I am confused by the POC posters responding to this thread as if “problematic“ speech and behavior by youth is some problem exclusive to white people? I am sure that NO black American teens have EVER said anything homophobic, sexist, or downright misogynistic, for example...

I graduated from high school in the mid-80s and was raised by a pretty racist mother, OP, and I knew much better even then. Perhaps it's where you grew up--though I grew up in an UMC, very white neighborhood, but I just knew better. Was I perfect? Certainly not. But the N word and making fun of people who were a different race or from a different country was definitely not acceptable.

Blackface on 30 Rock
Blackface on Jimmy Kimmel
Michael Scott’s “Ping” character on the Office
The entire Diversity episode of Office season 1
Gay jokes on Friends
The Black Awareness rally in Coming to America
Roseanne “some big ole dyke”
West Wing affirmative action episode
American Pie secret filming of a high school girl undressing
Every Asian teen character ever (Long Duck Dong!)
Virtually every sketch from Chapelle Show
Same for South Park
Al Bundy
Chasing Amy - I wanna call the Whalers a bunch of f**s in the privacy of my own home
Jay and Silent Bob
Charlie Tweeder in Varsity Blues

On and on and on. These are not obscure references. This is lock stock and barrel mainstream pop culture, much of it more recent that OP’s childhood. And none of it would fly now. Things change.

You can’t blame anyone for not being a complete alien untethered to their own time, place, and community. We’re not living now by whatever code is likely to be regarded as decent and moral 100 years from now.

Not only can you not blame them. There is no moral fault at all in any of this. I for one wish we could go back to a time when everyone wasn’t so sensitive. But carry on with your totalitarian dystopia. It’ll be super enjoyable for everyone.

You should be cancelled. Your family should lose everything. Ideally you’ll live starving under a bridge while repenting for your sins. Your children should suffer, too.

NOT.

Cancel culture is turning me into a Republican. It’s enough.

Anonymous wrote:Still waiting for an example of someone getting "cancelled" for something they said in middle school or high school.

If you’re expanding to HS - there are plenty. Here’s one.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/12/26/us/mimi-groves-jimmy-galligan-racial-slurs.amp.html

Anonymous wrote:POC here- yep, I went to school with people like OP- they were incredibly commonplace. I hope you’ve reflected on how horribly you treated others.

I hope you reflect on the difference between kids acting like ignorant assholes and bullies versus adults doing the same...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But also many of us didn't behave like that in the early 2000s.

DP. I don't believe it. Being truly anti-racist requires honesty. You did not exist outside of culture.

Yeah, everyone who didn't act like you is a liar.

Nah - just not self aware.

I guess you feel better about bigotry if you convince yourself it was the norm. The only delusional person here is the one who thinks "everyone" acted like that.

I think only a fool thinks they have nothing to improve on.

Anonymous wrote:I remember even in the 80s thinking that calling someone gay or retarded as an insult would make someone feel bad if they were those things (the R would was still used at that time in a matter of fact way for people with intellectual disabilities). Even though it was commonplace, I instinctively knew to not do it.

I'm sure I've made mistakes along the way and even now am adjusting to the ever changing language. I think that if you remain aware and listen to others and are open minded enough to admit that you are or were wrong, that's a good thing. And call out others in order to educate them (not insult them) when they make similar mistakes.

It's the mistakes that get recorded and sent to your college admissions staff. Admitting you were wrong isn't helpful at all against an online mob.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is everything that is wrong with liberals. There is zero space for education and/or growth. It doesn't matter in what decade OP said or did anything that may be misconstrued in today's era. The point is that she has reevaluated and learned. I always thought that was the ultimate goal. But no, for most liberals, its to burn everyone at the stake and come out on top in the self-congratulatory, woke Olympics.

OP, you're fine. Education, reformation and reevaluating our former selves should be the goal. The cancel loons are what is wrong with society.

Please do show us one person cancelled for things they said as a middle schooler. Just one example.

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2020/06/04/cheerleader-who-used-racial-slur-will-not-attend-university-of-tennessee/3147231001/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how did you play eanie meanie miney mo?

As a kid in the 70"s? N word

As a parent in the 2000"s? tiger

Learn more, do better

What region of the US did you live in? MD suburb here in the 1970s and it was "tiger."

Agree with learn more, do better.

Still waiting for an example of someone getting "cancelled" for something they said in middle school or high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't care what decade you grew up in. Its a choice to be ignorant.

Cool. Let's cancel everyone. That will help society.

It's VERY difficult to see beyond your community's values, especially as a child.

Not at all. I grew up in the same decade as OP. You know what we had? TV. Internet. Books.

I mean - OP is acting like she grew up in 1932 on a farm during the great depression.

Bill Clinton's Cabinet was filled with women, men, and people of all races. Bush Jr as well. Sesame Street and PBS - free for all kids before you start - was filled with diverse actors and actresses. Television was rife with color and ingenuity.

So yes -- a choice.

There is literally zero chance you never said anything “problematic” growing up, no matter how much PBS you watched.

+1
Someone who claims they never said anything problematic in their entire life lacks self awareness.

She’s probably never burped or farted either!

I remember even in the 80s thinking that calling someone gay or retarded as an insult would make someone feel bad if they were those things (the R would was still used at that time in a matter of fact way for people with intellectual disabilities). Even though it was commonplace, I instinctively knew to not do it.

I'm sure I've made mistakes along the way and even now am adjusting to the ever changing language. I think that if you remain aware and listen to others and are open minded enough to admit that you are or were wrong, that's a good thing. And call out others in order to educate them (not insult them) when they make similar mistakes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But also many of us didn't behave like that in the early 2000s.

DP. I don't believe it. Being truly anti-racist requires honesty. You did not exist outside of culture.

Yeah, everyone who didn't act like you is a liar.

Nah - just not self aware.

I guess you feel better about bigotry if you convince yourself it was the norm. The only delusional person here is the one who thinks "everyone" acted like that.

Anonymous wrote:how did you play eanie meanie miney mo?

As a kid in the 70"s? N word

As a parent in the 2000"s? tiger

Learn more, do better