See, now, what YOU are doing is simply revealing that you think politically correct speech is always harmful, which negates any argument based on the merits or harm of this particular word; you'd disagree no matter WHAT word I targeted.
I DO think decontextualization is possible. I don't think the words "lame" and "dumb" make much sense as insults, because they mean other things to me; however, I think they ARE decontextualized in a way "retarded" is not.
I also explained in another post how I feel about typing other terms out. It squicks me, I don't like it, but I do so in a few places in this thread for effect. Elsewhere on the internet, or in discussions that are not about language and word privilege, I don't do so. This discussion IS about language and word privilege, which warrants the occasional use of a word that might be shocking. Why that particular minority? Because, to be perfectly honest, I've been a beneficiary of a substantial amount of white, middle class privilege all my life, and I simply don't KNOW the less common hate terms used for other racial minorities. I actually have no idea what words you're hiding behind those asterisks. They probably wouldn't make sense in context if I did.
That's not to say I don't know or associate with anyone who isn't white; I've just lived in a very white area my entire life, and I haven't witnessed much blatant racism against any ethnicity. I happen to know the hate terms used to degrade black people, because it's impossible not to. It's not impossible not to know the words used against Chicano, Pacific Islander, or various other non-white ethnicities with a less public (though no less damaging) history of oppression.
I did not tacitly endorse the replacement of retarded with that list of words. I don't like the use of several words on that list. I made clear that I do NOT agree with the use of the word retarded as a replacement for those words. That doesn't mean that I agree with the use of those words, and framing it as "replacement of retarded" indicates you feel that retarded is the appropriate word being replaced. If I felt retarded was an appropriate word, I wouldn't have made this thread.
I expressly endorsed the use of a thesaurus and the expansion of one's vocabulary. I later expressed my preference of catchall term, which is "sucky," or "stupid," which I DO feel is adequately decontextualized.
It's not about politically correct. It's about what I personally feel shows both a lack of vocabulary and a disrespect for people who were abused as a result of diagnosis using that word. Politically correct is the phrase people use to excuse themselves from showing respect for others. "I don't say that, I don't do politically correct." I don't give a crap if you like political correctness. I give a crap if you use THIS particular word, for THESE particular reasons.
Yes, you have a right to free speech, defend to the death your right to say it, blah, blah, blah. But I'm damn well going to exercise MY right to free speech to call you on your use of a term that, in my book, amounts to hate speech.
I DO think decontextualization is possible. I don't think the words "lame" and "dumb" make much sense as insults, because they mean other things to me; however, I think they ARE decontextualized in a way "retarded" is not.
I also explained in another post how I feel about typing other terms out. It squicks me, I don't like it, but I do so in a few places in this thread for effect. Elsewhere on the internet, or in discussions that are not about language and word privilege, I don't do so. This discussion IS about language and word privilege, which warrants the occasional use of a word that might be shocking. Why that particular minority? Because, to be perfectly honest, I've been a beneficiary of a substantial amount of white, middle class privilege all my life, and I simply don't KNOW the less common hate terms used for other racial minorities. I actually have no idea what words you're hiding behind those asterisks. They probably wouldn't make sense in context if I did.
That's not to say I don't know or associate with anyone who isn't white; I've just lived in a very white area my entire life, and I haven't witnessed much blatant racism against any ethnicity. I happen to know the hate terms used to degrade black people, because it's impossible not to. It's not impossible not to know the words used against Chicano, Pacific Islander, or various other non-white ethnicities with a less public (though no less damaging) history of oppression.
I did not tacitly endorse the replacement of retarded with that list of words. I don't like the use of several words on that list. I made clear that I do NOT agree with the use of the word retarded as a replacement for those words. That doesn't mean that I agree with the use of those words, and framing it as "replacement of retarded" indicates you feel that retarded is the appropriate word being replaced. If I felt retarded was an appropriate word, I wouldn't have made this thread.
I expressly endorsed the use of a thesaurus and the expansion of one's vocabulary. I later expressed my preference of catchall term, which is "sucky," or "stupid," which I DO feel is adequately decontextualized.
It's not about politically correct. It's about what I personally feel shows both a lack of vocabulary and a disrespect for people who were abused as a result of diagnosis using that word. Politically correct is the phrase people use to excuse themselves from showing respect for others. "I don't say that, I don't do politically correct." I don't give a crap if you like political correctness. I give a crap if you use THIS particular word, for THESE particular reasons.
Yes, you have a right to free speech, defend to the death your right to say it, blah, blah, blah. But I'm damn well going to exercise MY right to free speech to call you on your use of a term that, in my book, amounts to hate speech.
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