See, here's the thing. How long do words remain offensive? How long after that meaning has passed from common usage do we keep bringing it up and reviving that ancient meaning?
It really seems to me an unwillingness to let words change, rather than an attempt to be sensitive. And words DO change. Look at "text". Just ten years ago, you'd have been looked at funny if you tried to use it as a verb.
I see this from more of a linguistic standpoint than a social standpoint. Words change, so why not let them? Why cling to things that haven't been used in ages?
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Date: 2011-01-31 01:51 am (UTC)It really seems to me an unwillingness to let words change, rather than an attempt to be sensitive. And words DO change. Look at "text". Just ten years ago, you'd have been looked at funny if you tried to use it as a verb.
I see this from more of a linguistic standpoint than a social standpoint. Words change, so why not let them? Why cling to things that haven't been used in ages?