cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20487558

skin destroyer @gloomingly

(trying to make small talk) notice any patterns lately

2:34 PM - Oct 1, 2024 · 73.9K Views Follow

  • HugucinogensEnglish
    2·
    24 hours ago

    I can’t, for the love of god, find the damned post and comment that talked about it, no matter how much I look for it.

    Where I found it.

    It was about the same screenshot though, and posted in Lemmy not too long ago (maximum 2 days before this post)

    But, like, this is how language works. If you normalize a different meaning to a word, that word loses its previous function. That’s what oppressive regimes and cultures do to the most useful linguistic tools of the oppressed.

    Short explanation

    They use the specific word, to identify and objectify those that use it first, and then co-opt the word and change the useful meaning to something that helps the oppression instead.

    Am example is the word “woke”, coming from poor African Americans, meaning to keep an eye out for dangerous racists. That word being, over a long period of time, stolen and bastardized by those same racists, and turned into a tool for othering whoever is not part of their cultural group.

    So, it definitely works, and it should work better the more secretive the original meaning is.

    • fracture [he/him] @beehaw.orgEnglish
      1·
      15 hours ago

      that’s true, but there’s also an argument of resources and conformity to consider. oppressive regiemes also have large amounts of media at their disposal and tend to be very good at issuing orders from the top down, so their ability to define things is pretty strong

      we don’t really… have those things :') so our ability to make an impact isn’t really as great, i would think. and given that, maybe it’s best to recognize and educate people on what the existing dog whistles are, rather than trying to reclaim them?