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What you just wrote caused me a lot of discomfort and yet you chose to write it. Because in order to think and discuss we need to risk causing discomfort to oth
by poszlem 4y ago
What you just wrote caused me a lot of discomfort and yet you chose to write it. Because in order to think and discuss we need to risk causing discomfort to other people. I don't know what to tell you if that's not obvious to you.
- scubbo 4y agoIt's entirely obvious to me! As I wrote at greater length here[0] - I am not advocating for banning words! I am asking for a recognition that certain forms of speech have certain impacts on the listener, and that by using them you are signalling yourself as "someone who has made the choice that that form of speech is more important than the possible impact". I'm not saying "never take that risk", I'm saying "recognize that it exists, and factor it into your choice of speech". If using a particular slur is super-important to you, go ahead and use it! But don't pretend that people are unreasonable for then thinking of you as "someone who is comfortable using slurs" - because, by definition, that is what you have shown yourself to be. And those judgements lie on a continuum - and each person will be comfortable with existing at different points on that continuum. _This is not policing or enforcement_ - it's just how social signalling works. You choose how you want to be perceived. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33648904 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33648904