Paula Deen

Food Network just fired Paula Deen for using the "N" word. They should not have fired Paula Deen. She did not slander anyone. Paula Deen just admitted to have used a word (she claimed to have said it years ago) that black people currently claim to own. The executives at food network are a bunch of hypocrites. If that's the case, than everyone needs to be fired because nearly everyone has at some time used a word that's not politically correct. And if she wanted to host a civil war era themed banquet than that's her business. Just because you don't agree with it does not make it wrong. No one should be able to claim to own rights to any word. Termination for that is way too severe. Political correctness is totally out of control.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIbHh5TJ3P8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkwbyNKC9Kg

My my my my my, I can't believe that woman was talking about Nigeria. How dare her.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XqLaKwRigs...orrectness.jpg

She used too much butter in her recipes. The N word accusation was a false flag.

http://cdn.meme.li/instances/400x/37717827.jpg

I was thinking about this earlier. Lan Di, I wholeheartedly agree that no one can "claim" to own a word - it's a ridiculous claim to say nothing of the racial implications claiming said word brings about, thus contradicting your stance on words that carry negative connotations. Even then, the word in and of itself isn't bad - it's how people use it that brings about negative repercussions. If I were to sit here in my own house and say every foul mouthed, racist term I can think of, who does it hurt? Seriously, it's the kind of thinking brought about by politically correct assholes that makes it very hard for me to defend this country's rights and practices. She was a southern woman brought up in what was arguably one of the most racially charged eras of modern society - of course she said it! She was probably taught by her parents to say it. But for a network to hid behind the guise of political correctness, when in reality they're probably scared shitless of getting a lawsuit leveled at them by special interest groups had they kept Deen on is fucking retarded (there's another "bad" word that hurts no one for you).

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Originally Posted by old man

http://cdn.meme.li/instances/400x/37717827.jpg

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LMAO!!

Overblown nonsense rears its ugly head again. Nice job America. :cool:

Vieja racista cabrona!

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Originally Posted by Cucollins12

Vieja racista cabrona!

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Way to miss the point retard.

What if she was singing along to her favorite Jay-Z CD and it slipped out? I blame white people on this one, groveling, guilty, white people who feel burdened as the ruling class. They like to look at black people and say..." See!!!! It's her!!!! Well fix it cuz we're the good white people."


I'm embarrassed for my race. It only empowers and legitimizes clowns like Reverand Al and Jesse Jackson who themselves drop the N-Bomb and are homophobic. But it's ok for them to do that because "we expect them to and they can't help it".

She should sue for violation of her first amendment. Idk how people can lose their jobs over free speach. All this thought policing just teaches people how to lie.

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Originally Posted by Cucollins12

Vieja racista cabrona!

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I'm sure you realize texting in Spanish or any other language is a futile attempt on the internet right? ;)

I agree nobody should "own" a certain word. I think nobody should use ignorant words no matter what your background or skin colour is. I used to say "gypped" until someone taught me what it actually means. I thanked the person and stopped using it.

If she was using these types of words in the workplace, she has terrible judgement. The Food Network can hire and fire people as they like; they're media personalities. They get paid to be likeable. That's the nature of their job.

The N-word has nothing to do with Political Correctness. Political Correctness is all about changing terminology/ideas so as not to offend anyone, include everyone, and we're not talking about either of those things here. It's not the same as making sure a comedian doesn't tell a joke about minorities, saying "firefighter" instead of "fireman," or saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." The N-word's a racial slur that has a tumultuous history, and one that was used to basically dehumanize an entire race. It's also only ever had one usage, so its not akin to "faggot" (which was originally a measurement) or the swastika before Germany used it for their Nazi party; things that had a very different meaning before they came to be used in less than good ways in more recent history. Even in jest, the N-word's still a heavily loaded term, as there's a lot of ill will behind it. As such, it's a word you shouldn't want to use, so why argue for the right to use it? I know there are black rappers and comedians who use it (or its famous offshoot with "a" instead of "er"), but that still doesn't make it a swell term to add to your daily vocabulary. It's still got its history, and it still has all of its negative connotations, regardless of how many times someone uses it in an attempt to take away its power.

