Quote:
Originally Posted by Hektore
So, you're saying that ethnic slurs attack the entire history of that ethnic group, but four-eyes only attack the particular individual you're saying it to? Ok, but what about the discrepency between the treatment of ethnic slurs for different groups, or say other slurs for blacks, lots of people would say nigger is the worst one, but take boogey or spearchucker, same thing - not as highly inflammatory, in my perception.
If you dropped all the words mentioned so far on a list and asked people to rate them in order from least offensive to most offensive, which is going to be at the top, which at the bottom? I would bet a our lists would all look very similar, it's an emotional response, but why is that so ruling. Really there isn't any difference so far as I can see but they're treated that way.
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If a racist fuck, snears at a black person from a position of power (say as part of a leering group) and throws in 'spearchucker' with added emphasis, then i'd say it's just as bad as 'nigger'.
It's the intention to insult and what is being insulted (the fibre of your being as well as your race's being vs you having poor vision with regard to "four eyes") that causes offence.
IMHO.
As for a continuum of offensiveness, it's always going to be dependent on the person.
Myself, I'm much more likely to be offended by 'polite' language said with a snear than any disposable, but insulting word.