Comments on: Society Has Ignored Offensive Language and Slurs

By: Dare

Dare — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 22:27:53 +0000

In reply to Em Dickholtz. A lot of plants have racist names too if you go back far enough. The thing to do is come up with a new name that isn't hurtful to a minority population.

By: Em Dickholtz

Em Dickholtz — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 02:47:49 +0000

I can totally see what you’re saying! I’ve seen this myself and find it very upsetting that people can’t seem to listen to Romani and Sinti voices. However, I do find it interesting that the G-word has become so ingrained into our society and wonder what we can possibly do to fix this problem; for example, there is a horse breed with the G-word in its name. How should we refer to this horse without being offensive to Romani and Sinti people?

By: Sofia Sotomayor

Sofia Sotomayor — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 01:29:11 +0000

Hi Brandon! I think an educational program will be able to help society realize that the harms of offensive language can help people understand the harmful effects of that language, as those programs can show how, throughout history, that language caused harm that can apply to the present day. This can be helpful, as you pointed out how socially normalized it is for people to use language they are not well-informed about, as they see the use of that language in popular online forums, such as songs written by well-recognized artists, e.g., Lady Gaga using the g-word, as you mentioned.

By: Carolina E

Carolina E — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 21:59:50 +0000

This is so true. There just seems to be no regard for different ethnic groups when coming up with terms or slurs to describe them. It makes me think about learning about ‘eskimos’ as a kid and just kind of being told that’s what we call people who live in igloos. I didn’t learn till recently that they were an actual indigenous group called the Inuit people. And you know what I think it is? I think that kind of history has been erased and we’ve become solely focused on the truths that come from those who tell the story. Just like the Roma and Sinti people, the Inuit have had a slur placed on them as a way of describing this false idea of their way of being. We really need to start pushing for inclusive language and educating ourselves on what we know because a lot of what we’ve learned is not the truth for what we know it to be.

By: Lily Bernecker

Lily Bernecker — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 19:16:19 +0000

This is so insightful! I feel like we, as a society, have granted ourselves the power to determine when certain words are “too offensive.” We pick and choose what words we can and can’t say, sometimes neglecting the outcries of the targets of the derogatory language. The targets of the language should be listened to when they feel certain words are offensive. We should all be more careful with what we say and the impact it causes!