Some things, you just don't do. You don't stick your dick in a bee hive, and expect it to not get stung, and you don't say racial slurs, and not expect problems to arise when people hear you use them. It's just common sense. And if Deen used a racial slur around others... then that was a piss-poor choice on her part.


With all of that said, I do agree that Political Correctness has gotten stupid. I have a Maine Coon cat, and saying its breed name gets questionable looks at times. I've heard the word "niggardly" (which means "stingy"), and how that too was seen as being racially charged. Even "niggling" gets a perked eyebrow once in a while, and these are terms that have no connection to the N-word. It's an oversensitivity complex that rules the roost unfortunately, and puts people on a "DON'T OFFEND ANYONE!" lookout. It even affects things to the point of how something might be perceived by someone, so they redo things until they feel there's no chance of anyone being offended. It's this kind of hyperactive watchdog mentality that gets people looking for any little thing to be offended by, whether those things are there or not. It's also the kind of thing that gets people trying to ban music and games, censor visuals or lyrics, and generally make everything into a bland, characterless mush of dullness.

So yeah, Political Correctness has gotten ridiculous in ways. I'll agree there. But in the case of racial slurs and their usage, it's not really a PC issue, or even a First Amendment issue. I mean, you have the right to use them if you want, but they were never friendly ways of labeling people, so do you really want the baggage that comes with their usage? There's no nice way to use them, regardless of who you are and where you come from.

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Originally Posted by The Coop

The N-word has nothing to do with Political Correctness. Political Correctness is all about changing terminology/ideas so as not to offend anyone, include everyone, and we're not talking about either of those things here. It's not the same as making sure a comedian doesn't tell a joke about minorities, saying "firefighter" instead of "fireman," or saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." The N-word's a racial slur that has a tumultuous history, and one that was used to basically dehumanize an entire race. It's also only ever had one usage, so its not akin to "faggot" (which was originally a measurement) or the swastika before Germany used it for their Nazi party; things that had a very different meaning before they came to be used in less than good ways in more recent history. Even in jest, the N-word's still a heavily loaded term, as there's a lot of ill will behind it. As such, it's a word you shouldn't want to use, so why argue for the right to use it? I know there are black rappers and comedians who use it (or its famous offshoot with "a" instead of "er"), but that still doesn't make it a swell term to add to your daily vocabulary. It's still got its history, and it still has all of its negative connotations, regardless of how many times someone uses it in an attempt to take away its power.

Some things, you just don't do. You don't stick your dick in a bee hive, and expect it to not get stung, and you don't say racial slurs, and not expect problems to arise when people hear you use them. It's just common sense. And if Deen used a racial slur around others... then that was a piss-poor choice on her part.


With all of that said, I do agree that Political Correctness has gotten stupid. I have a Maine Coon cat, and saying its breed name gets questionable looks at times. I've heard the word "niggardly" (which means "stingy"), and how that too was seen as being racially charged. Even "niggling" gets a perked eyebrow once in a while, and these are terms that have no connection to the N-word. It's an oversensitivity complex that rules the roost unfortunately, and puts people on a "DON'T OFFEND ANYONE!" lookout. It even affects things to the point of how something might be perceived by someone, so they redo things until they feel there's no chance of anyone being offended. It's this kind of hyperactive watchdog mentality that gets people looking for any little thing to be offended by, whether those things are there or not. It's also the kind of thing that gets people trying to ban music and games, censor visuals or lyrics, and generally make everything into a bland, characterless mush of dullness.

So yeah, Political Correctness has gotten ridiculous in ways. I'll agree there. But in the case of racial slurs and their usage, it's not really a PC issue, or even a First Amendment issue. I mean, you have the right to use them if you want, but they were never friendly ways of labeling people, so do you really want the baggage that comes with their usage? There's no nice way to use them, regardless of who you are and where you come from.

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I agree that it is absolutely a racial slur, but only when its used in a certain context. The word N****r becomes a slur when you use it to degrade someone, just like Nas, Lil' Wayne, Kanye West, Jay-Z, etc., do with their rap lyrics, but they are given a free pass because they claim rightful ownership of that word.

