Can we please stop using "guitard"?

[BigDanT]

Good luck not insulting anyone ever. It's not even possible.

There's a big difference between saying something that insults someone and intentionally using a word that thousands of people say is hurtful and offensive.

Like I said, before this thread I never really even thought about the term "guitard". And, I also don't usually weigh in on these flame ups. But then I thought about this... There are a number of younger folks on this forum (high school age and possibly younger). They read a funny post about a "guitard" all of a sudden they think guitard is funny, so is "dufus" let's call xxx a "dufus". That's not funny.

 

[JimmyM]

And I never got offended. So it looks like we both drew false conclusions.

If I really wanted to, I could say something that would offend you. Trust me.

Wow, what an arrogant prick.

As a bass player, I can assure you I always get the girl, and I'm the best musician and entertainer in every band I've ever played.

See, Duuuuuude, there you go. Electra said he wasn't going to stop using "guitard" and bagged on the PC/offended crowd, and he just got totally offended by something someone said.

I can do it to you, too, Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude. It's only my awesome benevolence that prevents me from doing so

 

[Mike Sorr]

First of all, if you refer to a person of "diminished mental capacity" as "********". It's NOT an insult. They ARE. Again, it's not an accepted term anymore, but that's a different subject. It's when you call someone that's NOT disabled "********" that is hurtful. You are saying "you and/or your behavior is as undesirable as an intellectually disabled person".

Yeah, and? By the way, who decided it's not an accepted term? Do you mean from a medical diagnosis point of view or from a social acceptance point of view? Not all pejoratives are cruel, some are just accurate communication. If someone is acting like a fool and another person tells them so, the word fool isn't used to make the person feel good. It's meant to point out undesirable behavior. Like the word thug. Somehow that has become a hot button word lately. Because when you see people engaged in thuggery that's the most accurate term for their behavior., tough if you don't like it. I'm not buying into this overly sensitive, everything is offensive wave that is crashing down on the culture. It's stupid. Sorry if I have offended stupid people...not.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

If I really wanted to, I could say something that would offend you. Trust me.

Okay. Not really sure how that proves your point about unintentionally offending a third party.

 

[chrism2sych]

Why? Personally, I find it more moronic that some people need signs to tell them what is appropriate to buy for their children when they go to the store.

Signs are not there for appropriateness they are there for convenience.... for the 90% of people who don't get offended so they can navigate their way through the store. Personally my daughter is a bit of a tomboy so when we go shopping we go right to the boys section......because we know that is where we will find the things she likes....nothing more nothing less.

 

[JShogunE]

This is a bass guitar and upright bass forum. Not a arena to battle about political correctness and semantics.

 

[JimmyM]

This is a bass guitar and upright bass forum. Not a arena to battle about political correctness and semantics.

Start your own forum if you have a problem with it.

 

[wmhill]

this will all be closed tomorrow, and we can move on to important stuff like the best tort for metal, mixed drivers are the spawn of Satan, and P-bass is the only bass that sits right in the mix.

 

[JimmyM]

Okay. Not really sure how that proves your point about unintentionally offending a third party.

Where the heck does unintentional come into play? We're talking about purposeful offending.

 

[JLY]

I was a guitard at church today
I hope to be proudly back as a basstard in two weeks
I think we need to lighten up a bit
I think it is really just used tongue in cheek
If I knew it would offend someone I would never use it around them

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Where the heck does unintentional come into play? We're talking about purposeful offending.

I thought this was about mentally challenged people getting offended by an insult aimed at guitar players? I don't think I saw any posts about guitar players getting offended.

 

[bolophonic]

Signs are not there for appropriateness they are there for convenience.... for the 90% of people who don't get offended so they can navigate their way through the store. Personally my daughter is a bit of a tomboy so when we go shopping we go right to the boys section......because we know that is where we will find the things she likes....nothing more nothing less.

Yeah, but have you actually seen what people say about the sign issue in Target? Go to their facebook page and see how many people are worried about finding the right toys without labels, vs. people who are convinced that Target is attempting to trample their right to practice "traditional values."

 

[Wai]

That doesn't mean you should purposefully do it. Sheesh!

This thread has mostly been about the handicapped, at least that's my understanding. As an aspiring Linguist my opinion is this: Language is meant to be used. Period that's it for me. It has nothing to do with morals about intentionally insulting anyone (which we've all done anyway). No words should ever be banned ESPECIALLY for people who were offended when that wasn't even the intent. That's just stupidity and universally accepting their attempts at censorship creates problems for the language and it's speakers. It's dumb and will never end if it is allowed to continue.

 

[Mike Sorr]

 

[electracoyote]

See, Duuuuuude, there you go. Electra said he wasn't going to stop using "guitard" and bagged on the PC/offended crowd, and he just got totally offended by something someone said.

Not really offended Jimmy, I've lived that line most of my life. It's actually more amusing now than anything. In terms of reasoning, it's a massive fail start to finish. Good bass players, like good drummers, literally make or break bands.

Wanky arrogant guitards, on the other hand, tend to only break bands.

 

[Febs]

Yeah, and? By the way, who decided it's not an accepted term? Do you mean from a medical diagnosis point of view or from a social acceptance point of view? Not all pejoratives are cruel, some are just accurate communication. If someone is acting like a fool and another person tells them so, the word fool isn't used to make the person feel good. It's meant to point out undesirable behavior.

But in the case of calling someone a "r*tard," you are not pointing out an unacceptable behavior; you are attempting to hurt or insult someone by comparing them to someone with a disability.

If you and a friend were in a room with someone with Down Syndrome, and your friend did something you thought was stupid, would you say to him, "dude, you are such a r*tard"? Do you understand how that could be more hurtful to the person with Down Syndrome than to your friend?

 

[OhulahanBass]

I think this sums it up very nicely:



Putting an end to gtard isn't going to solve anything for the mentally challenged, volunteering for Best Buddies may help change lives. Donating to research helps... Putting an end to a joke that is enjoyed by many wont accomplish much.

 

[GretschWretch]

Well if this thread proves anything, it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that anti-PC people are completely phony. They think it's your problem if you get offended over something they say, but turn the tables on them and insult them and they get offended, too. You're just as susceptible to being offended as anyone else...you just have different triggers. And I can assure you that if you offend me, I will find your trigger and use it against you just because I think you're a phony. So knock off the phoniness, own up to it, and if you don't want me to offend you, don't offend me.

Ah, Jimmy. You were on a roll, and then you over-reached with this one. Where is your sample that justifies your generalization that ALL anti-PC people are COMPLETELY phony? Certainly some, perhaps many, are. But neither you nor I know the extent. And as to "finding triggers," anyone with a proclivity for medium-scale basses already is vulnerable.

I personally have little sympathy, and even less respect, for the hardcore PC-ers, mainly because of their inflated sense of self-importance and intrusive autocratic tendencies based on the teachings of that great lexicographer, Humpty-Dumpty. As to political correctness itself, I find it to be just bullarkey. A thing is either right or it isn't. If it's right, it needs no modifying adjective. If it isn't, no added adjective will make it so.

 

[crucislancer]

Thank you for posting this. If ever there was someone to wipe away the BS, it was Carlin. Still miss him!

 

[JimmyM]

Not really offended Jimmy, I've lived that line most of my life. In terms of reasoning, it's a massive fail start to finish. Good bass players, like good drummers, literally make or break bands.

Wanky arrogant guitards, on the other hand, tend to only break bands.

Oh, well you'll have to excuse me then, bro. I see someone call someone else an "arrogant prick" over something they said, and I assume they're offended. Silly me