Watch Your Step

Don't be such a  ______  nazi! Insert word of your choice. Or not.

I'm taking a stand against the lowercase nazi. 

According to Dictionary.com  a Nazi is:
1: a member of the National Socialist German Workers' party of Germany ...officially abolished in 1945 at the conclusion of WorldWar II.
2. A person elsewhere who holds similar views
3. Sometimes Offensive (often lowercase ) a person who is fanatically dedicated to or seeks to control a specified activity, practice, etc.: a jazz nazi who disdains other forms of music; tobacco nazis trying to ban smoking.

I excerpt from Urban Dictionary their definition of grammar nazi:
b – One who attempts to persuade or force others to use proper grammar and spelling.
d – One who advocates linguistic clarity; 
e – One who corrects others' grammar; the spelling police. 

Linguistic clarity. I think that means using the best word to convey your meaning. Also using a word correctly. I don't need to list examples. I like it when auto-correct adds apostrophes fro me. We'll leave it at that. 

Sometimes Offensive (often lowercase ) Many people are easily offended. People who consider themselves pretty open minded are usually are easily offended by something. For myself I give comedy a pretty free rein. Jokes or comments that are crass and unfunny to me are still free to roam in my world. People are free to have all the hateful attitudes they want. If they have a newspaper, or blog or tv show about something that offends me, that's fine. I can choose not to read it or watch it.

But here's the thing. The ubiquitously casual use of the word nazi has been bugging me lately.  A lot. I winced the other day when I heard a probably very nice economist on NPR refer to himself as a "numbers nazi", or a "statistics nazi". Something of the kind. He used the word so casually, yet he would likely be horrified at Ann Coulter's recent use of the word "retard" (I consider myself fortunate that I had not heard of her prior to this incident.) She went on to insist that "retard" is in common usage to mean idiot, or something similar. She did not bow to the PC police. Personally I am offended by her idiocy. I've heard whining about the PC police for years. But I've been ignoring it.

If you are a person without any sensitivity to, or acceptance of any person who is different from you, and your limited experience, then I'm sure you are not reading this. But even those who consider themselves well-regarded by the PC police can slip. The PC police—and I use the term loosely—are a good thing. It is hard to keep up. When I was young the Civil Rights movement was in full swing, and I remember distinctly when "Colored People" became Black. At the time I found myself wondering when the N.A.A.C.P. was going to catch up. Then it seemed like the only socially acceptable thing to say was African American. Unless I am talking to someone who has already said African American to me I've stuck with Black. (I've checked and been told its ok.) Likewise with Latino and Hispanic. My most recent intelligence is that either is acceptable. I've also heard that many Native Americans prefer to be called Indians. Native American feels more respectful and I think Indians are people from India. But its not up to me. I don't actually know if anyone from India wants to be referred to as Indian, or something else. Currently I have heard "Asians" used to include anyone between the Middle East and Hawaii.

The line keeps moving, and it will keep moving. I have been corrected many times and I am never defensive about being corrected.  I always appreciate the update. When I was 20 I was told I should not say "girls" I should say "women". But women who were young in the '30s and '40s like calling themselves girls. And "gals". It makes them feel youthful. I remember when "bums" became "homeless people". I remember when mentally retarded meant a person with a mental handicap. Not an insult. But "retard" always was . People used "cripple"to refer to those who are physically handicapped. That word truly makes me wince. I think the line has moved past handicapped to disabled or person with a disability.  But everything with that wheelchair symbol still says handicapped. People of color is a useful umbrella term. But I have heard people say "Persons of Color" with such emphasis that it feels like they are correcting you in advance. I used to say third world country. I've been corrected to say "developing nation". People outside the "developed" world used to be referred to as "primitives".  Now they are "indigenous peoples". The word primitive is itself very useful. But not when you apply it to people. Especially when it makes it easier to believe that you are doing them a great favour by "civilising" them.

