Ladies? Do you refer to your bosom as tits? Do you use the word with other ladies, with your SO, etc ? Does it have a negative or derogatory connotation? As is obvious by now, the use of the N Word is not always seen by the user as hate speech in use.
Ladies, to you is the word tits as offensive as the word nigger?
I have a hard time believing that. I’m not saying some women (or men) wouldn’t be offended by the word tits (which was my point) but I doubt very many people would be as offended as they would be by the word nigger.
You’re walking down the street with an acquaintance. He looks across the street and sees someone (who is out of hearing range). And he says:
Look at the tits on that woman.
Look at that nigger over there.
You honestly think that people would be more shocked by the first than the second?
I thought the new term was “intellectual disability” which I actually kinda like.
And I read a blog whose author is way more sensitive about language than I am (oh, the terminology battles, they go on and on and on) and has other readers who are actively offended by “lame.” All I can say to that is “Oy.” Personally my concern is the attitude behind the language more than the word in question, though there are some words that set me off, I admit.
Wil Wheaton (yes I am a nerd, I am a longtime Doper whaddya want) has a rule that is very simple – “Don’t be a dick.” This applies to almost everything in life. Intent matters, not just the exact word.