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Originally Posted by sketch

If she was using these types of words in the workplace, she has terrible judgement. The Food Network can hire and fire people as they like; they're media personalities. They get paid to be likeable. That's the nature of their job.

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I understand what you are saying and I agree with most of it, but this did not happen at her Food Network Workplace, but allegedly at one of Deen's restaurants that she owns. Someone is suing her for it. Lets just hope this is not an opportunist seeking monetary gain.
CNN Link--->http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/19/showbi...en-racial-slur

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Originally Posted by NeoVamp

Way to miss the point retard.

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GAAAASSSSSPPPP!!! You said the R - WORD!! Now you'll be fired and driven into the streets to starve!!

Anywho, political correctness is a bane on society. It's treating a symptom instead of the actual problem. They ignore the problem and wish it goes away. Retards...

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Originally Posted by Lan Di

Lets just hope this is not an opportunist seeking monetary gain.

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This is a 100% guarantee.

Nobody "hears" this word in a restaurant and sues because "its the right thing to do". They do it for money.

If stamping this word out was "the right thing to do" then everyone should be suing rappers for using the word as well.

"Well they took back the word". No, if the word is so bad and disrespectful then it shouldn't be said at all. If I can sue Paula Deen for saying it, I sure as shit should be able to sue Jay-Z for saying it too.

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Originally Posted by Lan Di

I agree that it is absolutely a racial slur, but only when its used in a certain context. The word N****r becomes a slur when you use it to degrade someone, just like Nas, Lil' Wayne, Kanye West, Jay-Z, etc., do with their rap lyrics, but they are given a free pass because they claim rightful ownership of that word.

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When isn't it a racial slur? I've yet to hear it in a form that isn't referencing it's history as a means of demeaning someone. I realize sticking an "a" at the end instead of "er" is supposed to turn it into a term of endearment, but that term's never come across to me as something positive either, given its roots.

As for the proverbial free pass, that's just an excuse to get to keep using it because those artists can't come up with better lyrics to get their point across. It's like a comedian (regardless of race) who keeps using "fuck" for every third word, like it'll somehow make their material edgy or funnier. It's just a sign of someone who can't write or tell a joke well. It's true a swear word can punctuate a joke and add to it, but F-bombs every three seconds is just a lack of skill at the craft.

I was just about to post an Uncle Ruckus video on this subject, but I don't want to take a chance on getting in hot water here. Sorry

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Originally Posted by The Coop

When isn't it a racial slur? I've yet to hear it in a form that isn't referencing it's history as a means of demeaning someone. I realize sticking an "a" at the end instead of "er" is supposed to turn it into a term of endearment, but that term's never come across to me as something positive either, given its roots.

As for the proverbial free pass, that's just an excuse to get to keep using it because those artists can't come up with better lyrics to get their point across. It's like a comedian (regardless of race) who keeps using "fuck" for every third word, like it'll somehow make their material edgy or funnier. It's just a sign of someone who can't write or tell a joke well. It's true a swear word can punctuate a joke and add to it, but F-bombs every three seconds is just a lack of skill at the craft.

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Again, I agree with you. I believe N****r can be used when quoting someone else, when describing an incident (at my job, when we have to write write an incident report, we have to literally quote word for word what happened) or in dialogue relating to describing race relations. I am no Howard Stern fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I was never offended whenever he said N****r on his radio talk show, because he never said "hey you N******r", or that all "N****rs are stupid", or that "N*****rs can slam dunk". As far as I know, he never used for derogatory reasons. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

How many African Americans have ever actually watched Paula Deen on the Food Channel? I mean, I understand why the network feels the need to distance themselves from her as they are running a business and this is bad publicity, but Paula Deen is a big star for them, and her target market is old white ladies who were around before the Civil Rights movement. Her audience is not exactly the type who would be offended by hearing the n-word.

