Science Bitches! (on loan from Adam)
I heard this story today and it made me chuckle. I've been catching myself thinking about it and laughing all day.
A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon.
County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.
Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.
and the following takes place.
Other county officials quickly interceded to break it up and get the meeting back on track. TV news cameras were rolling, after all.
posted by Monticore @ 8:25 PM
6 Comments:
this idea comes up in my sociology class. while i realize that we're using a science term, and using it properly, but we should also realize that language not only conveys message, it also creates meaning, and can further stereotypes.
imagine if you're referred to as black. now think about:
black market
black plague
black friday (and any other day)
black sheep
not a good picture you're being associated with. which is also why many groups have attempted to "reclaim" terms, to change the power of the term to their own. for blacks, this happened with great significance beginning in the 60's with the black pride, black power movement. the phrase black is beautiful comes up @ this point.
think about that, the idea that black is beautiful didn't enter the mainstream culture until the 1960's!
so while i disagree with such a hullaballoo being made over the usage of the term black hole, i can also understand how people can feel a little touchy about terms. especially if they're in an environment that may already be perpetuating those ideas.
Damn I need speakers at work.
I guess the dude could have referred to the central collections department as a "gravitationally completely collapsed star".
adam,
can't you plug in your headphones to the computer?
I tried a couple months back and got nothing.
Wow. That's all I can say.
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