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Having such a huge attack surface is the problem. If there is a word that can freeze you and ruin your day, someone is going to jump over that eventually. Word

Having such a huge attack surface is the problem. If there is a word that can freeze you and ruin your day, someone is going to jump over that eventually. Words should make you laugh, especially when uttered by someone clearly inferior.

kelukelugames 12y ago
You sound like one of my co workers. "This doesn't offend me. I don't understand why it should bother you."
- guard-of-terra 12y ago
  If something may offend you, it will. There are a lot of people around who would like to hurt you for cheap - and they're not going away.
  - kelukelugames 12y ago
    >Words should make you laugh, especially when uttered by someone clearly inferior. If all women adopt this mentality then catcalling will no longer be an issue!
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  - eksith 12y ago
    There's offense and then there's denying one's humanity. That word represents the later which elicits a far more harsh response than mere offense. I'm sorry you can't see the difference.
    - guard-of-terra 12y ago
      That's for you. For the offenders these words are as cheap as any other. They just got a good weapon on you.
- deleted 12y ago
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- deleted 12y ago
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- AnimalMuppet 12y ago
  I go two ways on this. Yes, it's offensive. Stronger: It's morally wrong. It should bother not just you; it should bother everyone. It's not OK, it's not acceptable, and it should not be accepted by anyone. But I don't think that was guard-of-terra's point. His/her point, as I understand it, was that it's unfortunately all over the place, and you're going to run into it. How are you, personally, going to respond to it? If you're going to try to fight every battle that comes your way, you're going to be miserable, exhausted, and probably depressed. That's no way to live. For your own sake, for your own ability to function, you need to be able to just shrug it off sometimes - or, even better, laugh at it, as guard-of-terra said.
- deleted 12y ago
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pessimizer 12y ago
For a child being called nigger in the street in broad daylight, laughing at the word is only a good strategy if you soon want to be laughing at a fist or a boot. It's not the word, it's that the word is a challenge, and a threat. "Do something about it" is what a stranger calling you a nigger is saying. You're falling into an easy trap of thinking that the word "nigger" means something, and that this something is damaging the pride of the recipient.
- guard-of-terra 12y ago
  Whoa, if you expect instant violence on the street, name-calling is the least of your problems.
Hytosys 12y ago
You're right, black people shouldn't be so sensitive. Also, women shouldn't wear skimpy clothing because it attracts rape. That's the real problem. In your child post: > There are a lot of people around who would like to hurt you for cheap - and they're not going away. The idea here is that said people should go away. I'd imagine that analogous things were said in the years just before abolition of slavery: "it's just the way things are." You're bound to be on the wrong side of history with this attitude.
- guard-of-terra 12y ago
  Okay. How are you going to make said people go away? They don't read HN and they don't read such articles either. My take: stop catching their bait; ridicule them back; level the playing field to stop nurturing stereotypes.

kelukelugames 12y ago

You sound like one of my co workers. "This doesn't offend me. I don't understand why it should bother you."

guard-of-terra 12y ago
If something may offend you, it will. There are a lot of people around who would like to hurt you for cheap - and they're not going away.
- kelukelugames 12y ago
  >Words should make you laugh, especially when uttered by someone clearly inferior. If all women adopt this mentality then catcalling will no longer be an issue!
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- eksith 12y ago
  There's offense and then there's denying one's humanity. That word represents the later which elicits a far more harsh response than mere offense. I'm sorry you can't see the difference.
  - guard-of-terra 12y ago
    That's for you. For the offenders these words are as cheap as any other. They just got a good weapon on you.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
AnimalMuppet 12y ago
I go two ways on this. Yes, it's offensive. Stronger: It's morally wrong. It should bother not just you; it should bother everyone. It's not OK, it's not acceptable, and it should not be accepted by anyone. But I don't think that was guard-of-terra's point. His/her point, as I understand it, was that it's unfortunately all over the place, and you're going to run into it. How are you, personally, going to respond to it? If you're going to try to fight every battle that comes your way, you're going to be miserable, exhausted, and probably depressed. That's no way to live. For your own sake, for your own ability to function, you need to be able to just shrug it off sometimes - or, even better, laugh at it, as guard-of-terra said.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

pessimizer 12y ago

For a child being called nigger in the street in broad daylight, laughing at the word is only a good strategy if you soon want to be laughing at a fist or a boot. It's not the word, it's that the word is a challenge, and a threat. "Do something about it" is what a stranger calling you a nigger is saying. You're falling into an easy trap of thinking that the word "nigger" means something, and that this something is damaging the pride of the recipient.

guard-of-terra 12y ago
Whoa, if you expect instant violence on the street, name-calling is the least of your problems.

Hytosys 12y ago

You're right, black people shouldn't be so sensitive. Also, women shouldn't wear skimpy clothing because it attracts rape. That's the real problem. In your child post: > There are a lot of people around who would like to hurt you for cheap - and they're not going away. The idea here is that said people should go away. I'd imagine that analogous things were said in the years just before abolition of slavery: "it's just the way things are." You're bound to be on the wrong side of history with this attitude.

guard-of-terra 12y ago
Okay. How are you going to make said people go away? They don't read HN and they don't read such articles either. My take: stop catching their bait; ridicule them back; level the playing field to stop nurturing stereotypes.