name calling and Scrabble
I am playing a word game and discovered the word slut is a legitimate word for the Book Worm computer game. However, Scramble does not accept the word jew because it is derogatory. I don't know where the words "slut", "bitch" and "nigger" stands at this time with Scrabble. I just know except for an opportunity of getting a good Scramble score, I would not use those word.
But with the hypersensitivity going around, I think if everyone else who is offended gets special attention, and bad words are banned, perhaps all the derogatory names should have equal bans. I don't like thinking that only those hurtful words used for women are acceptable. As a subject of philosophy, maybe the word "enemy" is the worst word we can use because it so dehumanizes the people called the enemy. However, I feel the same about the bad names for women, and racist words; they all dehumanize people and maybe that is not okay.
But with the hypersensitivity going around, I think if everyone else who is offended gets special attention, and bad words are banned, perhaps all the derogatory names should have equal bans. I don't like thinking that only those hurtful words used for women are acceptable. As a subject of philosophy, maybe the word "enemy" is the worst word we can use because it so dehumanizes the people called the enemy. However, I feel the same about the bad names for women, and racist words; they all dehumanize people and maybe that is not okay.
Comments (4)
If women are equal, and men living in societies with free speech is not harmful to humanity, I fail to see a problem. Does it make you question your life choices? Well, that's not anybody else's fault, is it? :chin:
I vote for this being a Lounge topic, by the way.
Names are just words, it is the use they are given that is offensive.
It is funny to see how much of a difference there is between groups using the same words. A bunch of girls running around the bars at nights quite often use the term "slut" affectionately to show that they care about each other.
Groups of black people are often heard calling each other "niggers" and the whites "honkies"or 'whities". Only the ones used about the whites are used offensively by them. Neither group can use these words to members of the other group without it being racist. Weird.
The strange thing about that is that I have never heard anywhere white people calling each other "honkies" or 'whities". Maybe it is because there are plenty of other offensive names to use without them.
Last Tuesday, my Scrabble group checked the official Scrabble position on using the word "slut" and to my delight, it is no longer accepted. However, Scrabble groups can agree to use offensive words if everyone agrees to do so. The group I play with agrees, if the word is going to get a high score, we can use it. However, at a Scrabble tournament, I don't think the words would be accepted.
The quality of our relationship is very important to our decisions. I would not use racially offensive or gender offensive words if there were someone in the room who could be offended.