Words...and words...and words...and words...

[Revolution]

David Zephyr  (1000+ posts)        Wed May-19-10 07:07 PM
Original message
Using the Term "Illegal Alien"
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There was a time when one hardly ever saw the term "illegal aliens" used here at the DU. I know. I remember that time. I remember that when that term was used, a kindly post here and there, gentle nudge from someone seemed to be more than enough to keep our language on a higher degree and reflecting higher values. I actually cringe now coming here seeing the use of this very insensitive term which has a very marginalizing tone to it.

I'm not on some high horse here. It's inappropriate. People are not "illegal". The term "illegal alien" is a very repulsive term filled with xenophobia and bigotry. I think some don't know better, but I fear some sort of relish using this lousy language.

Thankfully, the use of the term "retarded" which was rarely, if ever, used here in the beginning, but later had a period where it crept in to use, is now, for the most part, back to being rarely seen in posts again, as it should be. I don't know whether this is from the mods or, hopefully, from a heightened sense of values. But the word "retarded" is a reprehensible term loaded with hurt and cruelty. The same applies with sexist language. It never was here in the beginning (or very little) then as the site grew, that language appeared. Thankfully, it is, for the most part gone.

The DU is a dynamic site where people come and people go. While the DU certainly is not as leftward as it was nine years ago, I hope we don't continue to slide into a comfort zone where hurtful slurs are tolerated by the larger community. Being a gay guy, I know that we've had our moments here when hurtful language was tossed around with great ease by a few -- again by some who didn't really know better and some that did. The truth is that we lost a some really good DU'ers who were GLBT who were not tomb-stoned, but who just left. That's really sad.

I hope that through the language we use here, we are not also pushing away some of our Latino sisters and brothers or those who have families that are mixed as mine is racially. I am fortunate that no one in our family has ever had to live under the shadows of being without docuements and living in that fear. But I have known families that have been shattered and broken up because of our shitty immigration policies and it is a horror to behold beyond belief.

A child or a woman or a man may be here without documents (undocumented), but they are not in and of themselves "illegal". Consider: This slur is never used against prisoners or those who commit crimes. In my near 60 years, I've never heard a criminal called "an illegal". The term is clearly reserved for xenophobic use. And it is hurtful.

I hope we can do better. I wonder: How many here might have a grandfather or grandmother, an aunt or uncle who they love who never had "documents" and who lived in the shadows, working and paying taxes all of their lives? I wonder: What percentage of the DU community is Latino or Hispanic? I wonder: Is that percentage is as large as it truly should be at a progressive web site like this one? If it isn't, maybe we might ask ourselves why that is.

I can tell you this: coming to a website where the term "illegal aliens" is frequently used is hardly a welcome mat for a lot of people. Words can welcome and words can shun. There are words that trigger a lot of pain and heartache.

Ponder that, just a little, before you post. You might be accidentally hurting someone, you might be sending an unwelcoming message to those who visit the site. And that would be a real shame.

Never have I seen a thread talk about so little in such a long, drawn out, winded way. This was not only irritating. It got INFURIATING to read about 3/4 of the way through. It litterally hurt to read.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8371323

There's plenty of rhetoric to jumble through here. Not a lot of it makes sense, but hey...that's DUmmy Land for you.

[Randy]

He's Baaaaaaaack

*Noting WRP Sock Puppet*

[Randy]

The head hurting, can't read the whole thing is normal. There aren't many DUmp screeds that a normal sane mind can slog through. That much insane at one time hurts to much.

[Carl]

A child or a woman or a man may be here without documents (undocumented), but they are not in and of themselves "illegal". Consider: This slur is never used against prisoners or those who commit crimes. In my near 60 years, I've never heard a criminal called "an illegal". The term is clearly reserved for xenophobic use. And it is hurtful.

Once again a person on the left shows that despite their constant proclamations about being the smartest people on earth they are truly idiotic simpletons.

A criminal is refereed to as it relates to the crime they committed  (thief,murderer) so since the crime that has been committed was being in this country against the law the term illegal alien or immigrant is the only appropriate term to use to distinguish from one who abides by the law.

[miskie]

Tell you what Zephyr - Since your post is specifically about Mexican and other South American Illegals, I propose we enact the same laws involving illegals as they have in Mexico.

