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I think, as a person with a disability, the sentiment is the really important thing. The slur that applies to my disability is "spastic" and I know it was mainly a bigger thing in the UK than in North America, but honestly... it doesn't really bother me in and of itself. If you use that word in a way that's not obviously mean, that's okay. If you use an "acceptable" word or phrase to say a mean-spirited thing, the words themselves are irrelevant: you're doing a bad thing. To give an example: I was playing darts with a friend of mind (who did happen to be English, and of an older generation), and he made a poo poo throw and cursed himself "oh, you spastic bastard!" That's not offensive, in my opinion. If he said it to a third person who was playing with us, that'd be questionable. If he said it to me, after I made a poo poo throw, that would be very offensive. But also I knew him well, we were good friends and I knew he wouldn't say anything with the intention of being hurtful toward me. To say that a word is offensive in any or all contexts is ridiculous, in my opinion. One of the reasons is because it infantilizes the people who are the target of the slur, because it implies that we can't distinguish the difference between the word itself and the intent behind it. On the flipside, it excuses, to some extent, the intent of a very hurtful comment without the coarse language, and therefore I see it as a way in which society launders its repugnant opinions about disadvantaged groups by ensuring that everyone uses the correct language. We wouldn't want to be rude, after all. That being said, I would of course try to minimize my use of a word that is widely considered to be offensive. That's simply common sense.
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Oct 31, 2023 06:41
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 17:42 |
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