STOP USING GAY AS AN INSULT (& MORE)

I often walk out of  intense class discussions on anti-discrimination  laws and social issues excited to see people advocate for  equality,  kindness and acceptance. But, turns out, as I return to  daily life and conversations, I get to witness something entirely  different. I find the comment section of social media posts flooded  with an array of identity slurs (the most popular ones being “Gay  shit” and “Ni****”) while Whatsapp group texts share the same  fate. Each time a guy goes against another person’s grain, he  becomes gay and when a girl does, she becomes a c*nt. This  dichotomy between what we advocate for and the incongruous  way we choose to express ourselves is puzzling.

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The problem is, the usage of these slurs and identity insults is so  normalized that we fail to notice how dehumanising they really  are.  What do such insults aim to insinuate? When you use identity  insults, what you’re suggesting is, their actions that you  disapprove of are a consequence of their social  identity(sexuality/race/gender). According to you, these identities are innately inferior and worthy of humiliation.

Actions aren’t the consequence of race, sexuality or gender. Popular perception goes such: if you know a person’s race, gender, sexuality, class, you know them inside out. We are part of a culture where people are valued and degraded based on “what” they are (things they have no control over) over who they are. In such culturally attuned minds, there exists an incessant need to put people in boxes and create a notion of hardwired differences between each social group (even when we are more alike than different).

You might even argue that you don't truly believe in the slur- it's a word with no meaning, or that you're not giving the word any power. But, the usage of these words is a reflection of internalized - at times even unconscious prejudices and stereotypes. You are contributing to larger stigmas and hate crimes when you choose to use certain identities as an insult. At the end of the day, impact is more important than intent.