Re 718: I am the 4-point counter argument anon. I saw a few comments and reblogs and wanted to say my final thoughts. Feel free to not publish :-)
I cannot speak for everyone who feels that Spock is unfairly targeted by McCoy. I can only speak for myself as a minority, who is “an only one of a kind” surrounded by majority, just like Spock is. I experience what Spock experiences from otherwise well meaning, intelligent, caring people in my life.
As I see it, we are not judging the writers who wrote this during the 60s. We understand that those were different times and that we have progressed since then. We are judging the characters on the screen as they are but using today’s standards. By today’s standards, I hope that we see that McCoy is exhibiting behaviors that are racist in nature. Just as by today’s standards, we see almost everyone in TOS has sexist behavior. Including Spock. I adore Spock, but if someone were to point out the way he has behaved towards females in canon, I would have to accept that yes, his behavior is awful and sexist.
I ask the same thing from those who are defending McCoy - Are you willing to consider the possibility that he as a white human male, in a position of authority ( highest authority actually because he can overrule Jim), in a ship full of humans, behaves towards the only non-human in a way that can be seen as racist?
McCoy represents the oppressors. And as such he bears the responsibility to self-examine. Just as any male today must listen to any female who is expressing the discomfort of being harassed. Just as any white today must listen to a poc who is not feeling respected and treated fairly. If they don’t, they perpetuate the wrongdoings of their predecessors. It is the responsibility of the historically privileged class to bear because otherwise we cannot heal as a species and move forward.
Spock is a character, whether you like it or not, represents a huge variety of minorities who have historically been marginalized - he is dear to those who are autistic, poc, asexual, biracial, immigrant, gay, and so on.
McCoy’s insults towards Spock hurt many of these identities above. So, in closing, I ask you to pause and consider and listen to those of us who are expressing our pain. I, in turn, promise that next time someone throws a micro agreement at me, I will give them the benefit of doubt and see them through the McCoy lens.
We are the star trek fandom after all. We believe in a better, just, fair, hopeful future. LLAP.
This response is ok to go but I'd like to point out that McCoy being in a position of authority over Kirk and Spock is mostly incorrect. CMOs have medical authority over superior officers, meaning this authority can be imposed only if it concerns the medical sphere and nothing else. A CMO cannot overrule a Captain or any other superior officer unless they believe that not doing so would endanger their safety and/or that of the crew, and even then only after scrupulous examination, as we see in The Doomsday Machine.
Hierarchically, Spock has authority over McCoy, as seen in The Empath where McCoy sedating Kirk almost gives Spock the chance to take control of the situation as he's second in command, and only McCoy sedating him too stops him. These, as much as they are a heartbreaking sacrifice dictated by friendship, are nonetheless two act of insubordination.
McCoy uses speciesist language against Spock who is his superior officer and a member of a minority on Earth and inside the Enterprise, and who in turn often uses speciesist language himself (and actually uses such language with human officers of rank inferior to his, unlike McCoy) only more suavely and less irritably, which is a big reason why it's often written off as funny.
Personally, I mostly find it all rather silly and a fun dynamic between the two but I also recognize and understand anyone who observes and comments on the race analogies.
