were living in the past would you have had the guts to stand against the Inquisition, the Brown Shirts, or the KKK? If you don't have the guts and the sense of righteousness to stand up for the weak and the abused today when the steaks are relatively small, there is no question in my mind that had you lived in the past, you would have passively stood on the sidelines as our brethren were being dragged off for slavery and slaughter.

It all starts with cruel and hateful speech. Don't isolate yourselves, don't say it won't happen to me, don't say they probably deserve it. Take a chance, be brave, go out on a limb and protect someone weaker than yourself today.

Have the courage to fight for true equality, not just the kind that is self serving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Asking tongue-in-cheek but I'm serious. There was a time in the U.S. that the Irish, Italian and Chinese immigrants were just the worst of the stinking worst. And freely discriminated against. Now of course persons from each of these backgrounds has been a governor, run a Fortune 100 company, etc. They tend not to be protected under the language of various state hate crime laws the way a Nicaraguan-American would be, if he was murdered ostensibly because he was born in Nicaragua.

Can you point out a state hate crime law that protects those born in Nicaragua, but not those born in Ireland or Italy? Every law of that type of which I am aware protects against crimes based on "national origin". Under such laws, if you decided to kill someone because they were of Italian origin, it would be no different than killing someone because they were of Nicaraguan origin.

Actually, I kind of get what the PP is saying. When I first entered teaching, I inquired about languages - specfically teaching Italian. Many systems told me that b/c the "Italians had assilimated so well" (direct quote from a large system), there wasn't this need to offer many courses. NIAF has also bene vocal in fighting against how we're depicted in the media, as it seems to be OK to think that we're all in the mafia or at home drying pasta on light fixtures.

I don't see how you don't get the point. Schools normally teach languages that are most in demand. In the USA, Italian is not.

Languages commonly taught in schools are taught because there is a large population that speaks that language in America or because it is a good language for international business. Languages commonly taught in schools are Spanish (400+ million speakers worldwide, Spanish-speaking population in USA is rapidly growing, second most natively spoken language in the world), Chinese (Mandarin is the most natively spoken language in the world, great language for international business), Japanese (130 million speakers worldwide, plus kids think it's cool because of Japanese pop culture), and French (200 million speak the language natively and over 500 million speak it in total, spoken natively on several continents, official language of 29 countries).

Only 70 million people speak Italian natively. It is spoken natively in only six countries, all of them in Europe. It is not a great language for international business, there is not a huge population of people in the USA who only speak Italian, and people aren't interested in Italian pop culture that much.

It is what it is. And how on Earth does Italian not being commonly taught in schools fit into a discussion on hate crimes and ethnic discrimination?

why the need to write a dissertation about languages taught in schools?

You clearly missed my point.

Discrimination is insidious. What seems innocent enough ("You're Italian? You must have mafia connections.") becomes so mainstream that these stereotypes become acceptable.

When I initially inquired about teaching Italian, her tone was derogatory - much like yours when you stated, ". . . and people aren't interested in Italian pop culture that much." If that were the case at my current school - this lack of interest in the language/culture - kids would not have petitioned to add sections to our schedule.

But I digress somewhat. It's fine, for example, to portray Joey as some ignorant Italian on Friends or to have people murdered on the Sopranos by some angry "family" member. And let's not forget the impact the Godfather made on our society. There are ethnic slurs embedded in these programs, just as there are ethnic slurs thrown around in plain conversation. Jersey Shore anyone?

But because we've "assimilated" so well, no one looks at us as a "minority status" culture. So these slurs - these derogatory terms - become mainstream.

[Anonymous]

But because we've "assimilated" so well, no one looks at us as a "minority status" culture. So these slurs - these derogatory terms - become mainstream.

Yes, and my point (I've PP'd) is that it's hunkey dorey to slur Italians. Or Greeks. It is most certainly NOT okay to utter a slur about ... gay people. Or African Americans. Or persons with mental retardation.

A slur against a Greek will go unchallenged. Meanwhile, I guarantee someone is about to post to condemn me for using the word "retardation," even though it is clinically correct and used by physicians and researchers all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't see how you don't get the point. Schools normally teach languages that are most in demand. In the USA, Italian is not.

Languages commonly taught in schools are taught because there is a large population that speaks that language in America or because it is a good language for international business. Languages commonly taught in schools are Spanish (400+ million speakers worldwide, Spanish-speaking population in USA is rapidly growing, second most natively spoken language in the world), Chinese (Mandarin is the most natively spoken language in the world, great language for international business), Japanese (130 million speakers worldwide, plus kids think it's cool because of Japanese pop culture), and French (200 million speak the language natively and over 500 million speak it in total, spoken natively on several continents, official language of 29 countries).

Only 70 million people speak Italian natively. It is spoken natively in only six countries, all of them in Europe. It is not a great language for international business, there is not a huge population of people in the USA who only speak Italian, and people aren't interested in Italian pop culture that much.

It is what it is. And how on Earth does Italian not being commonly taught in schools fit into a discussion on hate crimes and ethnic discrimination?

why the need to write a dissertation about languages taught in schools?

You clearly missed my point.

Discrimination is insidious. What seems innocent enough ("You're Italian? You must have mafia connections.") becomes so mainstream that these stereotypes become acceptable.

When I initially inquired about teaching Italian, her tone was derogatory - much like yours when you stated, ". . . and people aren't interested in Italian pop culture that much." If that were the case at my current school - this lack of interest in the language/culture - kids would not have petitioned to add sections to our schedule.

But I digress somewhat. It's fine, for example, to portray Joey as some ignorant Italian on Friends or to have people murdered on the Sopranos by some angry "family" member. And let's not forget the impact the Godfather made on our society. There are ethnic slurs embedded in these programs, just as there are ethnic slurs thrown around in plain conversation. Jersey Shore anyone?

But because we've "assimilated" so well, no one looks at us as a "minority status" culture. So these slurs - these derogatory terms - become mainstream.

You are a nut. How is it derogatory to say that there is not a large number of US Americans who are interested in Italian pop culture? It's just the truth. Unlike the American interest in Japanese pop culture, there are not Italian cartoons on TV, there are not Japanese comic books at libraries, and Italian game shows are Italian game shows are not being shown on cable TV.

I think you are being overly sensitive. And I am of an ethnic group that is not the majority in the United States, so I do not say that lightly.