this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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[–] DBT@lemmy.world 67 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Check the young republicans (or whatever they’re called) chat that leaked yesterday. I’m sure you’ll find plenty in there.

[–] Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

That's different. That's just pure hatred. South park nailed it with the episode where the kids have a kangaroo court because they were saying a gay slur but had no clue it was derogatory to gay people.

[–] Aeao@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Remind me of the old 4-Chan rule.

“Op is always f****t”

Which isn’t an attack on gay people. It’s fine to be gay, and the original poster is ALWAYS gay. It’s the rule.

[–] Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I tell my kids this now. It's all fun when you're young but as you get older you'll realize some people say these things with malice and that's when you start to see why it's not a great practice. Over time you see some people aren't just joking or shit talking, they really don't like women or lgqtb or librarians.

[–] Aeao@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

That’s why I censor it now.

Back then it was more making fun of people who called other people gay.

“Yes we know the op is a f*g, every op is always one, so shut up about it now”

The internet came together and decided every OP is gay, now and forever, now we can move on to the real conversations lol

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[–] Idreamofcheesy@lemmy.world 34 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

So legit, racism is the reason we don't have as many slurs.

There used to be so many because you could be racist against anything! Italians have big noses, greeks are sweaty, Catholics are cultists, etc.

The racists realized they were too divided, so they invented whiteness. That guy isn't German, he's white. Now he is on our team and he can help us hate Brown people. That guy isn't French, he's white! Here fellow white friend, hold this noose.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ok so here's my plan: We pretend to be racists so we can tell other racists that brown and black people are also white now, so everybody in the world is on the same team.

[–] Idreamofcheesy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

You son of a bitch! It's genius!

[–] RestrictedAccount@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They didn’t invent racism in the’50s

[–] Idreamofcheesy@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

This is all head canon and I don't feel like looking it up, but they didn't invent racism, they just invented whiteness.

That's why Irish people were discriminated (and genocided) against until someone in the 20th century. Now Irish are white. People made a huge deal about JFK being a Catholic president because he wasn't "one of them." Now Catholics are indistinguishable from other white crowds. They speak with one voice (in their minds, not a real generalization).

Jews were on their way to whiteness and then Trump happened in 2016 and the old conspiracy theories became relevant again, and now they're back to being separate.

[–] Today@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

My family is pretty liberal. Despite that i had a couple of words that i grew up hearing and didn't realize that they meant until i was an adult. When you know better you do better.

To jew someone down when negotiating a price was one. It was just a word and i didn't understand it until i thought about spelling it and realized. Yes, I'm dumb.

I work with kids and i often call them squirrels, monkeys, octopus, big dog, etc. i mean it as endearing and didn't realize that it could be offensive, especially monkey racially.

My grandma worked at a convenience store in very racially mixed, very low income area. She referred to all of the kids as porch monkeys. I thought nothing of it but now realize it can be racially offensive. In her defense, it was a time when kids were sent outside morning to evening and often gathered on the porches of a free homes.

[–] Zagam@piefed.social 24 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

When getting ripped off or a bad deal, that's being gyped. Thats against gypsies. I learned that one way late in life.

[–] yoevli@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Wow, this is my first time learning this. I don't think I've ever seen it written so I assumed it was spelled "jipped" and never made the connection.

[–] Gerudo@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 weeks ago

Same boat here. TIL

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

A coworker got jipped/gyped by a gyp, and now he hates them with a passion. I told him it's his own fault. He wanted cheaper exchange rate than bank or currency exchange offered, so agreed to buy currency at a discount in an alley. They put a good bill on top and bottom and rest was paper cut to size. LOL

Edit: I don't say gyp normally, this is a relayed story. Romani are the people.

[–] Zagam@piefed.social 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

He didn't get ripped off. He just went to a place with a really bad exchange rate. That's the sort of thing that can happen when you're greedy. At least he was supporting a small independent business.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Ah yes the sort of person who does currency exchange with the Roma in an alley because they're offering a good rate: a moron

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I've never heard "gyped" or "jipped". I'd say you were "duped".

But that could be because I speak a dialect which features strong yod-coalescence. So "dune" and "june" are pronounced the same. So perhaps I have heard it, but simply eggcorned it into "dupe".

