2w ago

The deer aren't crossing the road

Fuck Cars @lemmy.world

Oh yeah

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First, I'm not really complaining as much as explaining and my language hasn't been 'corrected'. It has merely, rather annoyingly, been censored by the decision of a single person thereby destroying any chance for someone else to come along and join the conversion. In my opinion that is extremely immature, especially coming from a moderator.
Second, and this is the point I've been trying to make, language is mired in situation and driven by intent when it crosses cultural bounds, almost never by social connotation (language is defined solely by small social circles, not by big ones like a bunch of random internet strangers that we all are). In this situation, my use of the word could never have been directed at anyone and my intention was always pretty clear. Avoiding the use of a word simply because it's not considered politically correct by some, especially when it's obvious the word is not being used to harm, is really dumb way to live life. Any one of us could simply invent a new word and give it the same harmful meaning, but that only matters if we all pretend it actually matters.
Third, trying to force someone to change how they interact and communicate with the world is absolutely a degradation of ones self-worth. This is not a kind or equal world if it dictates the words of others unless those words are directly used to harm or control. The big scary R word is not a slur unless it is being used as one (It's most definitely not here). Again, I could call someone a "Flargasnorgen" with the intention of hatred and anger and cause the same harm. It would likely require the use of several other supporting words to convey that meaning, does that then make all those other words big scary words that we can't say too?
Fourth, I never said I was being mature, I can be petty as fuck.
- OK, I'll explain this to you. Using the word as an insult means that it's a bad thing to be. For example, the word sinister refers to left-handed people (though so far removed that most don't know this). It was used to say something is evil, and in turn to call people who are left-handed evil. It was insulting to left-handed people by association.
  If, for example, I were to use blonde to refer negatively to someone, it'd imply that it's wrong to be blonde and blondes should be ashamed of who they are, right? Consider how you'd feel if we used a part of who you are as an insult. You wouldn't enjoy seeing it used probably, right? Hopefully you'd have some empathy and stop, but maybe that's too much to ask for.
  Acting like you're actually the one being oppressed is honestly hilarious while you insult a group of people.
  
  I was insulting deer ffs, people never even entered the equation
  
  So you can call deer the n word by that logic?
  
  They aren't likely to have any strong feelings on the matter
  
  But black people might. Do you really not see the problem of casually using slurs as insults?
  
  The vast majority of people are mature enough and intelligent enough to be capable of telling the basic ass difference between when a word is targeted towards them and when it is being used as nothing more than a simple word. Especially when that word is only ever used in reference to an animal literally incapable of even comprehending our social structure, let alone be offended by it. If you are offended by a word that is neither directed at you nor even contextually relevant to you, then you alone are choosing to bring that harm to yourself. It is not my responsibility or anyone else's to protect you from your own immaturity and choices.
  Being scared to say certain words just because in some contexts it is used to harm is fucking stupid and it does not solve a single, real problem. It creates a bunch of problems by annihilating productive conversations and distracting from real issues, such as when the word is actually weaponized and used to harm. I will die on my much more logical hill that I have NEVER used any of these scary words to cause any harm other than the harm that people like you invent to feel like you are fighting some injustice in the world. Grow the fuck up and put your energy toward solving legitimate problems like actual racism, or our disintegrating climate, or our rapidly diminishing civil rights, or maybe anything other than trying to policing the use of a word whose meaning will literally change in the next few years anyway.
  
  Really defending slurs now, huh
  You would've loved HP Lovecraft's cat, I'm sure
  
  I think we simply have differing definitions of what a slur actually is:
  An extremely offensive and socially unacceptable term targeted at a group of people (such as an ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.).
  I contend that I have targeted no one and therefore have not used a slur
  
  It's targeted at that group even when you apply it to someone who's not in that group. If a bunch of white people call each other the n word, is that acceptable for you? If someone goes through the streets yelling it, at no one in particular, is that okay? Intent and target does play a role, that's obvious, but they don't excuse the use in general.
  
  Did you even read the og comments? We were fucking talking about deer, this never needed to be anything more than that.
  If someone wants to yell the n-word up and down a public street, then yeah, it is entirely within their right to do so. They're probably gonna look like an annoying crackhead, but still. Now, if they were to direct that word towards someone with the intention of causing harm or use it in a loaded situation, then that would be an entirely different story. Skin colour really shouldn't have anything to do with any part of this, there is a solid argument to be made that race doesn't even exist (racism and all that very much do exist, but lets not go down this rabbit hole) and really shouldn't even be a factor when determining acceptability of something.

110 comments