A former GOP donor, who once made headlines after calling former president Barack Obama the N-word, fatally shot himself after attempting to kill his wife, according to reports.

  • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    r***** is a slur. Have you ever said it in a positive or neutral way? You say it primarily in a negative way.

    Actually, when that word was first invented and used, it was used more in a medical way, and not in a way that was derogatory.

    Society mutated its meaning into a derogatory term later on, and when that happened the medical industry changed to use other phrasing like “mentally ill”, etc.

    • xantoxis@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This is how ALL words work, though. That word isn’t special at all in that regard. Most slurs are initially used innocently and then acquire a negative meaning based on who uses them and how they are generally perceived to be used over time.

    • Stumblinbear@pawb.social
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      1 year ago

      And now people use “mentally ill” (derogatory) instead of retard. When will that become a slur?