this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2024
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We're in the process of declaring some words unsayable in order to massively amplify their power as offensive slurs. It's going great so far, though sl**e still has some distance to go.
Sorry, you're trying to turn slave into an unsayable slur? What the actual fuck, is this some kind of right wing psyop to nullifying discussions of historical and modern slavery, or just USian libshit racism that equates black skin and slavery?
I think they're joking.
I hope you're right, but I've seen a bunch of this "slavery is for African Americans" rhetoric recently and I'm not sure if it's ignorance or maliciousness.
I was absolutely joking, but in hindsight I can see that's not clear.
There are a number of words that are being declared in some quarters to be so offensive they may not even be uttered, like "faggot" which I have been chastised for even uttering in quotation, and informed I must call "the f-slur".
My take on this is it is giving power to these words they would not otherwise have and is deeply regressive. We should follow the example of "queer", which used to be used in highly offensive ways but in recent years has been adopted and claimed by the queer community and has been stripped of much of its power.
I was trying to poke fun at the idiot who is trying to give "slave" new power to offend, but obviously I didn't do it well.