User:Larry Wumpus/Article sandbox

Civil Rights 101

Civil Rights 101 may refer to:

1. Entry-level discussions about basic civil rights concepts (for example, what is patriarchy?).
2. A set of derailment tactics whereby one distracts from a deeper discussion by demanding explanations and justification for entry-level concepts.

Derailment

Derailment occurs when a discussion about one topic is forced into a discussion of something else vaguely related. When done intentionally, it's because the derailer either understands they cannot win the debate or are very uncomfortable with the conclusions that may result.

Stop whining

Stop whining is an intentional derailment tactic and a genuinely-held attitude shared amongst the assholes of the world. Variants include "can we stop talking about [topic]?", "there are too many threads about [topic]".

Internalized oppression

Internalized oppression (also known as internalized prejudice and internalized stereotyping) is a form of cognitive dissonance where a member of a social group adopts prejudiced stereotypes and attitudes about their group. This conflicts with the person's sense of self-worth and causes mental distress. The most common variants are internalized sexism, internalized racism, and internalized homophobia.

Examples

• The classic example that has become a stereotype in its own right is the deeply-closeted homosexual that partakes in gay bashing and campaigns against gay rights. Such accusations are usually made by people that are, if not necessarily homophobic, certainly not very socially sensitive.

Punching upward and downward

In the context of satire and ridicule, punching upwards/downward refers to the relative position of power the mocker has against the target. The best way to summarize it is a relationship of a bully versus a victim. The weaker person standing up against bullying is seen as brave and heroic while a stronger person bullying the weak is seen as cowardly and villainous. It's an important factor in the discussion of what is or isn't offensive.

Punching upward

Punching upwards usually takes the form of exposing and ridiculing the abuse of power by governments, corporations, and social majorities.

• Jokes at the expense of governments and corporations, mostly in regards of the abuse of power they perpetrate. George Carlin famously built his act around this.
• Jokes about men, white people, and Christians can go into uncomfortable areas, but are generally not viewed as harshly in general since there's no underlying context

Punching downward

Punching downwards usually takes the form of mocking, belittling, and stereotyping social minorities. It also comes in the form of excusing or outright celebrating horrific events, usually by ridiculing or blaming the victims.

• Racist and sexist jokes that belittle people suffering actual oppression are the classic example of punching down.
• Rape jokes are the most visible, controversial example of punching down. This includes jokes about prison rape since it's considered a form of cruel and unusual punishment in nearly all contexts.
• Jokes about the holocaust.

Reactionary

A reactionary is a person that holds the political viewpoint that society needs to return to a prior state. It usually takes the form of a conservative wanting to repeal progressive laws, typically with reference to the good old days and traditional/family values. Most reactionaries long for the days when gender, racial, sexual, and religious intolerance was both socially acceptable and institutionalized.