Doing my best to reclaim cunt.

Seeing as you have one? You get to go to the front of the line on that one. Or ahead of DCJ, anyway.

Not trying to reclaim mulatto. Not trying to lead anything. Just voicing concern. Not sure what makes me unfit to lead it if I were inclined to try...

Not even planning on saying anything more on this topic, because no matter how well intentioned my efforts, I just keep getting drawn into a whole subject area too many people are uncomfortable with.

Not sure what makes me unfit to lead it if I were inclined to try...

Because you don't understand the word. Because you don't know it's even in current usage.

I thought the term Yank would be a simple thing to call US citizens. No, I was told, it has attachments you just don't get, it won't do, and no matter how often I explain that to the people outside, the ones using it don't get those subtleties, it DOESN'T MATTER. It's not my call.

Perhaps there are no epithets that affect you. Which is a very strong position to be in, a position we should all be in. I just don't think you know the way out of a place you've never been in.

I just keep getting drawn into a whole subject area too many people are uncomfortable with.

Which territory is that, and which people?

I think that very few slurs have been successfully reclaimed. Only "queer" comes to mind, but I'm sure there are others. And I have to agree with ita, if "mulatto" is going to be reclaimed, it's reintroduction to society is not going to be an ice cream shake.

Wop = Italian

And the letters stand for "without papers" as in citizenship papers, fwiw.

I'm not sure what your concern is, Daniel. Is it that policing offensive language is soul-deadening? Or is it that offensive language is kept alive through memory?

I grew up in Virginia, North Carolina, and Arkansas. It didn't matter that my family was on the Union side of the civil war, but it did matter that we weren't damned Yankees.

When I lived in Pakistan and India I got called angrez (English), gora (white folk, I think, it's been too long), and feringhi (foreigner) all the time, and it didn't bother me. But being called Yank or Yankee always raises my hackles (still does).

It's not rational. I know it's not rational. But the feeling is still there.

Daniel, we can always reclaim "Norkskie" and "Squarehead."

But we don't really need to. Those words no longer carry any sting, but the reason is that they no longer correspond to any negative stereotypes in our society, not becaue they were liberated from those stereotypes by their association with a comercial product.

Sorry folks. Apparently I'm not getting the right words out of my head.

Have you ever just gotten into a conversation with only half an idea of what you were going to say and then ran into a dead end, because you really didn't know where it was going?

This is where I am. I really really don't think I have all the answers, I really fight to try and understand what it is like to be other people.

I really do care.

I just can't seem to figure out where my rambling ends up.

I based my statement that I was upsetting people by the fact that my postings were not well received.

This is my fault, as I did not know where I was going, I was trying to pull together a lifelong quest for knowlege, hope, peace and understanding, etc, plus trying to think the best of Dairy Queen.

I have no special love for Dairy Queen, but no special animosity. I can only use the hate and animosity directed at me growing up fat and shy and *try* to extrapolate it to others and their problems.

I do not think I can lead, I don't especially *want* to lead anything in particular. What I wanted to do is voice some concerns, to ask questions, and thereby understand more.

Again, I guess I never had the clarifying thought to finish the road, as I didn't really have an end in sight. All I had was the vague uneasiness about atttacking a word just because it's similar to another word.

I wanted to stop because I don't have all the answers, I don't think I have all the answers and I thought it best not to keep trying until I at least know where I'm going.

And really? I don't like causing people I care about needless bafflement and because I can't seem to focus tonight.

I based my statement that I was upsetting people by the fact that my postings were not well received.

What I'm doing is disagreeing with you. I don't have to get all upset to disagree with someone. I'm not quite Allyson, but it's no big. I wish people wouldn't disagree with me, because why? But I'm mostly past letting it spoil my dinner.

All I had was the vague uneasiness about atttacking a word just because it's similar to another word.

That wasn't what I was doing.