# What were you THINKING?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 8127

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### Author: ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2026, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8127 "2026-08-28T07:50:25Z")

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> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> After the since-disappeared thread where he spoke approvingly of shooting young children in the head and drowning immigrants in razor-water traps in rivers,

The remnants remain,

> [@Dehumanizing language should not be allowed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dehumanizing-language-should-not-be-allowed/985435):
>
> The thread about using language like “invaders” to describe immigrants was derailed, imo, by the strawman that we’re not in the business of creating a banned words list. Attacking groups you don’t like by abstracting them to things like “invaders” or “insects” is a well worn tactic on the road to violence. We don’t need a list of proscribed terms but we should absolutely have a rule against that type of language. Edit: changed “people” to “groups” for clarity.

> [@"Illegals" and "invaders" should be moderated as hate speech in the context of immigration debates](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegals-and-invaders-should-be-moderated-as-hate-speech-in-the-context-of-immigration-debates/985244):
>
> I’d like to talk about three terms that show up in discussions of immigration: Illegal immigrants Illegals Invaders (and “invasion”) First, “Illegal immigrants” is a term that is falling out of use among experts in the field. [The DOJ no longer uses it](https://www.npr.org/2021/04/19/988789487/immigration-agencies-ordered-not-to-use-term-illegal-alien-under-new-biden-polic). [The AP Style Guide hasn’t used it for ten years](https://blog.ap.org/announcements/illegal-immigrant-no-more). Linguists decry it as “[neither accurate nor neutral](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/06/illegal-immigrant-label-offensive-wrong-activists-say)”.But I don’t think it should be considered hate speech. It’s the equivalent of an outdated term like “Negro” to describe a Black person: use it…

> [@Severe Hijack, about US borders, moved to pit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severe-hijack-about-us-borders-moved-to-pit/988949):
>
> What, even at the border?

which contains these gems,

> [@Severe Hijack, about US borders, moved to pit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severe-hijack-about-us-borders-moved-to-pit/988949/4):
>
> Denying legal asylum and setting up death traps in the river has nothing to do with law and order, and everything to do with sadistic cruelty.
> 
> > [@Severe Hijack, about US borders, moved to pit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severe-hijack-about-us-borders-moved-to-pit/988949/5):
> >
> > And giving aid and comfort to illegal aliens by the million is, of course, more reprehensible still.
> > 
> > > [@Severe Hijack, about US borders, moved to pit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severe-hijack-about-us-borders-moved-to-pit/988949/6):
> > >
> > > More reprehensible than injuring and killing refugees??
> > > 
> > > > [@Severe Hijack, about US borders, moved to pit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severe-hijack-about-us-borders-moved-to-pit/988949/7):
> > > >
> > > > Ushering lawbreakers in by the million? Uh, yeah.

> [@Severe Hijack, about US borders, moved to pit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/severe-hijack-about-us-borders-moved-to-pit/988949/35):
>
> I genuinely despise illegal aliens of all races equally.

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