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#486 - Gurwinder Bhogal - 14 Mental Models To Understand Human Nature
Modern Wisdom
The History of Offensive Language
The offensive nature of certain words, such as 'retard,' contrasts sharply with similar terms like 'idiot,' 'imbecile,' and 'moron,' which often elicit little to no offense despite sharing historical roots in describing mental disabilities. This disparity suggests that the classification of words as offensive is an arbitrary societal construct rather than based on intrinsic qualities of the words themselves. A collective decision by a group of intellectuals appears to have dictated the emotional reactions associated with specific language, highlighting that outrage can be largely manufactured. Many terms that provoke anger or offense may not stem from genuine feeling but rather from historical choices and arbitrary social norms. This insight reveals that societal outrage often lacks substantive grounding and is subject to change based on collective agreement rather than a consistent moral standard.
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