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“Slur” is a matter of intent by the user. It fits.
by mikeash 8y ago
“Slur” is a matter of intent by the user. It fits.
- leesalminen 8y agoRight, because I just said I had never heard of anyone being offended by the term that is frequently used on broadcast television. Perhaps we should contact the FCC and let them know epithets and slurs are being used on TV with alarming frequency?
- mikeash 8y agoThe meaning of the word has nothing to do with successfully offending the target, and I’m pretty sure the FCC doesn’t have any general rule against slurs. And yes, it sees a lot of use. A testament to the effectiveness of the Republican propaganda machine.
- fwip 8y agoNo, it doesn't. Saying that somebody is "a rude boy" doesn't make "rude" a slur.
- mikeash 8y ago“an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo” Pretty sure it does!
- fwip 8y agoWords have meaning not captured in one line of a dictionary definition. If you're compiling a list of slurs, do "rude" and "Democrat" come to mind first? Or is it words that you might put asterisks in?
- daveFNbuck 8y agoYou're thinking of the more specific terms "racial slur" or "ethnic slur" and not the generic word "slur".
- leesalminen 8y agoSo now any word that someone dislikes is a slur and must be banished from our vocabulary? We’re doomed.
- daveFNbuck 8y agoNo one is saying you have to remove slurs from your vocabulary. You should just limit the use of insulting language to when you intend to insult people. Feel free to use "Democrat party" when your intention is to be insulting. When you aren't trying to be insulting, that phrase is poor communication.
- mikeash 8y agoAs someone who seemed to be trying to make a point independent of either party, I thought you might appreciate knowing that you were, presumably inadvertently, using a term coined by one of them to attack the other. I guess not. Use whatever words you like, just be aware of what they’ll convey.