For Your Consideration

Sullied Soapbox: "Niggas always want some credit for some shit they supposed to do. A nigga will brag about some shit a normal man just does. A nigga will say some shit like, 'I take care of my kids.' You're supposed to, you dumb motherfucker! What are you talking about? What kind of ignorant shit is that? 'I ain't never been to jail!' What do you want, a cookie?! You're not supposed to go to jail, you low-expectation-having motherfucker!"

- Chris Rock, Bring The Pain (1996) "Lowered Expectations" was a set of Mad TV sketches that ridiculed the desperation of singles ads in video form. Passive aggression gave way to abject vehemence. The format illustrated entitled frustration. Sure, many people remember Stuart and what he could do, but "Lowered Expectations" continues to have its place.

Decency and consideration of others have gone from admirable traits to spineless snowflake values. Baseline care for others (which follows the Golden Rule) shouldn't be worth special attention. True, what has been posited as basic respect has changed; for example, homosexuality is far more embraced in recent years than a few generations ago, so "fag-bashing" has become a thing of the past in general American society. Now? Not being a prick for no reason has been attributed to PC culture gone rampant.

Formerly-common expressions that still exist but are falling out of fashion include these:

"When I was growing up, a nigger was a nigger. There were black niggers and white niggers. You knew a nigger when you ran into one."

"In my time, men were men and women were women. None of this faggy bullshit." "Wetbacks are making it hard for honest people to get work."

"I can't believe these sand niggers and camel jockeys are trying to make it so they can pray to Allah whenever they want."

"I don't like chinks. They're too cliquey." "There are a lot of orientals in this country. I don't mind them, but I wouldn't want them around my pets." The specific language varied but carried the same intentions. These days, similar sentiments exist but under different constructs. At least evolution prevails in some form! Consider the following:

The Defense of Marriage Act and its posthumous supporters.

Travel bans.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell vestiges.

Asking for the return of prayer in schools but only meaning Christian prayers.

Encouraging marijuana dispensaries (typically benefiting whites) to increase tax revenue while keeping the substance a Schedule I drug (the only serious drug that should be on there is heroin) (the prison population for minor drug offenders is overwhelmingly non-white). Other countries sending us their worthless citizens (despite the immigration process being rigorous).

Illegals running amok (despite protections for refugees as well as laws that prevent truly illegal citizens from receiving government benefits). Beyond that, people complain about not being able to say things because it might offend someone. Honestly, I understand. People get out of hand sometimes.

Some years ago, I worked with a black guy. I was (and mostly remain) white. We reversed races in conversation for a while. He called me "boy" with the delivery that we all know as disrespectful. I shrugged off his cracker-ass nonsense. As I brought a bus boy into the kitchen and went over desserts, I passed my coworker while mentioning black forest cake. My coworker told me to "go on ahead with that nigger cake." The bus boy was taken aback as my coworker and I reflected and burst out in laughter. Yes, folks can go too far. If I were to refer to my boss as black, a pocket of the population would be down my throat for not saying "African-American," and my boss is from Costa Rica. He's black. Beyond that, referring to someone as "American" predominantly infers a US citizenship.

I'm also a member of a Simpsons shitpost group on Facebook. For International Women's Day, some images came around that expressed solidarity. Ladies didn't post much. The guys who posted anything related to respecting women were labeled SJW, virgins, cucks, and folks on the prowl. Any man honoring women on a basic human level despite sexist history was trying to get laid or virtue signal.

My point is that people have been hiding their prejudices behind the freedom of speech and the belief that language is static. Freedom of speech does not create an immunity against criticism and accountability. Language evolves - "colored" is not the best way to describe members of the black community, so expect to be called out. Again, folks ignore the Golden Rule. PC culture battles hegemony-minded entitlement; both extremes prodigiously defecate in their own trenches in the name of being righteous. Is it so difficult to engage in honest discourse? Just... Don't be a jerk. Don't be hateful. Don't judge groups before meeting individuals. If someone is being genuinely decent, give them a high five/mango/$500K job.