Revis Volek, on 20 March 2017 - 01:37 PM, said:
There is always 2 camps in this fight...
One thinks if you NEVER say hateful words they go away. This however doesnt work because most problems like this just fester when left to rot.
Then there is the camp that thinks if we just use them like they are everyday words they wont be offensive anymore and just become part of vocabulary.
I cannot tell you which one is winning.
I'd put it in six categories:
1) People who are simply unaware that a word is a slur.
2) People who know it is a slur and us it as such.
3) People who know it is a slur and avoid using it.
4) People who know it is a slur and avoid using it and ask others not to.
5) People who know it is a slur but use it to piss category 4 off.
6) People who were recently in category 1, were told by 4 that it was a slur, but were told in an unhelpful manner (no room for debate, explanation, etc.), and therefore are offended.
It sounds like most of the debate proper is among (4) v (5 and 6), but I think it's worth remembering that 1 and 2 definitely still exist.
(EDIT: This taxonomy ignores for the moment any people directly referred to by a particular slur)
Edited by Jables McBarty, 20 March 2017 - 02:41 PM.