This comment was reported for the use of the word “retard”. Watch the language if you please. Having grown up in the 90s, I get that the word is part of an older lexicon, but it doesn’t make it any more socially acceptable
Look man, if people are out here dropping n bombs, you know, serious stuff, feel free to intervene. But trying to police “retard” is some reddit/zoomer nonsense.
Since you robbed anyone else from participating in the conversation when you removed my last comment explaining myself, let’s try this again.
I will never again degrade my self worth by editing who I am or what I say to make other people happy. I have NEVER used the word ‘retard’ from a place of hatred or anger, in this thread or otherwise (if I did, this would be a very different situation). I have only ever used it as a descriptive word in a mildly humerous post meant to generate discussion. You are literally the only one here acting like a child that can’t handle a simple word, everyone else is perfectly happy going about their day with maturity.
Acting like you’re mature while complaining that someone corrected your language on the internet. Lol. Your self-worth is hopefully not tied to the usage of a slur. If it is, well you must not be worth much.
First, I’m not really complaining as much as explaining and my language hasn’t been ‘corrected’. It has merely, rather annoyingly, been censored by the decision of a single person thereby destroying any chance for someone else to come along and join the conversion. In my opinion that is extremely immature, especially coming from a moderator.
Second, and this is the point I’ve been trying to make, language is mired in situation and driven by intent when it crosses cultural bounds, almost never by social connotation (language is defined solely by small social circles, not by big ones like a bunch of random internet strangers that we all are). In this situation, my use of the word could never have been directed at anyone and my intention was always pretty clear. Avoiding the use of a word simply because it’s not considered politically correct by some, especially when it’s obvious the word is not being used to harm, is really dumb way to live life. Any one of us could simply invent a new word and give it the same harmful meaning, but that only matters if we all pretend it actually matters.
Third, trying to force someone to change how they interact and communicate with the world is absolutely a degradation of ones self-worth. This is not a kind or equal world if it dictates the words of others unless those words are directly used to harm or control. The big scary R word is not a slur unless it is being used as one (It’s most definitely not here). Again, I could call someone a “Flargasnorgen” with the intention of hatred and anger and cause the same harm. It would likely require the use of several other supporting words to convey that meaning, does that then make all those other words big scary words that we can’t say too?
Fourth, I never said I was being mature, I can be petty as fuck.
I’m not asking you to censor yourself, or to undermine your self-worth. I’m saying that if your comment ruffles feathers to the point that I get a comment report, I’m going to address it. You’re free to speak how you please, but freedom of speech is not freedom from repercussions. I touch on this in other parts of the thread.
I’m not interested in discussing this topic further, and would appreciate it if we could shelve it.
If I were truly free to say as I please then you wouldn’t remove my comments. These are not repercussions, they are censorship for you also removed comments that did not use the scary words. Also I’m pretty certain I ruffled exactly one (ok, maybe two or three) feathers, if it’s that big a deal then place a content warning or message around the comment. Don’t obliterate from history so no one can ever see it again, morally speaking it is not your sole place to decide what can be written and read.
