The other day I was at my girlfriend's house. We were chatting with their siblings and a slur slipped into the conversation from someone who shouldn't necessarily have said it...
In discussing such an occurance, me being the one to call out the slur, something like "you take everything so seriously" was said. The implication that it wasn't that deep and that I was overreacting kind of got to me. For a second I was like, 'huh am I taking it too seriously? Slurs aren't the least common thing now, especially the one that was said (though it was in reference to my girlfriend) and in the grand scheme its not that bad of a slur....'
However, upon further inspection and thinking, it is that deep and it is that serious. Ignoring the social and historical contexts of the word is such a disservice to those who sufferred under it. It is the deep and things should be taken seriously. With a lack of thought, everything becomes pointless. When you can't use your mind to think you lose out on so much. It becomes useless and pointless to experience the world.
Putting critical thought into your actions, into everything you do is so important to me. I think being kind and living honestly is that most important thing probably ever. Living in a world such as this, with "AI" being such a hot topic its so so crazy insanely important to not be apathetic to things. Especially, ESPECIALLY with the state of the world ( cough cough us government cough cough) its so important to me to think and review and analyze and research. Slurs are bad, and I don't think they should be said by the people that are not part of the groups they were used against, but I came to this conclusion not just because I was told about it, but because of the knowledge I have about the harm that they've done.
The whole "its just a word" argument is so ridiculous. I took a linguistic philosophy class and one of the things we talked about is words that do actions, like how a judge can say "youre going to jail" and then you do, but how a guy on the street can say the same thing and nothing happens. Thinking about the actual real life harm that was done by the people who gave slurs the negative connotation and offensive nature to actual real life people, just by saying the word is the same sort of situation. Coming up with a derogatory term for the way that someone is, and using it as a slur, can cause harm or even death to that person. Maybe not as often now, but in the past it was always so.
To ignore the real harm faced by people is to ignore empathy, which is a dangerous path to go down. Critical thinking, empathy, and kindness are literally the strongest things that exist. Like like like, its actually so frustrating to me, because why do you think its funny to call someone a word that was used to systematically oppress and sentence death to groups of people. Some words trancend and become community callings to the people they were used against, which does NOT, DOES NOT AT ALL, mean that others can use them in the same way. Its not just that the word is used in a positive way, its that the communities reclaiming (HINT HINT THE WORD USED IS 'RECLAIMING,' WHICH SHOULD SET OFF SOME RECOGNITION OF THE MEANING TO DO SUCH A THING) are collectively identifying and dealing with the grief of being persecuted for something they could not change if they tried. Reclaiming a slur does not mean it is ok for those outside to use, once the emotional impact of the word is put to the side, perhaps the word will MAYBE become popular to use. More often than not, this happens by force rather than by nature. Those outside the communities harmed will use the slur in their lives to the point that people forget what it was used for.
Things happen in time, and there's no changing some of the things that have entered our normal speaking that were once slurs unless you overhaul the entire way you speak. HOWEVER, this is horrible and bad and not the way that slurs should become part of the mainstream. ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE STILL WIDELY REGARDED AS SLURS. They aren't funny, they aren't a goofy word to call your friends. They're a recognition of sufferring at the hands of those that used it, dropped on its head to become healing. Its a recognition that words which once used to sentence death are able to identify safety and community.
So I do think calling your sibling a slur is that deep. I do think its that serious. I can and will go on and on about this, but my frustration with the lack of sensitivity to sufferring that has infected so many people is currently running out of steam. I highly recommend anyone with big thoughts, who likes to think critically, who likes to find deeper meaning and emotion in daily life do so. Things are deep, they are serious, they are meant to be thought about critically.
I'm lowk still pissed. I feel like I need someone to call me a slur derogator-ily fr so I can just punch them and be at peace.