"Paula Deen placed Ms. Jackson in charge of food and serving arrangement for the wedding of her brother Bubba Hiers in February 2007. When Ms. Jackson asked Ms. Deen what look the wedding should have, Ms. Deen replied, "I want a true southern plantation-style wedding." Asked by Ms. Jackson what type of uniforms she preferred servers to wear, Paula Deen stated, "Well what I would really like is a bunch of little niggers to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around." Paula Deen laughed and said "Now that would be a true southern wedding, wouldn't it? But we can't do that because the media
would be on me about that.""

So yeah.

The stuff with Paula Deen is only a small part of the lawsuit, but it doesn't paint a very pretty picture of her, her brother 'Bubba' (the main person being sued I guess), or her company. In context with the whole case, what she said to the plaintiff just seems like tip of the iceberg type stuff. Based on the accusations, her brother seems like a full blown racist and it's not a stretch to think that she might be as well (well, especially with what she said).

Being dumped by Food Network was precipitated by the racist comments, of course, but I think they had some ulterior motives as well. I don't think the shitstorm that her comments kicked up was one that Food Network wanted to endure under any situation, but they probably wouldn't have dropped her almost instantaneously unless there were other reasons (ie the trend towards healthier eating habits). IIRC a few years back when Don Imus and his co-host made racist remarks about a college basketball team, it took about a week before his show was canned. So it seems like the powers that be at Food Network just wanted her gone, and this was a good scenario to do so without facing much backlash, if any.

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Originally Posted by Lan Di

As far as I know, he never used for derogatory reasons. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

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The problem with the N-word, is that there's no positive light in which to use it. It's never been a compliment for someone, only an insult. So when someone uses it as a pronoun/adjective/for shock value, whether it's in a joking fashion or not, it's still an ugly word from an ugly time in our nation's past and present. There's no good/harmless definition to attach to it like we can do with some questionable words, like "prick" (stick with a sharp object vs penis vs unpleasant person), "bitch" (unpleasant woman vs female dog vs whine), and whatnot. So if someone uses it, there's only one reference point to go to, and it's not a good one. And no amount of fame or popularity will erase that meaning (as Micheal Richards found out).

But, that's just my take on it.

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Originally Posted by profholt82

How many African Americans have ever actually watched Paula Deen on the Food Channel?.

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My wife and I watch her shows every now and then. And as most of you should know by now I'm black. ;)
BTW, I'm done with this topic. I think it's run it's course. I wish Paula Deen well in whatever she does. We all make mistakes like the guy from CNN news said.

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Originally Posted by Lan Di

\
I understand what you are saying and I agree with most of it, but this did not happen at her Food Network Workplace, but allegedly at one of Deen's restaurants that she owns. Someone is suing her for it. Lets just hope this is not an opportunist seeking monetary gain.
CNN Link--->http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/19/showbi...en-racial-slur

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Agreed that she didn't say this at her current place of employ, so maybe it's a bit unfair that she's losing her job because of it. That is part and parcel of having a job that is based on being "appealing". People watch her because they like her (like Rachel Ray). She's not a master chef, to be sure. If someone like this has their image tarnished by something like this, it can affect their career as a network personality. That's just a fact of life.

Assuming she said them, most likely her comments, repugnant though they were, were out of ignorance, reflecting an upbringing where maybe tossing that word around isn't such a big deal.

I think about my own use of the "n" word (and Louis CK has a hilarious routine about people using this phrase instead of just saying the word), I don't believe I have ever used it in my life to describe someone. It is always disturbing when you hear someone use it in that fashion. I would think someone who runs a business would be smarter.

I want to think they jumped the gun on firing considering the the lawsuit is still going on. On top of that its not just for racial but for sexual harassment! I could believe one ,probable not the other, definitely not both. An $1,200,000 lawsuit also has me questioning the whole thing.

The usual PC crap is at work here. However when I see comments like this http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...-jokes-report/ and that's from Fox news, it has me only thinking no wonder they fired her. I can only picture her agent yelling at the TV "SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!!!"

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Originally Posted by Lan Di

My wife and I watch her shows every now and then. And as most of you should know by now I'm black. ;)
BTW, I'm done with this topic. I think it's run it's course. I wish Paula Deen well in whatever she does. We all make mistakes like the guy from CNN news said.

