General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Wypipo Poll [View all]Caliman73
(11,736 posts)Language is an abstraction. It is code to define objects in the physical world, emotions, thoughts, and concepts. What makes them offensive, or childish and dumb is how people react to what they represent.
Moron, Imbecile, and Mentally Retarded were all clinical terms that were used to describe people who have developmental disabilities that resulted in levels of intellectual functioning below a certain standard. The terms were retired from clinical use when because of how people were using them, they became offensive and barriers to treating people with dignity.
Phrases like, "You hit like a girl" are used to disparage people, men in particular, by associating them with women, who are perceived to be weak and ineffectual.
I am not a particular fan of "Wypipo" and would likely not use it myself, but I understand how it is used in context. People of color talk to each other about their experience, often because White people do not care to hear about it. We used terms to describe certain behavioral patterns in certain groups of individuals just like any other group of people do. Like we all agree that a car is a vehicle with 4 wheels, with an engine and transmission that travels on the ground over roads. Given the relatively small amount of social power that people of color have in any given society, especially in the US (as it is where this conversation is taking place), the term "Wypipo" is mainly internal dialogue that people on the board chose to share to have a discussion on race and language.
The irony is that certain people are upset about the term, but the larger point about how EVERYDAY language has been used to oppress people of color or communicate social norms that exclude people of color, sails right over their head. It is called "divisive" instead of being a learning experience.