I am uneasy with the fact that, within "non-members," a stereotype or cultural/racial slur is outrageous...outlandish...unacceptable...
but among "members," such remarks may very well be an integral part of conversation and humor.
I understand from a sociological perspective how groups re-own and re-value words that have been previously used for slander, such as the term "queer."
"There is a certain amount of power in reclaiming words that have traditionally been used to hurt us. When we call ourselves queer, it takes a lot of wallop out of the word when others use it to refer to us."
The act of re-owning words is a seperate matter, because there is more going into it than members abusing a stereotype. Therefore, I exclude such words from my discussion.
My point is, if a particular stereotype is offensive/ignorant...aren't members of a group more or less confirming its truth through usage among other members?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment