Me personally? I’ve become much less tolerant of sexist humor. Back in the day, cracking a joke at women’s expense was pretty common when I was a teen. As I’ve matured and become aware to the horrific extent of toxicity and bigotry pervading all tiers of our individualistic society, I’ve come to see how exclusionarly and objectifying that sort of ‘humor’ really is, and I regret it deeply.

  • SCB@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I am aware that it has synonyms, but it’s not just a substitute for idiot. It meant a specific thing

    • Bazoogle@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It means someone has a developmental disability. But that is not how people used it. They used it to call someone an idiot, 100%. If someone did something dumb, they would retort “retard”. How is that not exactly how it was/is used? Call them a bafoon, hammerhead, numskull, nincompoop, a schnook, make up a word for all I care. But to use a word that describes someone with a developmental disability should not be used as an insult. Don’t complain about there not being a substitute when there’s hundreds of options. You just seem to want to use it.

      • SCB@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        A person you insulted in that was being an idiot, but you used a different, harsher word for specific effect.

        That’s what isn’t replaced. An S-tier idiot, described in one word.

      • kazerniel@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It’s probably specific to my social circles, but in the late '00s some of my family and acquaintances started using certain vegetable and food names as synonyms for stupid person. E.g. “you carrot”, “you cake”. I guess this was a less openly offensive way of disparaging someone’s intelligence.

      • Event_Horizon@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Is this a localised to the US thing? Here in Aus I’ve never heard removed being used as either an insult or linked to someone with a developmental disability. What context is it used in for a developmental disability?

            • kazerniel@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              This illustrates really well why word filters are a terrible idea; they have no regard for the conversational context.

            • Event_Horizon@lemmy.ml
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              1 year ago

              Oooooooooooh shit that makes sense now hahahahahaha.

              I didn’t even know there was a word filter!

              I’m sitting here all confused thinking “Removed” was the actual word not what is being displayed here

          • Event_Horizon@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            Haha nah

            There’s a word filter so I was only seeing “Removed” in place of the actual word. Confused the shit out of me. Now it all makes sense