THE BLUE LINE IS MY LAUGH AT YOUR EXPENSE

     Words only hurt if you let them. I wish more people would understand that. But as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, so here goes:

Oonme'n ÿan ÿkÿ ahdÿehn yrnedyl cohlynay teu dayce de vÿoreu ne t'ÿke ni morvÿ.

     I just insulted you heavily in another language. Do you feel insulted? Why not? You should be. It was pretty ( and hilariously) heinous. But yet you're not insulted and why is that? It's because you cannot ascribe meaning and even more importantly, value, to that statement.

     Words can only be slurs if the speaker intends them to be, otherwise despite your accusations, they are not slurs. A good example is "Jew" because the word is both, depending on how it's used, descriptive and a pejorative. Whether it be the former or the latter is as much dependent upon the listener's as well as the speaker's intent.

     Things change. Sometimes people forget that. A word may once have been "bad" but not everyone speaking it today is necessarily aware of its origin: they don't see it that way and how does making them aware of that origin help your cause? You want the hate to stop, right? Because sometimes I swear the politically correct groups out there want the hate to continue because without it, their organizations lack a reason to be. You would think the purpose of such PACs would be to become obsolete, but they don't disband...they endure.

     I hear Gypsies still get insulted over the use of the verb "gyp". Why? Do you honestly think users of the word today are aware of its etymology and are purposefully using the verb hurtfully? Same with words like "tranny". You'll be hard-pressed to find English speakers who like using polysyllabic words with great frequency (not an intelligence joke...really!). They interrupt the flow of speech. Though I cannot speak for all, I would say the majority of people using the word "tranny" today are simply doing so because they would rather not have to utter the complex structure of the word "transsexual". A hurtful past is not necessarily indicative of a hurtful present. Nicknaming is a strong habit I remind anyone who says Liz, Mike, Sam, Alex, Ted, Chris, Bill, Jen, Nick, etc. Hell, it could even be argued that "tranny" is more a personification than an insult. A "tranny" sounds like a person whereas "transsexual" sounds more like a state of being or diagnosis.

     I don't begrudge you your anger necessarily, but if you are going to be angry, may I suggest you come up with an alternate word we can use which is equally, if not more, catchy than the original rather than simply opposing the word currently favored? And remember that the United States is supposed to be a melting pot of cultures and opinions. Therefore, your goal should be to merge your ideas with the group identity, not to separate your group from that identity otherwise you will be opposed at every turn.