Reply #740: Notes on 'poutrage' given here due to tone of respect

[Bluenorthwest]

I'd like to point out that EarlG's locked thread thread states that the term 'Obama supporter' can be seen as an insult in some circumstances, the context being very important. I agree with him, but clearly if that is the case, a slang term coined specifically to be derisive might also have various connotations in various contexts.
Also, for those interested, Rachel's use of the word poutrage is intentional, something the gay community and others do to co-opt terms that are used to attack us. It is a way to defang the slur, if you will. We have done it several times in the past. Another point to take to heart is that words spoken by person A and person B always have different rules in America. Chris Rock uses words that would get a white guy fired for being a hate speaker, and that is just a fact of life.
So Rachel says poutrage. Does Rock's use of certain slurs mean they are now generally acceptable to use toward anyone, at anytime? That their other meanings are now vanished? Of course not. That would be clearly racist, to repeat what Chris just said. Although when he said it, it was not....