It should make you happy, as well as the President of Mexico- who made it clear he doesn't support Arizona's decision to enforce existing US immigration law.  

[docstew]

Tell you what Zephyr - Since your post is specifically about Mexican and other South American Illegals, I propose we enact the same laws involving illegals as they have in Mexico.

It should make you happy, as well as the President of Mexico- who made it clear he doesn't support Arizona's decision to enforce existing US immigration law.  

I'll go one step further.  We should tell Mexico that we will, within limits of the COTUS, exactly mirror their immigration law, and will make changes as necessary to maintain that.  You want us to change our laws, show us what you want them to look like first.  We change ours to look like theirs and they will howl, then we just tell them that they can complain or lead the way.

[Karin]

Oh dear.  Poor David is feeling quite fretful.  Fortunately, I did not get a headache reading it.  It did, however, inspire derisive laughter.  What a hand-wringer!  It's people like this who made our college campuses so PC insane, that you can't even say "boo" because you may offend a ghost lurking nearby.  

The same applies with sexist language

 What is this girly-girl talking about?  Was it the thread where they posted a picture of a perfectly normal looking woman with a tea party sign, and then proceeded to tear her physicality apart, limb from limb?  Hey David, here's some sexist language:  Conservative chicks are waaaay hotter than your lefty liberal monstrosities.

While the DU certainly is not as leftward as it was nine years ago

 YeeGods!  Is this true?  It's communist central over there as it is.  

The voice I hear in my head reading this, is Beavis and Butthead's hippie teacher, whats-his-name.  

From the thread, Marshall sez:

I suppose "undocumented non-citizen worker" would do.

Oh FFS.

And Bluebear the flamer even objected to the word "foreigner."  It's just mean.

William Z. Foster (686 posts)      Wed May-19-10 07:30 PM
Response to Original message
19. thank you for trying
 People are actually unrecommending this.

Scary times. This will not end well. It never does.
 

petronius (1000+ posts)        Thu May-20-10 02:27 AM
188. I notice that you dropped the "the" in your comment, implying that I said alienhood was illegal. Deliberately?

  Oh Dear Lord!  Talk about headache-inducing! 

And then Oregone jumps in, he wants to give the lettuce-pickers a nice cushy pension plus top-notch healthcare. 

It's an enormous thread, I had patience for only half of it.  Good find, Revolution. 

[Ralph Wiggum]

[youtube=425,350]UqjfmUytFp8[/youtube]

[jukin]

My moonbat congress bitch wrote me back (first time ever) and calls them undocumented citizens. Sadly, she will probably keep her seat as the gerrymandered district runs about 150 miles long and 1-2 wide right along the coast.  I do wonder what her DU moniker is.

[AllosaursRus]

All I can say is..........Son of a .............. these asshats is stoooooooooooopid!

Ignorance must be a pre-requisite at the DUmp! Nothing else could esplain it!

I think I lost 2 IQ points just reading the original posters excrement!

[DumbAss Tanker]

He's Baaaaaaaack

*Noting WRP Sock Puppet*

Hard to say.  Just as much of a bloviating, self-important gasbag and general douche-nozzle as Pitt to be sure, but there are some minor style differences...which could be intentional, of course.

[The Village Idiot]

My moonbat congress bitch wrote me back (first time ever) and calls them undocumented citizens.

They are not citizens, they are colonists.

[Reality vs DU]

Quote
David Zephyr  (1000+ posts)        Wed May-19-10 07:07 PM
Original message
I wonder: What percentage of the DU community is Latino or Hispanic?

  Judging by the picture threads (you know where all of you ugly degenerates post pics of yourselves) I would say less than one percent.  DU, for all the diversity and racial hypersensitivity they preach, is almost entirely white.

DU hates minorities!!

[Karin]

Oh, I don't think it's WRP's sock puppet.  Pitt was a drama queen way too impressed with himself.  He would hold forth, imagining he held a vast crowd in the palm of his hand.  The OP here is more of a fruity, fretful, fussy, hysterical, overly-earnest sort of douchebag.  The sort of liberal that's easy to hate.    

[Ballygrl]

Never have I seen a thread talk about so little in such a long, drawn out, winded way. This was not only irritating. It got INFURIATING to read about 3/4 of the way through. It litterally hurt to read.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8371323

There's plenty of rhetoric to jumble through here. Not a lot of it makes sense, but hey...that's DUmmy Land for you.

