• JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz
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    9 hours ago

    So does apple, coconut, cracker, gin, barbarian, brownie, skinny, spade, spook, teabag and a whole host of different words.
    It should never be about the word itself, but how it’s being used. Someone being called a genius doesn’t usually mean they are being applauded for their intellect either, for example.

    • apotheotic (she/her)@beehaw.org
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      7 hours ago

      I have realised, upon reflection, what I take issue with with your argument.

      It places the onus on the intention, as opposed to the result.

      If the result of me doing something particularly mundane, that I could do another way with zero extra effort, is that some people are offended or othered or hurt, then it seems blatantly obvious to me that the action to take is to change what I’m doing. Theres nuance in the wider discussion but you can’t judge intentions, since nobody can know what someone else’s intentions are. You can judge actions and outcomes.

      The action in this case is mundane, and I don’t place any blame or hate toward the people who took the action (made the Tycoon joke). The outcome is potentially negative, and I would argue demonstrably negative since people felt compelled to comment about it. It still doesn’t mean that the folks who wrote the joke are massive racists or fascists or whatever, but the outcome related to their action is negative. Hence they chose to change the action to change the outcome.

      Seems pretty cut and dry that this was a wholly positive thing, no?

    • apotheotic (she/her)@beehaw.org
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      9 hours ago

      Sure, but unless you’re talking about a Maine coon then its not really an apples to apples comparison is it? All the words you’ve mentioned have very commonplace uses but this does not, and it is not being used in a context that is “usual” for it.

      This discussion is meaningless anyway because nobody was like, calling them out for it, or at least I haven’t seen evidence for that being the case. They decided they felt uncomfortable and changed it.