I understand you dont reply to this, but I'll pitch in my opinion here anyway.
1. Sexism, racism, etc etc etc: the problem is not in the words that are used but the practices they sometimes refer to. By which I mean that one can use sexist/racist words (that is, words defined as racist/sexist by someone[s]) and be sexist/racist in practice (that is, act differently to people from different sexes and races and/or think people from a different sex or race should and/or do act differently from them because of their differing sex or race), or alternatively one can NOT use those words but still be sexist/racist in practice, or do use those words and NOT be sexist/racist in practice. What your policy accomplishes, at best, is that people no longer are overtly sexist/racist. You drive sexism/racism 'underground' (from the standpoint of ACU), i.e into places like the home, the kitchen, the workplace etc. Defeating sexism/racism, like defeating capitalism, has to do with defeating the PRACTICES that sustain them, not taking a big black marker and deleting the words that refer to them.
2. Explicit consent is ridiculous in alot of cases. "Can I kiss you?", how about just having a feel for the moment, looking for implicit signs and just being spontaneous? And, ofcourse, if you happen to be mistaken, apologise. Shit happens. And this does not just apply to kissing or even anything remotely having to do with sex or love or whatever; too often i see some people in 'your corner' responding ridiculously aggressive to any sign of spontaneity that might be interpreted as machismo or whatever; that is, any time any male at least, especially when heterosexual and white, does anything without.. well i'll admit this will be a gross exaggeration but this is the feeling I get.. first dropping to his knees and asking for formal permission. Really, I'm trying to engage constructively with 'your corner', but when I can no longer 'be myself' (and yes, please notify me of when, in your opinion, 'myself' is being sexist and/or racist, and if I agree I will change 'myself', and in most cases when it makes you uncomfortable i will stop it too, though please also accept that there are/will be circumstances in which you, just as there are circumstances where I, will have to 'get over' yourself/myself), then FUCK, you make ME uncomfortable! And who the fuck can i go to complain to then???
Give me a scene where there are no rules but just alot of people who care for each other and look out for each other, are not afraid to point at each other's faults but at the same time also understand, do not get defensive/aggressive when criticized but try to understand where the criticism comes from, and above all have a sense of humour and don't take everything TOO seriously. Life should be fun. It's already being, very often, made not fun at all, by sexism, racism, capitalism, etc. Now, please, do not, in the attempt to destroy what destroys our fun, make spontaneity and fun impossible because before doing anything or uttering any word you have to think not only twice, but three-four-five-six-seven-times to ensure you do not say or do anything which might in some way, in some possible interpretation, break any of the many rules you lay down to combat what destroys our fun.
Life is contextual, dynamic, it flows, you cannot segment it. You cannot chop it up into little pieces, examine each fragment and on the basis of that fragment alone decide "good" vs "evil". So you cannot legislate life, doing so will kill it.
I understand you dont reply
I understand you dont reply to this, but I'll pitch in my opinion here anyway.
1. Sexism, racism, etc etc etc: the problem is not in the words that are used but the practices they sometimes refer to. By which I mean that one can use sexist/racist words (that is, words defined as racist/sexist by someone[s]) and be sexist/racist in practice (that is, act differently to people from different sexes and races and/or think people from a different sex or race should and/or do act differently from them because of their differing sex or race), or alternatively one can NOT use those words but still be sexist/racist in practice, or do use those words and NOT be sexist/racist in practice. What your policy accomplishes, at best, is that people no longer are overtly sexist/racist. You drive sexism/racism 'underground' (from the standpoint of ACU), i.e into places like the home, the kitchen, the workplace etc. Defeating sexism/racism, like defeating capitalism, has to do with defeating the PRACTICES that sustain them, not taking a big black marker and deleting the words that refer to them.
2. Explicit consent is ridiculous in alot of cases. "Can I kiss you?", how about just having a feel for the moment, looking for implicit signs and just being spontaneous? And, ofcourse, if you happen to be mistaken, apologise. Shit happens. And this does not just apply to kissing or even anything remotely having to do with sex or love or whatever; too often i see some people in 'your corner' responding ridiculously aggressive to any sign of spontaneity that might be interpreted as machismo or whatever; that is, any time any male at least, especially when heterosexual and white, does anything without.. well i'll admit this will be a gross exaggeration but this is the feeling I get.. first dropping to his knees and asking for formal permission. Really, I'm trying to engage constructively with 'your corner', but when I can no longer 'be myself' (and yes, please notify me of when, in your opinion, 'myself' is being sexist and/or racist, and if I agree I will change 'myself', and in most cases when it makes you uncomfortable i will stop it too, though please also accept that there are/will be circumstances in which you, just as there are circumstances where I, will have to 'get over' yourself/myself), then FUCK, you make ME uncomfortable! And who the fuck can i go to complain to then???
Give me a scene where there are no rules but just alot of people who care for each other and look out for each other, are not afraid to point at each other's faults but at the same time also understand, do not get defensive/aggressive when criticized but try to understand where the criticism comes from, and above all have a sense of humour and don't take everything TOO seriously. Life should be fun. It's already being, very often, made not fun at all, by sexism, racism, capitalism, etc. Now, please, do not, in the attempt to destroy what destroys our fun, make spontaneity and fun impossible because before doing anything or uttering any word you have to think not only twice, but three-four-five-six-seven-times to ensure you do not say or do anything which might in some way, in some possible interpretation, break any of the many rules you lay down to combat what destroys our fun.
Life is contextual, dynamic, it flows, you cannot segment it. You cannot chop it up into little pieces, examine each fragment and on the basis of that fragment alone decide "good" vs "evil". So you cannot legislate life, doing so will kill it.