<p>"Cobrat, “Check your privilege,” is an expression used by the extreme college left and it has nothing to do with discourse. Geez, it means shut-up. "</p>
<p>Yes. Exactly. It doesn’t mean “you might not be aware, but there’s a different way to think about / approach this issue and I’m about to fill you in,” which is the appropriate way of raising someone’s consciousness. It is most decidedly “you’re uppity and I’m going to put you in your place, so shut the heck up.” </p>
<p>This thread makes me want to be involved in some gentrification.</p>
<p>“With the exception of those who identify as Tea Party themselves and their sympathizers…especially in my generation and his, to many others…that comparison means a fair number of classmates he’s encountered perceived his comments as being among the extreme fringe of right-wing US politics and the frequency and manner of voicing them to be highly obnoxious, demeaning, and in no way an exemplar of respectful discourse in polite company”.</p>
<p>Open your eyes, cobrat. People in the Tea Party and their sympathizers are huge in numbers, and no, they are not among the extreme fringe of right wing. The basis premise of Tea Partiers is pay off the dang debt, and stop spending and borrowing money from our children and grandchildren.</p>
<p>Now if you think that is highly obnoxious, then perhaps you would prefer, spend, spend into infinity and pile tons of debt on our children. Of course there are obnoxious and fringe types in every group but my God, is that really an obnoxious and demeaning premise?</p>
<p>I know, you have observed one person saying something rude, and a friend or cousin did. But really…wake up. Polls (inaccurate as they may be) consistently say at least 1/4 of people support the Tea Party. That’s a pretty big fringe group of impolite people. Really. </p>
<p>Some people take exception to the term and origin of the word “duh”. Shall we start down that path too?</p>
<p>^^ Someone has and is just waiting to take you down for it. You just have not talked to them yet. This stuff is as silly as it gets. 
</p>
<p>Duh is not a vulgarity. You should have stopped at appreciating learning that some other words are. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The problem is being associated with the Tea Party has taken on the negative connotations I’ve described with a large number of Americans outside of Tea Party folks and their political fellow travelers precisely because through their demonstrated actions they’ve become known for loud bellicose and sometimes politically incoherent protests* which would be considered far worse than telling someone “shut up” or “check your privilege” and for having prominent members and politicians make some statements so outrageous even the rest of the GOP have tried their best to distance themselves at times. </p>
<p>This connotation is especially strong among later Gen X and millennials…hence my tying his being compared with the Tea Party with the high likelihood the “Check your privilege” statements only came after the author repeatedly made his politics which closely identified with the Tea Party known in a frequent obnoxious bellicose manner. </p>
<p>I agree with Hunt that it is highly unlikely “Check your privilege” comments were made after making one utterance or that he did so innocently considering this factor. </p>
<ul>
<li>Signs with “Get government out of my Medicare/Social Security” as both ARE government run programs.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>Many people believe that the expression “duh” (like you used in your post) is mocking and demeaning to people with special needs. </p>
<p>The Tea Party seems to be no more extreme than the folks who customarily, in @Cobrat’s experience, used the ‘check your privilege’ smackdown:</p>
<p>
[quote]
I heard that phrase on occasion back in the '90s when I was an undergrad. However, it was limited to the extreme radical fringe even on a campus where most students were radically left-leaning politically and active and vocal about it.
[quote]
</p>
<p>But, the issue this thread points out no one has a clue what the person he is talking to thinks is vulgar or not. Based on this thread, it is supposedly impossible to flat-out state “duh” is not vulgar. Therein lies the idiocy of all this. No one knows anything about what the other person is deeming offensive. Gees, my shirt with a tiny American flag is now called offensive. At that point, how can any of this stuff be taken seriously?</p>
<p>If this thread continues to venture into the political arena, it’s gong to have a very short shelf life. </p>
<p>please provide evidence that “duh” is a vulgarity.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A key part of what prompted the author to write his article in a staunchly conservative political campus publication was driven by his dislike of being criticized for his political opinions and the manner in which he expressed them. </p>
<p>No evidence is needed that “duh” is a vulgarity. That is the point of this thread and the idiocy of all this. It all depends when someone decides that it is. This is why I do not pay attention to this stuff. </p>
<p>Hey, I had no evidence that “Where are you from?” was an offensive statement until I was told that a few weeks ago. There was no evidence provided there either; just a bunch of people deciding that the phrase is offensive. Pure silliness! </p>
<p>Cobrat,
You are well aware of the difference between talking about an article that had a political component, and actually discussing politics on this forum. </p>
<p>and this
is spot on. But alas, someone upthread took issue with the term “silly”. </p>
<p>I wish we had post numbers so I could cite exactly when this thread jumped the shark.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Absolutely not. His dislike was of the manner in which he was criticized.</p>
<p>It was yesterday sometime, EK
</p>
<p>
Then we should take care not to use that word around you, sax.</p>
<p>“Uppity”?! I was taught many years ago that the use of the word “uppity” was both racist and sexist, in that white men are never described as uppity, just as assertive men are never described as bossy… </p>
<p>This whole “check your privilege” idea seems to me to be the latest way of saying " aren’t you a rich b**** " (rude word for illegitimate child (if male) or dog (if female)), which is what people said when I was in high school.</p>