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A Few Responses on Offensive Language, Stick and Stones, and Political Correctness

Posted By: joe freedman
Date: Monday, 22 November 2010, at 4:48 a.m.

Garyo: " words by themselves are not offensive. it is offensive only when the user is intending offense."

I disagree. Intent is not necessary in order to offend. People are expected to know the import of their words. Words have commonly understood meanings and connotations. Obviously, if it is clear that the speaker had no idea that the word was offensive, that is a mitigating factor, assuming he does not repeat it after being informed.

Paul: "Like countless other words, "kamikaze" and "blitz" have been borrowed from other languages and are now bona fide English words. It is illogical and untrue that these two words are as insulting to anyone as the term "Polish prime.""

Thanks for the support Paul. But I don’t think the fact that word is “bona fide” English means that it cannot be offensive.

Stick: " It seems you do. [have a use for political correctness]"

I am against the use of language that defames ethnic groups, etc. I would distinguish that from political correctness, which is really a game, rather than a concern about offensive language and behavior. The examples cited (niggardly, Hail Mary, use of pigs, etc.) are on the politically correct/silly side of the spectrum.

Blitz -- I have no problem with this term. The fact that the Nazis used it to advantage does not deprive the term of its descriptive value. The Nazis also spoke German. Does that mean that the language should be expunged from the record books?

Sticks and Stones – Amazing the staying power of playground rhetoric. It’s fine advice with which to comfort an offended six year old, but it is patently untrue. Words have started many a war, triggering the use of sticks, stones and much worse.

Scrabble -- My impression was that the "N" word was excluded from the OSPD 3d edition, but "jew" as a verb was not. Could be wrong, I guess. Neither word appears in the 4th edition. (Negro also does not appear, but I assume that is because it is a proper name, and should be capitalized. "Causcasian" does not appear either, presumably for the same reason. "Negroid", however is included.) In any case, I would respectfully disagree with Nack. In my view, racial slurs have no place in Scrabble, especially in public competitions. However, I don't understand why some other words are deleted. For example, "piss" does not appear, but "pissoir" (which I wouldn't have thought was even an English word) does. Chacun a son gout.

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