this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2025
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i mean it is ONLY used to mock a very specific group of people and, historically, it was used to incarcerate and experiment on them.
But language changes and evolves, and words get imbued with additional meanings over time through a bunch of complicated factors and contexts.
Just because 'idiot' and 'retard' were used similarly once, doesn't mean they're the same now
We don't need to fully understand the process in which the word has changed to know that lots of people find it particularly insulting, degrading and oppressive, and to decide to stop using it because of this
Coincidentally, "Rogan" is also an r-word that's synonymous with moron, imbecile, or idiot.
that's not how i use it, but if that's how you use it, than yeah sure. But i don't.
It is how you use it, even if you don't mean to.
If you use 'gay' as an insult, that doesn't become OK if you only say it to straight people. It's still some massive drive by homophobia.
The reason to stop using this as an insult isn't to protect the people you're insulting, it's to protect a third group which has a dark history with the word