07-03-2020, 03:00 AM
Just two people. I have to go out of my way to tell people upfront that I don't like that language. The issue was really highlighted with the phrase "I don’t think race is even thought about when we use it." Nonblack people- particularly white folks- can throw that terminology around without having to think about it, while Being called a "slave" or "boy" in a sexual context both send a shutter through my bloodline. It's uncomfortable- it feels hostile and condescending, and there is no way for me personally to separate someone calling me their "slave" from the literal slavery of my relatives.
When srt8 folks were calling things they didn't like "gay" all the time to indicate they were bad, that felt hostile. We'd voice that, and in response we'd get "I don't literally mean GAY", or "I'm not talking about gay PEOPLE." They too would write it off as "just the terminology they used," but that didn't mean it wasn't deeply uncomfortable to be around as a young queer kid, or that it wasn't rooted in homophobia.
Of course, black people are not a monolith, and you're going to come across some black folks who don't care, but I'd much rather we move away from that set of terms being used so flippantly.
(Also just want to reinforce, as purplereign expressed, that slaves from Africa were not exclusively brought over to America AT ALL)
When srt8 folks were calling things they didn't like "gay" all the time to indicate they were bad, that felt hostile. We'd voice that, and in response we'd get "I don't literally mean GAY", or "I'm not talking about gay PEOPLE." They too would write it off as "just the terminology they used," but that didn't mean it wasn't deeply uncomfortable to be around as a young queer kid, or that it wasn't rooted in homophobia.
Of course, black people are not a monolith, and you're going to come across some black folks who don't care, but I'd much rather we move away from that set of terms being used so flippantly.
(Also just want to reinforce, as purplereign expressed, that slaves from Africa were not exclusively brought over to America AT ALL)