So I noticed that jbou's usual diaries (which I already think don't come often enough) weren't up last week. Well, I just figured he was taking a break or had just a bit too much Southern Comfort in a temporary channelling of Hunter S. Thompson.
But no. He was banned. Temporarily I assume. For using an inappropriate word. Perhaps a justifiably inappropriate word, but somehow it still feels wrong.
Okay, I get the need for community standards and when it comes to community standards jbou is going to be pushing the line as much as possible, more than he should. And I actually said to him mellow a bit in one thread because I didn't want him to get himself banned. I understand the process that led to his banning, though I feel some kinds of racism and sexism get more tolerance than jbou did with his one word. But I am also sure he didn't handle it in a polite and calm fashion.
However, it still bugs me and takes away one of the things I most look forward to in what too often is a sucky week. So yeah, I am pissed at his being banned even if I understand it.
Well in my small protest of his banning I think I will not rec any diary until he is back. Yeah, so what, but it is the least I can do to show my feeling that it just plain feels wrong that he was banned when I have too often seen other, not even subtle forms of sexism, racism, anti-Islam or anti-Semitism go on for so much longer.
Well...let me leave you with George Carlin to pretty much cover the topic better than I can...for you jbou:
This reminds me of an incident that happened to my son recently where I understood both sides. My son gets into trouble a lot. It is an ongoing stress for all of us. So he was at his afterschool program in a room that just happened to be all girls except him. And they were teasing him. My son gets bullied a bit because he is smart and awkward. And girls are starting to take some lead in this.
So one girl criticizes a picture he drew by saying it looked like he drew it with his butt...normal elementary school dialogue.
My son is laser beam logical sometimes. He recognized that they were using a "bad" body term. He didn't want to use the same one. So he observed that they were female and chose a nearby body term...and even chose the medically correct term: "Well your drawing looked like you drew it with your vagina."
Well! All hell broke loose. And my wife and I had to spend time explaining why vagina, a medically correct word, is not appropriate but butt isn't as bad. My son's logical side just didn't get it. But he got that he can't say it because it upsets people (a sign of progress in his view of the world!).
And don't ANYONE whine about political correctness or censorship because most people I know who whine about PC and shit are dicks who don't deserve my time. There ARE reasons for community standards and being aware of the effect words have. But in this case I think the standards have gone a bit awry.