Exactly. I asked earnestly because we already know that it wouldn’t be okay to use the n-slur in the same context. I want to challenge people to take ableist slurs more seriously.

Ironic.

I didn’t say that we had to do away with tone, though? I’m confused.

If you were parodying a racist, would you use the n-slur?

Can we not use r-slur derivatives here please?

I just made a post about some of these issues as well. Your writing about how you use hyper-precise language really resonates with me as well. I find myself rehearsing speech and getting very frustrated when I can’t find the exact perfect word to convey my meaning, because I hate being misunderstood and then attacked over it. It’s very frustrating when even my most precise words are misconstrued because someone didn’t like the “tone” or finds some other such “fault” with my words that wasn’t intended.

Bonus thoughts that got lost in the original composition process:

Tone indicators being used by ND people can be a defense mechanism against being misunderstood, because so often people misunderstand our words and then ridicule or attack us for it, so many of us will go to great lengths to avoid being misunderstood again. I hope you can see how calling that cringe is harmful.

I often get accused of trolling when I call out ableism or talk about something else that’s very outside of the scope of what the dominant group has had to think about. It’s really painful, I feel for you. :(

I don’t agree. It’s just normalized to the degree that most people don’t actively think about the connection anymore, the same way that they don’t think about how calling something that’s boring “lame” originally came from a term describing a physical impairment.

Just because something is normalized doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful. Equating different brains with badness upholds ableism the same way that male-as-default in some languages upholds patriarchy.

I just noticed his name is an ableist pun. Yuck.