Lame.
Not totally Fatshionable, but related to Fatshionista nonetheless…
As I was skimming the LJ this afternoon, playing catch up, I stumbled upon a potentially "political" post, wherein there were five instances where the word LAME was used…in a potentially offensive manner. I made a generic comment in response to each of these folks, but this post is not intended to target those people specifically. I’ve seen a lot of posts and comments recently (and by recently I mean since November, when I joined fatshionista) that use the word lame to describe something:
* disinteresting
* meaningless
* tragically unhip or uncool
* not "smart"
* unusual in a "weird" way, etc.
The word "lame", used in this context, is offensive because it’s ableist...just as the word "gay" is offensive, used in a similar context, because it’s homophobic. I am not identifying anyone in this community as ableist (or homophobic) but I AM suggesting that the WORD is ableist. Are there simple modifications we can incorporate into our daily verbal repertoire to avoid using words that are potentially offensive to other folks? Sure! Is it easy? No! But is it nice? Yes!
So please, just take a moment and consult your mental thesaurus when reacting to something that you just don’t love...words like lame, gay, and retarded really don’t need to be used.
Thanks.
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1. We are committed to creating a respectful, supportive environment on fatshionista. We are a diverse fat-positive, anti-racist, disabled-friendly, trans-inclusive, queer-flavored community, open to everyone. Please be aware that your viewpoint is, by definition, subjective--both here and elsewhere.
3. If someone asks you to change your language, or states that something you have said was offensive to them, you are free to say "No" or to ignore their suggestions; though we would argue that it is probably in your best interest to educate yourself on why your language might be perceived as offensive. This is useful not just for the purposes of this community, but because arming yourself with this knowledge may save you from making a blunder in a real-world situation that you can't easily remedy. There is no crime in simply not knowing something -- the only "crimes" are being maliciously rude or abusive, or neglecting opportunities to educate oneself, or refusing to thoughtfully consider the perspectives and experiences of others (even if, upon reconsideration, you decide you will not change your language/mind after all).
As I was skimming the LJ this afternoon, playing catch up, I stumbled upon a potentially "political" post, wherein there were five instances where the word LAME was used…in a potentially offensive manner. I made a generic comment in response to each of these folks, but this post is not intended to target those people specifically. I’ve seen a lot of posts and comments recently (and by recently I mean since November, when I joined fatshionista) that use the word lame to describe something:
* disinteresting
* meaningless
* tragically unhip or uncool
* not "smart"
* unusual in a "weird" way, etc.
The word "lame", used in this context, is offensive because it’s ableist...just as the word "gay" is offensive, used in a similar context, because it’s homophobic. I am not identifying anyone in this community as ableist (or homophobic) but I AM suggesting that the WORD is ableist. Are there simple modifications we can incorporate into our daily verbal repertoire to avoid using words that are potentially offensive to other folks? Sure! Is it easy? No! But is it nice? Yes!
So please, just take a moment and consult your mental thesaurus when reacting to something that you just don’t love...words like lame, gay, and retarded really don’t need to be used.
Thanks.
---------------------------
1. We are committed to creating a respectful, supportive environment on fatshionista. We are a diverse fat-positive, anti-racist, disabled-friendly, trans-inclusive, queer-flavored community, open to everyone. Please be aware that your viewpoint is, by definition, subjective--both here and elsewhere.
3. If someone asks you to change your language, or states that something you have said was offensive to them, you are free to say "No" or to ignore their suggestions; though we would argue that it is probably in your best interest to educate yourself on why your language might be perceived as offensive. This is useful not just for the purposes of this community, but because arming yourself with this knowledge may save you from making a blunder in a real-world situation that you can't easily remedy. There is no crime in simply not knowing something -- the only "crimes" are being maliciously rude or abusive, or neglecting opportunities to educate oneself, or refusing to thoughtfully consider the perspectives and experiences of others (even if, upon reconsideration, you decide you will not change your language/mind after all).