cmfaltz@phoenix.princeton.edu (Christine Marie Faltz) (04/20/91)
Index Number: 15048 I am relatively new to this news group, and I may be reopening an issue without knowing it, but I would appreciate responses. I am ot happy with the names "blinklink" or "blinktalk" since I have, along with most of my blind friends (and enemies!) always viewed "blink" as a pejorative term, analogous to "nigger" for African-Americans or "kike" for Jews. Such terms offend me to a great extent. The names of the cmoputer nets are not the real problem; I can accept it, with a little trouble. But I have been noticing that many of the blind members of the conference use the word "blink" interchangeably with "blind people," "blind person/man/woman/child". I find this offensive, insulting,--and, if anyone does, orhas, argued that it is a "bonding" word,--I feel it is infantile. We share enough negativity; let's respect each other enough to beproud of what we are--people who justhappen to be blind. There is no reason to hide behind a cute, colloquial term that offends many people. I am a blind person--a capable, independent, attractive, intelligent blind person. I am not a "blink" any more than I am a broad. Christine Please excuse the typos; I'm being called to the phone! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Poor is the person | Christine Faltz | | whose permission | 33 Prospect Ave. | | depends upon the | Princeton, NJ 08540 | | perceptions of others. | "Who is John Galt?" | -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul.Guido@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Paul Guido) (05/04/91)
Index Number: 15366
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
CM> I am relatively new to this news group, and I may be
CM> reopening an issue without knowing it, but I would appreciate
CM> responses. I am ot happy with the names "blinklink" or
CM> "blinktalk" since I have, along with most of my blind friends
CM> (and enemies!) always viewed "blink" as a pejorative term,
in response i view blink as a priveledge or as a statis symbol. to say
i am a blink makes me proud to say it. not many people can say that.
after you have been on here awhile you'll see what i mean and understand
what i'm saying. maybe others feel different about this but thats my
view. oh, by the way welcome to blinklink.
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Paul.Guido
Internet: Paul.Guido@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.orgWilliam.Wilson@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (William Wilson) (05/04/91)
Index Number: 15375
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
To: cmfaltz@phoenix.princeton.edu (Christine Marie Faltz)
CM> I am relatively new to this news group, and I may be
CM> reopening an issue without knowing it, but I would
CM> appreciate responses. I am ot happy with the names "blinklink"
CM> or "blinktalk" since I have, along with most of my blind
CM> friends (and enemies!) always viewed "blink" as a pejorative
CM> term, analogous to "nigger" for African-Americans or "kike"
CM> for Jews. Such terms offend me to a great extent.
Christine Mary,
Unfortunately, not only are you new to the newsgroup, you are seeing
but a fraction of the messages that appear on this side of the FidoNet
gate to your network, and indeed it may be a bit difficult for me to
explain how we are using the term blink over here! I can, however,
assure you that we have discussed this in the past, and even those who
are uncomfortable with the term agreed that its use here is something
special, and few, if any of them, are angered by our use of it!
I don't want to prolong this any further than necessary, but I do
have to point out something that was obvious to me from day one, and
thus my use of the name BlinkLink for my board and BlinkTalk for the
echo.
Bo out on the street and call anyone a Kike or a
Nigger, and you're going to get a response! This response is going to
get you in trouble, as these are universally accepted as pejorative
terms as you said.
Go out and call anyone a blink, and you will get most likely 1 of 2
reactions, a quizical look wondering what the heck you are talking
about, or a laugh as they will think you are making fun!
Christine Mary, not only do most sighted people have no idea that
some people see blink as a negative term, very few adventitiously
blinded people know of its use that way till they run into someone who
was educated in a resident school for blind children whotells them! You're
comparison to the terms Nigger and Kike is so far from reality I
can hardly take it seriously!When I first set up BlinkLink, of
the hundreds of people in Pittsburgh who call the boards and the dozens
of sysops in the net, only 2 others even had any idea why I called it
BlinkLink, and needless to say, both of them are blinks, right Gary and
Stu?
Christine Mary, when I first learned about the use of the word
blink as a negative term for blind people by a girl who had been taught
its negative tone while a little girl at a residential school, I
decided it was ridiculous! The fact that such a term could bring anger
or hurt to a blind person and yet mean nothing but a wink of the eye to
most of the world seemed ludicrous to me, and it still does.
So then, here's where we stand...assuming you want to hang onto
your view of the word blink as a pejorative term, you have to go out and
teach about 99% of the world that this is the case.
I, on the other hand, only have to convince about 1% of the world
that it isn't a negative term.
Christine Mary, I have one heck of a head start on you, and with
every new participant in BlinkTalk and caller to my board I get one step
closer to my goal!
