Reclaiming slur words

[polymoog]

Obviously there’s a history behind one word that just isn’t present behind the other. You’re smart enough to not need that exlained

theres an argument to be made that homosexuals over the centuries have put up with a lot more. should the 'f' word be off limits to non-homosexuals?

 

[Faker He-Man]

i dont agree with that. its either acceptable or not acceptable for everyone to say.

Words often have double standards though. My best friends and I tend to call each other names like dumbf*ck, dickwings, dipsh!t... the list goes on and on. If some random stranger overheard this they’re not gonna waltz up and join in the name calling are they? Hopefully they have decency and common sense to know it’s not socially acceptable. White people wanting license to use the word “nigga” is kinda like being a guest in someone’s house and thinking you can nap in their bed, take a shower, strip down to your underwear, plop on the couch, grab the TV remote and do whatever you please because “hey it’s not fair because they do the exact same things here all the time, so why can’t I do it too?”

 

[polymoog]

Words often have double standards though. My best friends and I tend to call each other names like dumbf*ck, dickwings, dipsh!t... the list goes on and on. If some random stranger overheard this they’re not gonna waltz up and join in the name calling are they? Hopefully they have decency and common sense to know it’s not socially acceptable. White people wanting license to use the word “nigga” is kinda like being a guest in someone’s house and thinking you can nap in their bed, take a shower, strip down to your underwear, plop on the couch, grab the TV remote and do whatever you please because “hey it’s not fair because they do the exact same things here all the time, so why can’t I do it too?”

i dont think that analogy applies.

where do we draw the line between something as untouchably exhalted as the n word and, say, the f word, which is apparently OK to use on this forum (although there is stronger recent pushback in the PC community to call it out) ... or the k word... when was it decided and who decides?

it boils down to either of these options: everyone should get to use it or no one gets to use it. no one getting to use it is censorship and anti-free speech.
i understand the socially acceptable angle, of course. thats the not the point. off-limit words and terms feeds our new outrage culture. no group should have a license on word use.

[in the very near future, the use of violent/hateful words will be against the law to the delight of the left. of course the law will encompass any hateful words that are terroristic towards the government.]

 

[Chara]

theres an argument to be made that homosexuals over the centuries have put up with a lot more. should the 'f' word be off limits to non-homosexuals?

I need to go to bed, because I was wondering why in the world only gay people should be allowed to say “fuck.” You meant the other bad word that starts with F.

 

[Faker He-Man]

i dont think that analogy applies.

where do we draw the line between something as untouchably exhalted as the n word and, say, the f word, which is apparently OK to use on this forum (although there is stronger recent pushback in the PC community to call it out) ... or the k word... when was it decided and who decides?

it boils down to either of these options: everyone should get to use it or no one gets to use it. no one getting to use it is censorship and anti-free speech.
i understand the socially acceptable angle, of course. thats the not the point. off-limit words and terms feeds our new outrage culture. no group should have a license on word use.

[in the very near future, the use of violent/hateful words will be against the law to the delight of the left. of course the law will encompass any hateful words that are terroristic towards the government.]

Everyone is aware of the connotations and history of such words. Like Joe Jackson sings in one of his songs “don’t call me a f****t unless you are a friend”. It’s definitely not okay with me. I think homophobia is repulsive.

The person who “decides” is the person who intentionally uses a word that is a known slur. Cmon polymoog. Duh. Figure it out. It’s nuanced but certainly not difficult to grasp.

Many people who talk about “free speech” but don’t even understand the constitution or the 1st amendment seem to fantasize that it grants them the privilege of using hateful language and never being called out for it.

 

[Faker He-Man]

i dont think that analogy applies.

Why not? Why do you want so badly to use a black person’s word as if it also belongs to you? It’s “not your house”, so put the word down. Leave it alone.

 

[KoncreteMind]

theres an argument to be made that homosexuals over the centuries have put up with a lot more. should the 'f' word be off limits to non-homosexuals?

The difference is that ones nationality is a state of existence while being homosexual denotes a behavior.

And even if we go with what you’re saying, they weren’t tormented with the “f word” like blacks were the “n word”. There’s barely a history behind gays being tormented by the f word.It really comes down to you wanting to be able to offend people. At least from where I stand

 

[Frank Badfinger]

 

[polymoog]

The person who “decides” is the person who intentionally uses a word that is a known slur. Cmon polymoog. Duh. Figure it out. It’s nuanced but certainly not difficult to grasp.

Many people who talk about “free speech” but don’t even understand the constitution or the 1st amendment seem to fantasize that it grants them the privilege of using hateful language and never being called out for it.

i never had any problem with people using more free speech to combat unpopular or disagreeable speech. if it becomes physical it is a different story.
but anyway, i dont want to derail the theme of this thread. slurs would lose all value and meaning if everyone used it. any given term would be worn out and dead.

 

[polymoog]

The difference is that ones nationality is a state of existence while being homosexual denotes a behavior.

And even if we go with what you’re saying, they weren’t tormented with the “f word” like blacks were the “n word”. There’s barely a history behind gays being tormented by the f word.It really comes down to you wanting to be able to offend people. At least from where I stand

a good point, but how much a race/sexuality/whatever was tormented in history is subjective. if a black guy from barbados relocates to the US and might not care about the n word, but a gay male who has experienced problems before might feel very strong about hearing the f word. so its really up to any one individual as to what is and what is not a slur. therefore, the n word should be at an equal standing as the f word.

no one should claim 'rights' over a word. i think thats ridiculous. this only leads to tension between groups.

in the west, we already have the freedom of speech to be insulting.