We all know that many taboo words or stereotypes are acceptable within that group—I can insult my mother, but you can't. Queer was vigorously taken  taken back. Fag. Don't you dare use that word. You will not ever call something faggy. I have been close to many gay men and used a word loosely in that context, but that was a while ago. You will not use faggy when you mean un-manly. Now I hear "wussy" used a lot. A whole lot. I recently noticed that I use it too, and when I stopped to think about it I was horrified. It is too easy to pick up the speech habits of people around you. Wussy. I believe its meant to be a slightly less offensive way of calling someone a pussy. Shit. I have probably used it on myself when I admit to backing off something challenging. "I was such a wuss about that".

I have never and would never call someone a pussy. That implies being weak, unmanly, timid, girly. We know this. We know when we imply a male person is exhibiting any female characteristics we mean that as an insult. We know that men in a group do this as good natured ribbing all the time. We know they will continue to. But I should know better. 

Today I am here to ask the PC police—where are you when I need you?—to move that line again. Why is it okay bandy nazi around so lightly? Do we all need to remind ourselves about the six million Jews? And the Gypsies, homosexuals, and anyone else they didn't like. When you say soup nazi or grammar nazi, what you really mean is "martinet". Look it up. Ok, I'll save you the time. Here Merriam-Webster.com is a model of clarity.Martinet

1: a strict disciplinarian
2: a person who stresses a rigid adherence to the details of forms and methods


Shall I say it again? Martinet. You have been using the word nazi when you mean strict and rigid. It's not ok. I realize martinet doesn't roll of the tongue as easily. Nazi is an easy verbal shorthand. Just because Seinfeld is Jewish and he stared the whole soup nazi thing doesn't make it ok. I'm sure he got plenty of flack, but it was comedy. And it was funny. Soup martinet is not funny. And there is no joke left if you have to stop and explain what martinet means. Is it funny to call someone a slave-driver? Your boss is so mean, he's such a slave-driver. Ha, ha, ha. I'm sure your African American friend thinks that's just hilarious. I haven't heard anyone say that in a very long time. I hope that's because the PC police have pushed it out of bounds. Using a reference to our shameful and horrific history of slavery is not ok. Outside of the S&M/B&D world calling someone a slave is off limits.


Be a tyrant, be a dictator, be a bully. All of these are despicable, but are also non-specific. There is no capitol g geek. I can call myself a diamond geek, and you can tell me how geeky you are about anything to are devotedly interested in. No one minds. The geek flags proudly fly. 

Nazi is not generic. In a very specific place and time there were people who called themselves Nazis. Capitol N. Lowercase n doesn't belong in our everyday vernacular. Because being strict or rigid about something doesn't make you a Nazi. Being a Nazi makes you a Nazi. And there aren't any more left. Neo-Nazis are not relevant here.  And I prefer not to think about them.

A little while ago one of the monkeys was whining about something. I told him not to be so lame. What I should have said was, be a mensch.

Angry white guys aren't enough anymore

Republican strategists are admitting that they need to figure how how to get more Latino and Asian votes. Republicans Review Election Results For Insight : NPR

After sifting through the rubble the republicans have had to face cold reality. There aren't quite enough angry white voters to elect an uber-rich white guy who panders to extremists. The demographics are changing and all those nice racist people who think Obama is a muslim socialist out to destroy their way of life are terrified of being in the minority. The aren't the minority yet, but they are shrinking significantly. Bill O'Reilly said, "It's not traditional America anymore." Remind me please Bill, when was that?

