It sure is, little buddy. It sure is.
@Tinuviel said in Diversity Representation in MU*ing:
Honestly, I think we should all refrain from using slurs - even those that our minority group has reclaimed, or are otherwise acceptable for us to use. Since there's no way of proving we're entitled to use them, it's easier to just not.
@Coin said in Diversity Representation in MU*ing:
I mean, I agree in theory, and pretty much universally RP in that fashion. But I'm not going to tell someone they can't use a slur that their group has reclaimed, either, not my place.
Even if I did use slurs in general irl, I still wouldn't in an RP. There's a pretty simple reason for that, namely: Not everyone in every demographic 100% agrees on 1. what words are "reclaimed", 2. the concept of reclaiming a word in general. It's one thing in your own personal work of fiction, but in an RP, in my opinion, it doesn't really matter what race you are.
There's a level of respect that we have to show for each other as a community, as unlike irl, we have to make this environment as comfortable for each other as possible, due to this being all of our collective hobby that we really have rather limited spaces to be in to begin with. So, speaking as a black person at least, I think that the most fair thing to do is definitely to avoid slurs altogether. I'm not looking to make another black person uncomfortable just because, say, I was fine with the N word, and they aren't. It's a pretty visceral word, I know black people who can't stand hearing it from anyone, it can be kind of like hearing a nuke randomly drop out of no where.
Like, I personally am all for the reclaiming or devaluing of slurs, even if I don't personally do it, mostly just due to my discomfort with using the word, even if I don't mind that other people do. But I don't think it's unfair or imposing yourself if a MU was like "we want to make this environment as comfortable for everyone as possible, so we prefer to avoid slurs of any kind". Obviously fictional fantasy slurs are one thing, but still, I really don't think it's controversial for a MU to say they want to avoid them to make sure that everyone is comfortable. It's a lesser evil, to me at least, to make sure that all POCs are comfortable rather than bring up the often rather controversial topic of slur reclamation.
Now of course this can get muddy, like on the topic of LGBTQ people. As there are people who identify as "queer", and there are people who see it as permanently a slur and do not want to hear people use it in that way. However, I believe that this is kind of an exception to the rule. You can't really tell someone "you can't identify as that", as that's kind of lowkey fucked up. But there's no black people out here identifying as the N word, I don't believe it's oppressing someone's identify to say that we avoid those slurs so that we can have a safe environment. Contextually, "queer" and the N word are quite different things, even if they can both be controversial.
In the end, I guess the difference is, does this controversial word involve someone's overall expression of identity and thus their comfort and sense of self as a human being or not. I don't believe that this is the case of the N word, or other racial slurs, as they aren't really a crux of our existence, they're more an aspect of some of our cultural interaction and how we might express ourselves with other people. And I don't think I've met a black person who would be like "oh no fuck you" if someone said we avoid slurs to make sure we have a safe environment. At least no one I'd meet in a MU.
Dude, this is off-topic and more personal, but you've come a long way from the guy ranting in OOC Lounges I used to know and it's real nice to see. Kudos.