 

[Frank Badfinger]

I think George Carlin had it right when he did this bit on forbidden words. Yet, when I hear Richard Pryor talk about not using the N-word any longer - I get his point, but ultimately in the bigger picture, the suppression of words just gives those words more power and is form of fascism.

 

[KoncreteMind]

a good point, but how much a race/sexuality/whatever was tormented in history is subjective. if a black guy from barbados relocates to the US and might not care about the n word, but a gay male who has experienced problems before might feel very strong about hearing the f word. so its really up to any one individual as to what is and what is not a slur. therefore, the n word should be at an equal standing as the f word.

no one should claim 'rights' over a word. i think thats ridiculous. this only leads to tension between groups.

in the west, we already have the freedom of speech to be insulting.

Well you have to face reality. You’re in a multicultural society. So you’re going to have to walk around avoiding stepping on people’s toes. If you want to be what you rail against (PC) by saying all insults are the same then you can. But in reality, historical context adds a bit more sting to some insults than others

I would never expect Italians to allow me to converse with them the same way they converse among themselves. I’d never expect Mexicans to allow me to use terms of endearment they may use amongst themselves, in regards to them. I’d allow them to have their cultural colloquialisms amongst themselves without barging in on them. But that’s me because I understand that there’s insider stuff with all cultures

 

[Frank Badfinger]

Well you have to face reality. You’re in a multicultural society. So you’re going to have to walk around avoiding stepping on people’s toes. If you want to be what you rail against (PC) by saying all insults are the same then you can. But in reality, historical context adds a bit more sting to some insults than others

I would never expect Italians to allow me to converse with them the same way they converse among themselves. I’d never expect Mexicans to allow me to use terms of endearment they may use amongst themselves, in regards to them. I’d allow them to have their cultural colloquialisms amongst themselves without barging in on them. But that’s me because I understand that there’s insider stuff with all cultures

Well there was a time....

 

[morita]

Yet, when I hear Richard Pryor talk about not using the N-word any longer - I get his point, but ultimately in the bigger picture, the suppression of words just gives those words more power and is form of fascism.

says robert downey jr in black face...

 

[morita]

you used the 'f' word. why can you say the 'f' word and not the 'n' word? why does the 'n' word get special treatment? who is to say what is more hateful?

What a disingenuous argument. You know damn well I used that word to make a point. I wasn't making a statement on which word was more hateful than the other.

where do we draw the line between something as untouchably exhalted as the n word and, say, the f word, which is apparently OK to use on this forum (although there is stronger recent pushback in the PC community to call it out) ... or the k word... when was it decided and who decides?

Those words are born out of oppression. People who are oppressed and targeted are the ones who can choose if they want to reclaim it. You don't get to "choose" if you can use the word or not if you're not part of said oppressed group.

 

[polymoog]

What a disingenuous argument. You know damn well I used that word to make a point. I wasn't making a statement on which word was more hateful than the other.

well, would you have spelled out the n word? you spelled out the f word.

Those words are born out of oppression. People who are oppressed and targeted are the ones who can choose if they want to reclaim it. You don't get to "choose" if you can use the word or not if you're not part of said oppressed group.

words are just words until people give them power. if you want racial slurs to disappear, stop putting such big emphases and restrictions on them. if we stop making such a stink about slurs, they will lose all power. post #28 said it all.
PC culture, if left unchecked, will turn our everyday language into a linguistic straightjacket where any word could be offensive.

 

[morita]

It's not about puting restrictions on words but recognizing the history behind it. Unless you are sociopathic trash you can understand that. You don't have a say in how other groups are choosing to express themselves, especially as the oppressor. Stay in your lane.

PC culture, if left unchecked, will turn our everyday language into a linguistic straightjacket where any word could be offensive;

Aren't you the same dude that was offended by the words islamophobia and transphobia or smthg in another thread I made.

the left LOVES that phobia suffix.

a friend of mine lives in the city and is a DJ. during a break, one of his friends introduced him to a transgender female and she was getting a little frisky with him. he said gently that he wasnt into that and she immediately snapped that he was being transphobic for not going with her.

"phobia" is "fear of''. he wasnt scared of her-- he just wasnt interested in that. same crap with the "islamophobia" label.

 

[polymoog]

It's not about puting restrictions on words but recognizing the history behind it. Unless you are sociopathic trash you can understand that. You don't have a say in how other groups are choosing to express themselves, especially as the oppressor. Stay in your lane.

put your feelings aside. the history has nothing to do with this.

Aren't you the same dude that was offended by the words islamophobia and transphobia or smthg in another thread I made.

ive replied to a few of your posts, but ive never been offended by anything on the forum.


the black community gives that word supreme power by restricting its use and making a huge issue out of it. if black people permitted whites to use the n word and use it amongst themselves (including calling other whites the n word), the word would lose its venom and fizzles out. given enough time, when someone would say the n word, no one would know if they were referring to a white or black person.

its really not unlike what morgan freeman said about race.
"want to stop racism? stop talking about it." take away the power of it.

 

[morita]

"want to stop racism? stop talking about it." *facepalm*

 

[Robin]

"want to stop racism? stop talking about it." *facepalm*

Honestly, I think Morgan Freeman has a point. In rehashing differences based on race or sexual orientation or gender, all you're doing is deepening the divide between groups and constantly reminding people they are labels before human beings.