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Originally posted by spunk639:
Words have no intentions good or bad, it's the user who speaks those words and their intent in the use.

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Originally posted by Ryanp225:

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When do slurs become slurs?

When the intent is to harm that person.
When it is meant as a good natured joke then it is the offended that needs to grow up and let a joke be a joke.
Sticks and stones yadda, yadda.
BUT WORDS CAN NEVER HURT YOU.
(Unless you're a giant pussy)

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Originally posted by cas:

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Originally posted by sigfreund:
And let’s not get started on “America” which was derived from the name of one of those evil Italian explorers.

My favorite part of "Native American", the irony.


I used to drive a coworker crazy teasing him that I was more African American than him. (black guy, while most of his political views aligned with liberals, some of his social views didn't).
My great grandfather left Sicily and moved to north Africa for some years, where some of the children were born. I'd tell him "Your ancestors left Africa in the 19th century. Mine left in the 20th century, I'm 100 years closer to being African than you are."

Of course his view was that North Africa isn't Africa. (I guess much the same way he felt black people couldn't be racist)

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Words ALWAYS have an intention and written words ALWAYS leave that interpretation open to the reader.

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Anyone who does not understand is a complete jackhat/turd with an IQ of less than .225 -- But you get the joke and are laughing - right SH!!

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Originally posted by UDDwaine:

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Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

When do slurs become slurs?

When the intent is to harm that person.
When it is meant as a good natured joke then it is the offended that needs to grow up and let a joke be a joke.
Sticks and stones yadda, yadda.
BUT WORDS CAN NEVER HURT YOU.
(Unless you're a giant pussy)

Words can and DO hurt as much as a knife, or a .45..

Anyone who does not understand is a complete jackhat/turd with an IQ of less than .225 -- But you get the joke and are laughing - right SH!!!!

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Originally posted by UDDwaine:

Umm.. Native American and African American and NOT THE SAME... What is the point here?

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Originally posted by konata88:
Why is the reader's interpretation of something more important than the intention of the speaker?

And even if the interpretation and intention are consistent, what damage does it cause subject to a reasonable man at arm's length type of standard? How do you measure it?

And even if the damage can be quantified, is the reader truly able to cast the first stone? Nobody is always just a receiver. If you give, you better take as well. Otherwise the reader is just another hypocrite - laws for you but not for me.

Should we not have slurs. Sure. But it's pretty low on the priority list of things we need to eradicate. People should just grow a pair until it's a higher priority.

I read some headline about Stanford working on offensive words or something to that effect. For fuck's sake - I think running out of water is a tad more important, especially with millions illegally crossing the border annually. Maybe they can find some of the worthless idiots to figure out how to increase the watershed and water supply before trying to figure out how to avoid offending some flower with some word that's open to interpretation. Or maybe not. Emotions are more important than water here.

Here's the thing. I, like most, have been subject to slurs in the course of my life. But I've developed the self confidence in myself to shrug it off. Is it unpleasant - perhaps in the mood it creates. But it does me no damage. I know who I am. If the slur is factual but derogatory, so what. If the slur is not factual, so what, I know who I am. I'm not going to waste my time with someone who doesn't know me. Now, if your actions prevent my liberty, that may escalate. But I don't care what slurs someone might send my way anymore than a dog's bark.

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Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Something I've noticed in my life is that Californians "interpret" what you say and "read between the lines" to get what you "really meant."

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Originally posted by Gustofer:

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When do slurs become slurs?

When someone gets their panties in a wad.