this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
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My major problem is that our culture and history are interwoven with language. An attack on offensive language could very well, maybe unintentionally, disconnect us further from our culture and history. Not all of that history and culture is great, but even then, we need to stay connected so that we can continue to learn from it for as many generations as possible.
We live in a world where we've been trading in culture for convenience. Now we have some burning books and attacking change. On the other side, we have others who are attacking anything remotely offensive to them, attempting to banish it. The casualty of this war will be the little we have left of our cultural traditions.
What culture do we lose when we remove hateful words from the cultural lexicon?
If the word is used regularly in British and Australian language, it's cultural imperialism for Americans to ask us to stop using it because they've decided it's offensive.
I wasn't talking about cunt. I don't think that is considered hateful, even in the US. The person I was replying to was making a very generalized statement
I don't really know, to be honest. But the way culture and language are intertwined, and how unnerving it is for people to be asked to adjust their lexicon, it concerns the heck out of me. Not book banning and burning levels of concerned, but in the same direction.
I dunno, I think we gain a better understanding of culture and history when we take a look at these words, their history and why they are hurtful, and decide to stop using them. Once you see things from the point of view of the people that have been called these things, it opens you up to be more empathetic.
Oh trust me, I've been called plenty of things, and have hurt for a great deal of my life as a result. I've also said awful things, and hurt even more for that.
I just think that separating people from parts of their language is more akin to a cultural lobotomy than anything else. Taking aspects of language from someone who does not truly understand why, will surely be jarring, and lead to negative reactions more often than not. I don't think this is going to have a long term positive effect, unless we take the slow road of working to understand each other, and truly embrace all diversity. If we condemn those who hurt us, it only acts to drive more of a wedge through our society.
Telling someone that their actions which are fundamental to their being are hurtful to you, and they need to change, is in fact hurtful to them. It's not their fault how they were raised, and how their experiences have shaped them, no matter how horrible someone might be. But if we embrace the diversity they add to society, and support them where we can, they just might come to see it for themselves, and strive to be better.
Only the individual can decide to change themself for the better. And even then, it's a life long journey, and often only minimal changes are possible. So, we should be celebrating the efforts they put forth, not condemning them for the things they don't have the capacity to change.
That is why you tell them why. "Hey, did you know that word is from the eugenics movement?" or "Hey here is why what you just said is racist." Saying that is akin to getting a part of your brain cut out is super extreme.
If using harmful words is fundamental to your being, you have a lot of other things to work on. Saying that you can't tell someone that they hurt you because it hurts them is some real victim blaming BS.
I never said it was, but they need to know what they do is harmful before they can start to unpack that.
No.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance
Very true, but the first step is knowing you need to change.
Yup, and long journeys start with a single step.
I would say sometimes, but what I find more true with the people I know, is that once the dam is broken, they start to look at the other things in their life that they can be better in and a cascade effect happens.
I think this is where the meat of the rub lies. Telling someone what they are doing is hurtful is not a condemnation. People tend to take it that way and get defensive, but even the best of us has some gaps in their knowledge. Especially in colonized parts of the world. Being made aware of them is not an insult. It means someone cares enough to bring it to your attention and thinks that you don't actually want to say harmful things, and they believe you want to be better.
Sorry for the wall of text, but there was a lot to unravel there.