Is the problem that everyone who used to be treated like dirt isn't fair game anymore? From the beginning the French had their own colonies in North America, and they weren't going to be pushed out like the Native Americans. Your "traditional Americans" were stuck with the French, so you looked the other way and they kept to themselves. But still you got to marginalize and despise the ex-slaves and the Chinese who worked like slaves. The Germans weren't so bad because they made beer. Then the Irish came and they were for a time considered lower than Blacks. Yes. Let me repeat that. There was a time in American history when Blacks were held in higher regard than the Irish. (Amazing right? Those are your people Bill. I'm sure you remember when JFK got elected it was a huge deal that he was the first Catholic to become president.)  But at first the big crime of the Irish was being dirt poor and Catholic. One could be any kind of protestant, but Catholicism might as well have been voodoo.

And if the Irish weren't bad enough, then came those pushy Italians. More weird, freaky Catholics and they smelled like garlic! By the beginning of the last century most of Europe started pouring in. That was a mess because they were all white. You couldn't tell them apart anymore!  They could change their names and act like everyone else. Jews were here from the very beginning, but they kept a pretty low profile until a ton of them arrived with all those other Europeans.

You thought it was bad then, but as long all those weird foreigners mostly kept to themselves—and did the jobs nobody else wanted— it was tolerable. In Brooklyn, and everywhere in New York City there are still Italian neighborhoods, Irish, Polish, Latvian, Hungarian, Jewish, Russian neighborhoods, and just about anyone else you can think of. But they are okay now, because at least they are all white.

I'm not going to get into the Civil Rights movement here, but even after they won the right to use the same water fountains, you still didn't have to let Blacks live on your block. You still had your whites only country clubs even though you weren't supposed to admit it, and we all knew that also meant no Jews.

But now it's the 21st century, and not enough people are white anymore. Its not that there aren't enough white people, its that not enough people are white. While some of you were getting richer and richer—and climbing on the backs of any white people unfortunate enough to be poor—something else happened. The Latinos started to vote. It was fine when they were just doing the grunt work. They took the lowest paying jobs that even the poorest white people wouldn't do. You could pay them as little as you wanted, because they had no green cards, and therefore no rights. But those people, instead of just being grateful you let them work here, did something under-handed. They made babies. That's right, all those Latinos started out-breeding you. And guess what? All those babies born here were legal US citizens, and they all grew up with the right to vote. Uh oh.

At first it wasn't critical. Many Latinos are very religious. You got their vote with your anti-abortion hook. But you can only treat people like shit for so long. Some people can see the bigger picture, and won't vote just on one issue. Maybe some of you noticed, it's pretty tricky to get the scared white vote and the Latino vote too. You can't kid yourselves. Even Romney couldn't dance around enough to pull that off.

If you haven't figured it out already, you've got another problem with non-whites. More people of color have arrived, and they are still coming. It's plain they aren't white, but its so confusing because they aren't all starting at the bottom anymore. This lot came to join the middle class, and they are jumping right in. You weren't concerned with the "Asian" vote when it was just some East and West coast Chinatowns. But more and more well educated people are coming here from Asia and the Middle East. Their numbers are growing and you are screwed because a lot of them are bringing religions you've never even heard of.

True, some of the newest wave of American immigrants are rich enough to vote with you. Ironically, I think you can take credit for that. When you moved all those blue collar jobs over to India and China, some of them got stinking rich just like you. But no matter how much you suck up to your new rich friends, you are still the one percent.

We can outnumber you. And we can out vote you. We just have to get enough of us to pay attention. You have been brilliant at the slight of hand. I've watched you win for years by riling up white fear. You will continue to succeed in the white states and cities and towns where your magical powers are most effective. The most passionate members of the tea party are the most frightened about their imminent loss of control.

On November 6 you got all the white votes you could. One of you even admitted that. You have that strong base of white males, but they aren't enough. You let the extremists take over your party. You scared off too many of the centrist republicans. Once upon a time there were nice republicans, and mean Democrats. That is to say fiscally conservative/socially liberal republicans AND fiscally liberal/socially conservative Democrats. Those guys could jiggle things around a bit and compromise enough to get stuff done now and then.

Too bad that's not what you meant when you said "Traditional America". I'd like that one back please.