Race and the WORD

[talisman]

rather than muck around in the gbin I figure I'll post my thoughts here.

-A forum is a public place, meaning it's perfectly plausible that someone might take offense to any mention of the word in any context, which might result in that person disliking the site or leaving or whatever. This is bad. Site expansion and image is good, at least from the site's perspective.

-The solution isn't dilution. Using the word more does not make it less offensive to those who are offended by it, and there will always be those that are offended by it.

-Obviously not everyone who uses it is racist, or uses it in a racist way. That doesn't mean that those people aren't perpetuating an easily avoidable racist label (try substituting "dick" or something...) or not offending people. Just because you don't mean offense doesn't mean you don't cause it. And even if your intended audience doesn't really take offense, it doesn't mean that someone in the unintended audience doesn't.

-No I don't think it should be taken out of Huckleberry Finn or anything.

-Yes blacks often refer to each other with it. Does it have a different meaning then? Of course. Does that make it any less unfortunate as an epithet? No. See Richard Pryor, upon his return from Africa. Is this a double standard? Obviously.

-So why not the word gay then? I don't know. Could it be a bannable offense as well? I'm sure it could, but it's not right now. So goes society.

On that note,

-Moderation is definitionally arbitrary. Obviously I can't speak for the mods, but I assume they work out for themselves how to balance between giving the community freedom and maintaining the image of the site.

-If something wasn't enforced before, who cares if it's enforced now? Should it have been enforced earlier? Maybe. It doesn't matter. Rules change.