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I'm white and I grew up loving fresh prince and in living color. Although...I think a lot of white people watched these shows. Anyway nobody should "own" that word I get equally as offended when I hear a black person say it in a degrading way as any other ethnicity. I'm reminded of that part in rush hour where chris tucker says "what's up my n#gger", jackie chan tries it next since jackie is still learning english but having the exact same line come from an asian guy is somehow considered racist. That part of the movie always put a smile on my face because it's pointing out a big flaw in society.

If I were paula I'd sue for wrongful dismissal?

Hey, here's a bomb shell post for you all. Since this is an anti-political correctness thread I thought I'd post this even though I already know the galvanized opinions of the group.

http://exodusinternational.org/2013/06/i-am-sorry/

I feel that, contrary to my better judgment, I should introduce this topic more thoroughly. Unknown to me until later, my dad was a closet bisexual who had HIV for the second half of my early childhood. He believed that going through the Exodus program helped him and allowed him to stop engaging in compulsive activities that were quite harmful to the gay and lesbian community considering his illness. After he died I learned of his secret life and spoke to a couple of men from his group within the Exodus ministry. One was a rather strong looking balding man and another rather effeminate and skinny. Both said that they had tested as homosexuals and both were happily married to women with children. They said that the Exodus program helped them to deal with the fact of their physical attraction to the male form and choose not to act on it. Lastly, one of my college roommates is what the gay and lesbian community would call homosexual. He chose and continues to choose not to engage in any activity based on that leaning, and now lives as a photographer, volunteer fireman, and full time mountain man apparently quite happily.

So, there it is all laid bare and stuff. Do your worst. No really, I'd like to see if anybody here actually believes the propaganda from either side of this discussion. I believe that gays and lesbians are human beings with natural tendencies just like me. I believe that christians who say they can be "fixed" are horribly mistaken or worse. I believe that a christian with homosexual leanings has a choice to make every day the same as me with my leanings. I think I can leave my background on this topic there.

I saw the way the media was spinning this discussion and wanted to be a small part of correcting that.

If you're christian and you're homosexual, you're a walking contradiction in my view. If you're an atheist homosexual though, have all the dick you want.

NOTE: I'm an atheist, I just find christians to be some of the most hypocritical people on earth. If you're religious, you don't get to "pick and choose" only the parts that you agree with and forget everything else, either you are, or you're not. Of course, there's plenty of things that one could argue are "man made" when it comes to the bible (I'd argue all but let's not open that can of worms), but how do you distinguish? Are christians just going to slowly erase everything in the bible that doesn't fit the current world view? What's the point then?

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Originally Posted by Kamahl

If you're christian and you're homosexual, you're a walking contradiction in my view. If you're an atheist homosexual though, have all the dick you want.

NOTE: I'm an atheist, I just find christians to be some of the most hypocritical people on earth. If you're religious, you don't get to "pick and choose" only the parts that you agree with and forget everything else, either you are, or you're not. Of course, there's plenty of things that one could argue are "man made" when it comes to the bible (I'd argue all but let's not open that can of worms), but how do you distinguish? Are christians just going to slowly erase everything in the bible that doesn't fit the current world view? What's the point then?

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This is actually why I wanted to bring this up, I see this public apology is being taken as christianity in general rejecting what the bible says about homosexuality, it isn't. This apology is for those who have been hurt by errant leadership and psychotherapists who tried to make homosexuals into heterosexuals. I agree with you, as a christian you either believe the writings that have been handed down or you don't, cherry picking them is creating a new religion. My stance on homosexuality, or any discussion of "right and wrong" is far more nuanced than the galvanized politicizers would have anybody believe. But I think that is another can of worms.

The bottom line, as I would have it, is that christianity does condemn homosexual activity, along with the tendencies of everybody else. Or more accurately from the christian world view, choosing to act on these tendencies has created a world of intrinsic worthlessness that only God can fix. I am totally fine with people choosing to disbelieve or disregard this worldview, as long as it is accurately understood before it is dismissed.

