4 ms·
I've been at the receiving end of stuff like that. Here's how it works. If the phrase is meant to make the recipient feel like a target, or feel inferior, and i
by stcredzero 5y ago
I've been at the receiving end of stuff like that. Here's how it works. If the phrase is meant to make the recipient feel like a target, or feel inferior, and it does, then it's a slur. It's highly contextual.
If you peel things back a layer, it's all about someone being made "other." This is why some people in 2021 who tell themselves they are standing against racism read just like the racists who bashed me when I was young: They are the ones self-righteously justified in demoting someone from full human status. Yes, racists often convince themselves they are making the world a better place! It's that aspect that's key!
One doesn't fight othering by targeting a fellow human being as "other." One doesn't fight hate by promulgating more hate. The right side of history is about empathy, compassion, and convincing. The wrong side tries to disguise the opposite of the above as compassion.
- beaconstudios 5y agoYeah obviously offense is derived in part from intent as well as historical and current cultural usage. I don't think anyone is shouting "damned Jerry!" while spitting at Germans in the street though. There are plenty of words in the world that are used that way, that we should be concerned about and avoid using (and criticise/educate others for using, depending on usage). At the end of the day it all comes back to "don't abuse people".
- stcredzero 5y agoKeep this in mind, if you see people abusing others in pursuit of political goals.
- folli 5y agoIn the context of 1930, you would expect that any such name for the Germans would tick most of those boxes. However, "Jerry" still doesn't feel like a slur.
- stcredzero 5y agoI'm not talking about the omniscient, timeless textual context. I'm talking about the people when the slur is being spoken and heard, and the community in which they live.