Comment on I may swear like a pirate, but I'm a fucking PRINCIPLED pirate
null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks agoI don’t really understand what you’re getting at.
Obviously there are words which are in themselves an insult. There are also words which are not, and there’s a spectrum of different words in between which are more insulting or less insulting or insulting in specific circumstances.
Undocumented migrant is clearly a more dignified way to describe someone than describing them as an “illegal” immigrant.
SorryQuick@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
There are some, but “illegal immigrant” isn’t. Calling someone a fucking idiot is an indult. Calling someone an illegal immigrant to their face can be an insult, but the words themselves are fine, it’s crazy how people are insulted by what is effectively a description. Not like idiot or moron which is obviously “tagging” someone with something they aren’t. Or calling someone an illegal immigtant when they aren’t just because you don’t like them. Undocumented migrant is fine for now, next thing you know even that’s not dignified enough. The same way retard became handicapped and suddenly out of nowhere handicap is not dignified enough, so it became disabled.
null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
So why would it be ok to refer to a person that way just because they’re not around?
This meme is a commentary on how to teach kids to treat others in a dignified and respectful way.
That’s true. The progression of language in this way is well documented. It doesn’t diminish someone’s entitlement to feel offended at being referred to as a retard. It’s just how dignity, respect, and language works.
When referring to other people, it’s a common courtesy to consider how they might like to be addressed, and to use that term. It doesn’t matter how you feel about the phrasing or what you would have called them a few decades ago.
SorryQuick@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
I agree with calling people what they want to be called, but most people don’t spend their days on lemmy and aren’t up to date with what people like being called. People should get used to be called the wrong thing, or wrong pronouns. If you specifically tell me you want to be want to be called a certain thing, I have no issues with that, but until you tell me that, you shouldn’t be offended that I call you what is effectively a description.
I personally have never heard anyone IRL say the words undocumented migrant, or even outside lemmy tbh, while illegal immigrant is obviously common. So by default, if I need to refer to these people, this is the term I’d have used, not intended as an insult.
null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
Just because you don’t intend to insult someone doesn’t mean you’re not ignorant.
It doesn’t take really any empathy at all to recognise that someone might prefer to be called an undocumented immigrant rather than an illegal one.
I think people really are used to being called the wrong thing, or the wrong pronouns. In reality, if you accidentally misgender someone they often won’t bother to correct you if you’re merely a passing acquaintance, but if you’re more than that they might politely correct you in a non-confrontational way.
People being upset about someone making a genuine mistake and calling them the wrong thing is not the norm, and if someone did that it would be pretty weird.
The term “illegal immigrant” may be a description, but I’m sure you can recognise that it’s not a very dignified one. You probably don’t refer to people you like as “that fat guy” or “that woman with the huge ass”, despite those phrases being descriptive.