Can you imagine being David's wife?

David's wife: Honey do you want to have sex?

David Zephyr  (1000+ times he had sex)        Wed May-19-10 07:07 PM

Using the Term "Honey"

There was a time when one hardly ever saw the term "HONEY" used here at HOME. I know. I remember that time. I remember that when that term was used, a kindly WHISPER here and there, gentle nudge from ME seemed to be more than enough to keep our language on a higher degree and reflecting higher values. I actually cringe now coming HOME seeing the use of this very insensitive term which has a very marginalizing tone to it.

I'm not on some high horse here. It's inappropriate. People shouldn't be called "HONEY". The term "HONEY" is a very repulsive term filled with SEXISM. I think some don't know better, but I fear some sort of relish using this lousy language.

Thankfully, the use of the term "RETARDED" which was rarely, if ever, used here in OUR BED, but later had a period where it crept in to use, is now, for the most part, back to being rarely seen in OUR HOME again, as it should be.

I can't fill in anymore of this boring post, I tried, but it would entail reading the whole thing again.

[Chris_]

bravo!

[Ballygrl]

Oh cool! it's at -1 with the unrecs.

[Chris_]

Does it show negative unrecs?  I thought it stopped at 0.

Wouldn't want to hurt anybody's feelings now.

[Ballygrl]

Does it show negative unrecs?  I thought it stopped at 0.

Wouldn't want to hurt anybody's feelings now.

ETA: just realized it shows 0 and not the -1, it only shows -1 to those who unrec but it's not visible to anyone else.

[chitownchica]

William Z. Foster (686 posts)      Wed May-19-10 07:30 PM
Response to Original message
19. thank you for trying
 People are actually unrecommending this.

Scary times. This will not end well. It never does.

Anyone else think WZFoster is a mole? If not, he's one of the most irritating people on all the internets.  He shows up in nearly every thread I read over there, and he is so over the top, which makes me wonder if he's serious.

[DumbAss Tanker]

...He shows up in nearly every thread I read over there...

Could mean he's a mole desperately striving to get to the magic '1,000+' but the normal way to get there without unwanted attention is to go with the Lounge and off-mainstream forums to ramp the count up.  Posting in the high-visibility, very contentious and ban-happy forums indicates someone is a bit overconfident about their mole or there is a very enthusiastic new idiot on board at DU.

[chitownchica]

Could mean he's a mole desperately striving to get to the magic '1,000+' but the normal way to get there without unwanted attention is to go with the Lounge and off-mainstream forums to ramp the count up.  Posting in the high-visibility, very contentious and ban-happy forums indicates someone is a bit overconfident about their mole or there is a very enthusiastic new idiot on board at DU.

He's probably a very enthusiastic new idiot - hahaa

[Revolution]

Good find, Revolution.  

Thanks, Karin. I'm not a genius by any stretch, but it's really not hard at all to find things over there that are just asinine.

What is this girly-girl talking about?  Was it the thread where they posted a picture of a perfectly normal looking woman with a tea party sign, and then proceeded to tear her physicality apart, limb from limb?  Hey David, here's some sexist language:  Conservative chicks are waaaay hotter than your lefty liberal monstrosities.

No joke. I point directly to Coulter, and Palin. Malkin can be thrown in the mix, too. You guys seen Stephanie Miller? She looks like an evil imp when she grins.

Thankfully, the use of the term "RETARDED" which was rarely, if ever, used here in OUR BED, but later had a period where it crept in to use, is now, for the most part, back to being rarely seen in OUR HOME again, as it should be.

That whole post was gold, but this had be laughing pretty hard. Excellent!

[Boudicca]

Oh, I don't think it's WRP's sock puppet.  Pitt was a drama queen way too impressed with himself.  He would hold forth, imagining he held a vast crowd in the palm of his hand.  The OP here is more of a fruity, fretful, fussy, hysterical, overly-earnest sort of douchebag.  The sort of liberal that's easy to hate.    

I interacted with the Blowhard Zephar once on DU and he IS a queen, in his own words he's gay.  So he definitely merits your description.
Some gays are manly; I personally know several.  Zephar doesn't qualify.

[chitownchica]

Ballygrl, I love your Rahm shower pic.