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Date Posted: 19:40:21 10/30/02 Wed
Author: Dark Star
Subject: As once before Goktimus proves he's above the rest when it comes to defending logic. ;)
In reply to: Goktimus Prime 's message, "Cause for concern or over-reaction? (OzFormers cont'd)" on 04:14:35 10/20/02 Sun

So my question to you is this, when does a word stop being what it's oringnal context was ment and become a slur or a racist remark? Take the word, and pardon my language here, bastard,(Don't even like typing curse words, *Shudder*.), for example. Dictionary.com has this: bas·tard
Pronunciation Key (bstrd)
n.
A child born out of wedlock.
Something that is of irregular, inferior, or dubious origin.
Slang. A person, especially one who is held to be mean or disagreeable.

So my question is this, when does a word, or term that oringnally ment one thing become a curse word or a slur that is designed to insult or degrade a person? And where exactly does this end?

As for terms that are of slurs and such, I've had to swallow my tounge a few times around certain members of my family who have started to use the words, "Rag heads", *shudder* when discribing some one of Arabic desent. And I didn't know the term existed either until I had my father explain it to me. One of the reasons I think that a lot of offensive terms are starting to come out is due to the fact that we've become so politically correct that parents fear to explain to their kids what terms they should not use when they discribe a person.

If anything, and thanks to my run in with Goktimus, I've learned to try and find other words to quickly explain what's bugging me. However it makes me worry that someday all words that have double and tripple meanings will become outlawed to the point that we really can't be sure what term is offesive to one person, and isn't to another. Lord knows that slurs were used with frenquency back when my parents were children, and yet are we going in the opposite direction where we become so unsure of what we want to say that were afraid that we will offend someone some where if we say something?

An example of this: Political Correctness vs. Political Correctness. Peta put up a billboard that showed an overweight man, by a local airport. The message that was on the billboard stated that if you ate meat you would look like this, or something about eating salads rather then buying an extra seat. An organization for the acceptance of heavy set people came out and picketed the sign asking that it be taken down since it was ment to be offensive to those who were fat and couldn't help it.

DS

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