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Saying white people food tastes plain isn't the same as calling the cops on a black teen (thelemmy.club)
submitted 2 months ago* by to c/politicalmemes@lemmy.world
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[–] 9 points 2 months ago (5 children)

It's basically moving the goal posts. Language is a malleable thing, however when one word is being already actively used by the majority of people for an adjacent meaning then a new word is needed. If people can't use context other than the race of the victim to determine if you mean someone was racist or racist+ then your word sucks.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    But we already have a term for what the user is describing, 'systemic racism'. This is trying to define a common term to mean something more specific to push the same behaviors out of the umbrella depending on the color of the person doing it. Ironic.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    These are always my favorite: "Language is malleable." It is indeed. But that's a poor excuse, especially in situations like this, where the person in the post above is literally inventing her own definition of racism to fit her narrative.

    Language does change over time. It adapts as needed to convey meaning more effectively in discourse between people.

    Just not here.

    The concept of believing one's own race is superior to others has not changed. We already have a word that describes that state of mind.

    That word doesn't suddenly get to change its meaning the moment the established definition no longer supports the speaker's narrative. The meaning remains the same.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Words do often suddenly get a new meaning but one not adjacent one that causes confusion. If a hat is "sick" nobody assume the hat has an illness. It's just pathetic and it equates actual racism to stuff like people who think they are opposed for getting in trouble at work if they say the n word.

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