| From: | Marc Renouf renouf@********.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Breeder definition |
| Date: | Wed, 17 Feb 1999 14:32:11 -0500 (EST) |
> If I was in a heated exchange of belittling terms with someone and they
> called me a "Non egg-laying mammal!", I think I would laugh at them rather
> than grind my teeth and spit.
> What aspect of being called "Breeder" makes it something that one does not
> want to be called one? I really don't think I'd really care if metahumans
> took up the habit of calling me (as a not metahuman), "breeder". I'd just
> ignore it and go on with my life.
Well, it's often not so simple. Look at the modern term "nigger."
It's a derogatory slang term derived from "negro" which literally means
"black" in Spanish. By itself, it has no meaning, and calling someone of
African descent "black" is more or less a statement of fact.
But it's still insulting. It has its own connotations that extend
far beyond the original meaning of the word. In many cases, it's not so
much *what* you say as *how* you say it. Anything can be an insult
depending on how much scorn you put into it. Perhps "breeder" is used in
much the same way.
Marc
