drisky said:
I have to say one of the most damaging episodes I felt was the one about the word "fag", and how words change meaning over time and people should not be indirectly offended when it is not directed at them. The problem with that is that it is still used as a homophobic slur, is always used in a very negative context, and people have every right it be offended even if direct offense wasn't intended. And that episode is a direct contradiction to the "****** guy" episode when the lesson was when you have no idea about the negative emotions that come up when the word is said, you have no right to dictate how others should feel. I'm just using that as another example.
And yet, there is living proof that words can radically change. If you said someone was "Queer" 100 years ago, it had NOTHING to do with being homosexual, it meant they were interesting.
Same with Gay. Happy!
Plus, words lose their power over time. For instance, if someone said "Poppycock" in the wrong decade, it was the worst thing you could ever do! But now "Fuck" and "Shit" are part of many peoples daily speech. Censoring and forcing people to never say things only gains those word power and makes them MORE offensive.
Yes, The F-Word episode may not have had the perfect message, but it's a start. I agree that if something like fag is said with harmful intention to a person who would be offended, it is bad. But intention is important.
If we completely disregard intention in words and allow reception to govern them completely, words lose meaning and I could say your use of the word "The" is offensive to me.
I will accept that the other episode is ABSOLUTELY contradictory though.
Sorry for the longness, just had to get that out.