Willie
... BlinkTalk, Dr. Deb and Silver in Pittsburgh!
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!William.Wilson
Internet: William.Wilson@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.orgDavid.Andrews@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Andrews) (05/06/91)
Index Number: 15417
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
To: cmfaltz@phoenix.princeton.edu (Christine Marie Faltz)
CM> I am relatively new to this news group, and I may be
CM> reopening an issue without knowing it, but I would
CM> appreciate responses. I am ot happy with the names "blinklink"
CM> or "blinktalk" since I have, along with most of my blind
CM> friends (and enemies!) always viewed "blink" as a pejorative
CM> term, analogous to "nigger" for African-Americans or "kike"
CM> for Jews. Such terms offend me to a great extent.
CM> The names of the cmoputer nets are not the real
CM> problem; I can accept it, with a little trouble. But I have
CM> been noticing that many of the blind members of the conference
CM> use the word "blink" interchangeably with "blind people,"
CM> "blind person/man/woman/child". I find this offensive,
CM> insulting,--and, if anyone does, orhas, argued that it is a
CM> "bonding" word,--I feel it is infantile. We share enough
CM> negativity; let's respect each other enough to beproud of what
CM> we are--people who justhappen to be blind. There is no reason
CM> to hide behind a cute, colloquial term that offends many
CM> people. I am a blind person--a capable, independent,
CM> attractive, intelligent blind person. I am not a "blink" any
CM> more than I am a broad.
Christine, Yes, this has come up before and you are in the
minority. I agree with you 100 percent and you have articulated it
much better than I did a couple years ago when I first brought it
up. We are however in the minority and this is one I don't see
changing unfortunately. Many people will say that you lack a sense
of humor, and you are over sensative. They have also said in the
past that it is okay because it is just between us "blinks." Well,
this thing goes out all over the world and is the image we want to
portray?
... David Andrews
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!David.Andrews
Internet: David.Andrews@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.orgcmfaltz@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Christine Marie Faltz) (05/10/91)
Index Number: 15475 To: William Wilson Apparently not all that good of a head start, as you do not see the corollaries to your arguments. First of all, as you say, most people do not know of the term 'blink'. Therefore, it is much easier to get it out of the language as referring to persons who are blind, rather than have to attempt the ridiculous task of telling many people about something they already don't know. On the other hand, if blind people beginusing the word frequently to refer to one another, it will gradually gain popularity, and will become as common as other terms. Are you people so ashamed of calling yourselves "blind" that you'll accept another word from the English language, which apparently has no meaningful tenets. It is just as ridiculous, people could argue, for a black person to continue to be offended by the word 'nigger' as it is for anyone to be offended by the word 'blink' if you want to use that line of reasoning, since 'nigger' simply means 'worker'. not 'slave' or 'subhuman'. Just 'worker'. Never fear. I'm catching up more than rapidly. Christine
cmfaltz@phoenix.princeton.edu (Christine Marie Faltz) (05/13/91)
Index Number: 15540 Although I have already replied to you, William, I would like to repeat some of my arguments, along with some others. First of all, the very fact that I, MANY blind people I know, and that blind girl you soke of in your letter know of "blink" as a pejorative is quite enough for me. The more persons who are blind use another word when referring to one another the greater the chance that it will become popular. I seek to stop it before that happens. "Blink" does not only denote a 'wink of the ey. According to the 17th Collegiate Dictionary, (Webster's), and according to those who are using the phrase, "on the blink" meand "in or into a disabled or useless condition." Now, there's just the word to start a whole mess of vicious new negative metaphors and connotations. In addition, you underestimate the number of people who know of the word 'blink'. Justlast night, I watched a 1989 film, Miami Blues, that had a blind man in it for a bit part. In the credits, instead of listing him as "blind man," he was listed as "Blink Willie." Apparently, your head start has kept you unaware of the fact that sighted people do indeed know of the word in referring to the blind. Are there blind folks out there who are so ashamed of their visual impairment that they seek to hide its name behind a word which is not as meaningless as you wish to pretend it is? If the blind use the word among themselves, that is all well and good. However, I believe we should try hard to keep it that way. Considering many people read these articles--blind and otherwise--I would suggest we keep it to a minimum. Is itnecessary to use the word when referring to ourselves and others who share blindness? I don't think so. I do not plan to use it ever again after this article (unless I am called upon to do so by its rising popularity). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Poor is the person | Christine Faltz | | whose permission | 33 Prospect Ave. | | depends upon the | Princeton, NJ 08540 | | perceptions of others. | "Who is John Galt?" | -------------------------------------------------------------------------