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[–] Today@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

There are so many songs that refer to gypsy. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to sing along or not.

[–] klemptor@startrek.website 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You just try not singing along to Cher's Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves.

[–] Today@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

But every night the men would come around...

[–] Knossos@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

I learnt recently that even the word g**** is a slur itself. Apparently it came from people thinking they came from Egypt. Their preferred name is Roma.

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I didn't realize nigrig was (really fuckin obviously) racist until way late in life because the people I heard use it weren't outwardly racist and pronounced it like "ne-grigged"

[–] Today@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Somewhere along the way that became southern engineering. My mom lived in Florida for awhile so it was a good dig at both the locals and the duct tape crowd -though i grew up repairing everything with duct tape and bailing wire. My husband is an engineer - right tool for the job guy. I'm like, "pass me that mallet and a wire hanger.)

[–] HiTekRedNek@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

"Alabama Ingenuity" is the phrase I typically use these days.

[–] Patnou@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

My grandpa and grandma have one for every race/creed/color/nationality/religion and so on. I ask because it kind of seems like we are sliding backwards to everyone getting labeled a slur or slight.

[–] db2@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago

People like that didn't disappear, they were rightfully shamed in to shutting up. They've become emboldened with one of their own "in charge".

[–] Acamon@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

But don't we have lots of insults for other categories of people? People call people soyboys, incels, tankies, fashy, bible thumper, nepo babies or basement dweller.

Aren't those just the modern version of "jocks" and "limeys" (I went for those because I'm Scottish and British, you can mentally fill in the alternatives...)

[–] Today@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

What are soyboys and fashies?

[–] Acamon@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I might be a soyboy but at least I'm not fashy.

[–] Today@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Huh. I have a vegan son who eats a lot of soy. He work out alot but sometimes complains about slow gains.

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[–] FridaySteve@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Which three?

My theory is that universal public education was less than a generation ago in most places, printing books was still expensive, and forget movie cameras and audio recording devices. You really had to be sure of the stuff you wanted to record before you recorded it in those days, in any medium, and you needed some money to be able to do it. As a result, a lot of the content we see nowadays that documents how average people talked and behaved was never written down or filmed or whatever.

So people probably didn't really say "what in the Sam Hill..???" they probably said "what the fuck!" You just don't know it because every ten year old didn't have a 4k video camera in their pocket ready to roll on every bullshit that everyone did.

[–] Patnou@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Well i like this sight but you can google most of em. Stuff against mexicans, latinos, italians, jews, arabs, black people, some white people, women, gays, ....would you like me to continue?

[–] FridaySteve@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

Oh shit I thought you meant things like bunkum or balderdash lmao

[–] CobblerScholar@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

Most people realized that terms they had been using were viewed as offensive to someone because of the wildly increased communication capacity of the internet. Aside from the majority not wanting to be a dick to someone else insulting someone tends to cause trouble for the offender as well. So in purely selfish terms it was easier to just not say the things that would get you in trouble.

[–] Steve@communick.news 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Most slang terms don't last.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Can the dumber ones pass more quickly, please?

Totes mid, fr fr. Not fetch.

[–] rebelsimile@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] Today@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Still no idea what that means.

[–] rebelsimile@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 weeks ago

I’m just trying to kill it. As a person in my 40s, it’s the only power I have. No cap.

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[–] SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I can think of quite a few. I presume I know the three you are talking about.

Also we're classifying slurs as words specifically used with the intent of attacking someone right.

Not just a word people are offended by no matter the intent historically.

[–] Patnou@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Aren't all slurs attacking something or someone you disagree with?

[–] SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not really.

What I mean is what if I started calling all Lemmy users lemmos and meant no offense, the word caught on too.

But then Lemmy users hated it. So people stop using it.

Is that a slur or not.

Theres a lot of offensive words today that have a history like that. Where they were often descriptive words and not attacking words by intent of the user.

[–] cheers_queers@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

I think power structures come into play too. Example: a plantation owner calling his slaves the n-word. Language used to dehumanize a group is always a slur.

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[–] DarkAri@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 weeks ago

I tried to stop using slurs, particularly the identity based ones.

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