This thread reminds me of how the JAP discussions we've had here in the past, there's nothing bad about saying JAP,
but there's always gonna be someone who has to say OMG BUT DURING WWII IT WAS A RACIST SLUR! You can't say it NOW

even though these days its not, and its just a short way of saying Japan when discussing regions of games. (US/EUR/JAP/UK/RUS/etc)

So yeah, the real blame goes to people who desire to be politically correct, the people who are afraid that they'll get beaten up when they use a WRONG word.

claiming ownership of a word used to insult them, that's ridiculous.

That's like Jewish people greeting each other with "HEY FELLOW DIRTY JEW HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WASSSUUUUUUUP?"

>_<

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/...psa4b60f8a.jpg

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Originally Posted by sheath

This is actually why I wanted to bring this up, I see this public apology is being taken as christianity in general rejecting what the bible says about homosexuality, it isn't. This apology is for those who have been hurt by errant leadership and psychotherapists who tried to make homosexuals into heterosexuals.

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I wasn't replying to the apology, which is something I found to be long overdue. You can't turn a homosexual into a heterosexual, one of the most brilliant minds to ever live on this earth (Alan Turing) was a homosexual, and was condemned by it, having to choose either death or chemical castration (he chose the latter, later committing suicide). The laws of god should be judged by god, not people.

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Originally Posted by Kamahl

I wasn't replying to the apology, which is something I found to be long overdue. You can't turn a homosexual into a heterosexual, one of the most brilliant minds to ever live on this earth (Alan Turing) was a homosexual, and was condemned by it, having to choose either death or chemical castration (he chose the latter, later committing suicide). The laws of god should be judged by god, not people.

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Yeah, I hadn't followed the organization since the 90s and didn't even know that they had allowed such attempts. I'd say shutting it down at this point is probably the best thing now that I see the full picture. I also don't want there to be a lack of support for those individuals that choose not to live life believing that their tendencies control them. I could go down the list of personality profiles and psychological evaluations I've had that say, statistically, that I should be a totally different person than I am. But I am who I am, and do what I do, by choice not by tendencies.

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Originally Posted by NeoVamp

This thread reminds me of how the JAP discussions we've had here in the past, there's nothing bad about saying JAP,
but there's always gonna be someone who has to say OMG BUT DURING WWII IT WAS A RACIST SLUR! You can't say it NOW

even though these days its not, and its just a short way of saying Japan when discussing regions of games. (US/EUR/JAP/UK/RUS/etc)

So yeah, the real blame goes to people who desire to be politically correct, the people who are afraid that they'll get beaten up when they use a WRONG word.

claiming ownership of a word used to insult them, that's ridiculous.

That's like Jewish people greeting each other with "HEY FELLOW DIRTY JEW HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WASSSUUUUUUUP?"

>_<

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If you're using it as an abbreviation, it's fine, but calling someone a Jap isn't. Context is everything.

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Originally Posted by sheath

Hey, here's a bomb shell post for you all. Since this is an anti-political correctness thread I thought I'd post this even though I already know the galvanized opinions of the group.

http://exodusinternational.org/2013/06/i-am-sorry/

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I saw this when it dropped earlier this week. Frankly, I'm glad this place is gone. I don't like the idea of "fixing" homosexuals or even giving people the idea that they can somehow be "fixed".

All I can say is they some of the people who shout the loudest anti-gay tripe, are usually harboring tendencies they haven't come to terms with.

Cry me a river for Paul Deen.

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Originally Posted by Rusty Venture

I saw this when it dropped earlier this week. Frankly, I'm glad this place is gone. I don't like the idea of "fixing" homosexuals or even giving people the idea that they can somehow be "fixed".

All I can say is they some of the people who shout the loudest anti-gay tripe, are usually harboring tendencies they haven't come to terms with.

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I agree on both counts. Since the organization degraded into creating categories of humans, even if it was only tacitly approved by the upper management, it needed to be shut down.

I am a Catholic and do not believe that people with same-sex attraction having sex with other people of the same gender. However all this talk of chemical castration or therapy to "make" them heterosexual is, in my opinion, inhumane and wrong.

I think that, much like murder or theft, the act itself is wrong. However, to say that the person is inherently wrong and needs to be "Fixed" in my mind, well that's not so nice.

Love the sinner, hate the sin. But don't hate the sinner.