throughout history terms have been used to degrade specific ethnicities and minorities. Has language evolved enough that it is ok to use derogatory terms in everyday language when addressing friends in general, not dependent on ethnicity?
Julia and Meara
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4 comments:
Well, I personally think the tone, and the usage of the derogatory word makes just as large an influence...
Even if two people are best friends, and they use a negative term in a relatively normal and non-agressive method, then I think in that retrospect it should be all right.
However, if the tone implies something that could be negatively seen, then, while the word isn't based on ethnicity, it is still being used for harm, thus not changing the word's negtive "aura" around it.
Based on today's society, it appears to depend on the context...
For example, for many years now it's been considered innappropriate to use the "n-word" in reference to blacks. Yet if you turn on the radio today, many of the top stations play music in which half of the lyrics are made up of the word--and it is ok because the men are both black and presumably friends? However, I've also heard the word between blacks, with a bad connotation, linking it back to the idea that it's could be considered innappropriate. This links to the comment above (which I agree with) but I'm going to take it a step further...
...based on whether or not the people are friends and the context is non-aggressive and we hear it in use everyday, why is it still not ok for people of other races to use the n-word?
With this example amongst others, I think it's extremely hard to be able to define when certain words are ok, and when they are not.
I believe thats its completely dependent on the context. As Kate pointed out, it seems to be a common word today, yet its also taboo.
The appropriateness depends on who says it to whom, their race (sadly) and exactly how its being used.
so as language has evolved, which is what I believe you are implying, has the denotation of the words, not just the n-word, become moot if used between friends and in a non-aggressive tone?
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