[Vision2020] Rick Perry's Newest Problem

Mon Oct 3 17:46:29 PDT 2011

Would you still be making these arguments of keeping offensive language if it was your mother they had been calling a slut for the last 60 years instead of a group of Native American women being called "S****"? Or would you insist they start calling her by her given and preferred name?

It isn't about changing the name, it is about using the correct name to show respect to people as you would wish to be treated or your own family and heritage to be treated. 

How difficult is that to really understand? It really is basic. You don't want anyone you care about to be called something that they feel is offensive and innacurate, so don't do it to others. It is basic dignity and respect for your fellow humans. If this task is too complicated, you should seriously consider limiting your contact with others different from yourself. 

Donovan Arnold

From: Ron Force <rforce2003 at yahoo.com>
To: "vision2020 at moscow.com" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, October 3, 2011 4:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Rick Perry's Newest Problem

We can clean one thing up:

spic-and-span 
1660s, from spick-and-span-new (1570s), lit. "new as a recently made spike and chip of wood," from spick "nail" (see spike (n.1)) + span-new "very new" (c.1300), from O.N. span-nyr, from spann "chip" + nyr "new." Imitation of Du. spiksplinter nieuw "spike-splinter new.""Saltine crackers" are tasty; "white crackers" aren't.  But, when I lived in Alabama, "cracker' was often used as a positive self-reference by rural whites who had been there a long time. In fact, "Cracker" was one of the mascot names considered by Florida State. They went with "Seminoles", a name heartily approved of by the tribe.

And, "Aunt Jemima" is now 21st century: 

The Aunt Jemima products continue to stand for warmth, nourishment and trust – qualities you’ll find in loving moms from diverse backgrounds who care for and want the very best for their families. http://www.auntjemima.com/aj_history/ It's (mostly) in the context.

Ron Force
Moscow Idaho USA

From: Jay Borden <jborden at datawedge.com>
To: Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>; Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com>; Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>; Kenneth Marcy <kmmos1 at frontier.com>
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
Sent: Monday, October 3, 2011 11:44 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Rick Perry's Newest Problem

Ok… while we’re cleansing our vocabulary, let’s get rid of “Spic-N-Span”, Saltine Crackers, any references to rice or the color yellow, towels, any pictures or references to Aunt Jemima, the logo of “Land-o-Lakes Butter”, and “Gringo Killer” (at our local Sangria restaurant).

The smug guy on the front of “Quaker Oats” canisters also causes me to cringe.

This was just off the top of my head.

I’m only luke-warm to Rick Perry… I do my typical quiet eye-roll when politicians get too preachy… but the article Rosemary Husky put forth, if taken at face value for the facts, basically doesn’t to a lot to crucify Rick Perry as a racist or bigot… even though the article(s) and LINKS make it sound like Rick Perry is leading a charge against the black community with the KKK protecting his flank… 

If you follow each of the links in the article (even the most seemingly damning one of ‘Rick Perry’s family retreat was/is named “Niggerhead”’), the most you really get is a story about how Rick Perry’s *father* (note use of liberally sensitive asterisks instead of capital letters) coming into some land…  and as soon as he was legally able (in 1983 or so), had the offensive word “Niggerhead” painted over on the rock on which it was planted.  Beyond that, it seems that when hints of the title were reappearing through the paint, Rick Perry (or someone in his family) had the rock simply turned over.

The rest of the story, as well as the linked stories that (shamefully) allude to some sort of racist smoking gun, are nothing but people speaking on terms of anonymity, or stories from folks where Rick Perry grew up, talking about how life used to be, or people recalling how they themselves referenced the landmark, and how recently.

Seems like a pretty small bandwagon to support that much weight.

On an unrelated note… I also think it’s interesting that in the past few emails, I’ve seen the word “fuck” and “shit” dropped without anyone saying a word (and I welcome the frankness, don’t get me wrong).

But in that same light, we also have folks dancing around with ‘uses two ‘g’s to spell the words African descent’, and ‘s*****’ because they are so afraid of actually even saying the word “nigger” or “squaw”.

Jay

From:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Donovan Arnold
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2011 10:13 AM
To: Paul Rumelhart; Tom Hansen; Kenneth Marcy
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Rick Perry's Newest Problem

Paul,

So what you are saying is that there is nothing wrong with the name of a mountain that uses two gs to spell the words African descent, there is just something wrong with people that are offended by it?

I disagree. I think the whole point of literacy, including cultural literacy, is not to continue to repeat the same mistakes as our predecessors. It is not about who has the thickest skin, it is about not following the ideas and ways of those with the thickest skulls. 

Donovan Arnold

From:Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com>
To: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>; Kenneth Marcy <kmmos1 at frontier.com>
Cc: "vision2020 at moscow.com" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, October 3, 2011 10:23 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Rick Perry's Newest Problem
My sometimes roundabout way of making a point isn't endearing me to some of the readership out there in Viz-land, so I'll just come out and make my point.  Which is that almost everything is offensive to someone on some level, and those things that are not currently offensive may become offensive in the future because language and culture changes.  We have two choices as I see it - either we whitewash everything to the point that we might as well not have mascots or place names more descriptive than "Idaho Creek 1347", or we grow a thicker skin and not get so worked up about these kinds of things.  

Paul

From:Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
To: Kenneth Marcy <kmmos1 at frontier.com>
Cc: "vision2020 at moscow.com" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, October 3, 2011 9:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Rick Perry's Newest Problem

Mr. Rumelhart -

If victims of bear/cougar attacks or descendants of fourth- or fifth-century Roman ancestry feel disrespected by the University of California (Berkeley) mascot . . . or the Washington State University mascot . . . or the University of Idaho mascot . . . like us, they are free to exercise their first amendment right and loudly (and proudly) express their discomfort with those mascots.

Tom "not holding his breath" Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

On Oct 3, 2011, at 8:49, Kenneth Marcy <kmmos1 at frontier.com> wrote:

> On Monday, October 03, 2011 07:26:10 AM Paul Rumelhart wrote:
>> It makes you wonder if someday descendants of the people murdered by an
>> ancient East Germanic tribe when they sacked Rome and Carthage might
>> someday look in horror upon a small college town in Idaho that had the
>> gall to name their sports team after their killers.
> 
> The biggest problem with the Vandals sacking Rome is that they didn't do it 
> often enough. It's too bad they didn't get to Nicaea and Constantinople in the 
> century and a quarter prior to the Roman sack, as that may have prevented a 
> lot of grief all around.
> 
>> Same thing with people that have been mauled by cougars or bears.
> 
> The descendants have less about which to complain in face of the realities of 
> their ancient enemies being hunted and heated to extinction.
> 
> 
> Ken
> 
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serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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