mgflax@bathe.princeton.edu (Marshall G. Flax) (05/13/91)
Index Number: 15545 [Standard Disclaimer: Not only am I not blind, but I'm not even disabled.] Language is powerful. It can hurt people or help people. But before I talk about the word 'blink', let me restate a question proposed by the anthropologist Gregory Bateson: Suppose a parent habitually rewards a child with ice-cream after the child finishes his/her spinach. Under what conditions will the child come to: (a) love or hate spinach; (b) love or hate ice-cream; (c) love or hate the parent? Bateson's answer is that one must look at the context of actions (and words) to discover their meaning. Looking at the contexts in which words like 'blink', 'bitch', and 'nigger' developed should give us insight into how they are very different, and also very much the same. 'Blink' is different from 'bitch' and 'nigger' in that the hate imparted by the latter two words is readily apparent, while the hate imparted by 'blink' is concealed and sureptitious. 'Bitch' is different from 'blink' and 'nigger' in that it is used to attack women for trying to escape the cages we construct for them, while 'blink' and 'nigger' mock the blind and black people who remain in subordinate positions. 'Nigger' is different from 'blink' and 'bitch' in that it asserts that the object has no possibilility of becoming human, while 'blink' and 'bitch' assert that the victim is merely a deformed, abnormal human. Still, it is a worthy effort to try to destroy the simultaneously malicious and paternalistic connotations of these words. Reappriation of hate speech is possible. The gay rights movement has made 'queer' a badge of pride. But that reappropriation was only possible because its gay, lesbian, and bi users consciously reveled in the violation of societal mores. Reappropriation is only possible when the word one wishes to appropriate has already been completely taken over by society. Perhaps I can make my argument clearer. Reappropriation of hate speech relies upon clarity, and the word 'blink' lies within at least two muddles. The first muddle is the empirical fact that most 'sighties' don't know the word, and those that do don't know whether it is a word with a history to be rebelled against or a word without any past misuses. The second, and far more important, muddle is that this attempt to be 'cute' when describing blind people is not at all new. Cuteness has been an integral part of the relentless custodialism and paternalism that has stifled blind people for centuries. It has been a smokescreen for that oppression, and a tool thereof. People use cuteness to disguise and hide their discomfort when working with the blind, discomfort that has its origins in predujice and irrational fear. Gays and lesbians wear pink triangles with pride to take-back the patches that the Nazi's forced them to wear in concentration camps. But they also wear them to avoid forgetting that the Nazi's forced them to wear them in concentration camps. I do not see how words can be reappropriated in a vacuum; if cuteness and infantilization were used as tools to hurt the blind, then I do not see how the words can be reappropriated without keeping in mind their context. In summary, remaking a word requires clarity: a clear sense of the 'old' and 'new' senses of the word, and a clear change from the oppressors' initiation of use of the word to the oppressed' initiation of the new sense of the word. My first point is that the public at large lacks the first, and the blind movement lacks the second. marshall /****************************************************************************/ /* Marshall Gene Flax '89 (609)258-6739 mgflax@phoenix.Princeton.EDU */ /* c/o Jack Gelfand|Psychology Dept|Princeton University|Princeton NJ 08544 */ /****************************************************************************/
Susan.Goldfield@p0.f1089.n261.z1.fidonet.org (Susan Goldfield) (05/31/91)
Index Number: 15911
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
Christine, I see your point, but doesn't the meaning of a word or
phrase often depend on the social structure of a group? You mentioned
several points about the offense of using the term blink and I wanted
to get a better sense of your position as well as stick in my three
cents worth(increase due to inflation-grin
You used the term "nigger". I personally take great offense
to this word. It encompasses everything that is ugly and hateful to
me. Yet, no matter what the literal definition of the word, I have
heard young black men on the subway affectionately calling one another
by this slang word. Yes, I do feel uncomfortable with this word, because
it meant more than just slave, but I do know that young people today
use this word in a different meaning.
The word "blink" as far as I know, was created by blind people
to be used amongst one another in an affectionate way. "Blink" was
not a word designed by sighted people to humiliate orr hurt blind
people, just to "lighten up" I suppose. I don't feel the people who
use the word "blink"feel any shame in their blindness, anyone who
".
hangs around this echo for awhile can clearly see that. There is pride
and a wonderful feeling of self-worth here.
I guess I just felt your message was instigating arguement
instead of discussion. I am interested in yourr opinion and I value
any discussion you would like to have about this topic or others.
Thanks for taking the time to make it through this long message. Take
care.......Susan Goldfield
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!261!1089.0!Susan.Goldfield
Internet: Susan.Goldfield@p0.f1089.n261.z1.fidonet.org