Emily Voordouw Mrs.L.

Brophy BTT 101 December 14th 2013

Just Kidding Not OK When Posting Slurs Online

Simple searches of Twitter or other social networks will find lots of abusive language and the occasional just kidding! which doesn t take the sting out at all! according to a new poll" #$liss! %&'()

*n a shift in attitude! most +oung people now sa+ it s wrong to use racist or se,ist slurs online! even if +ou re -ust kidding" $ut when the+ see them! the+ don t take much personal offence"

. majority of teens and +oung adults who use the internet sa+ the+ at least sometimes see derogator+ words and images targeting various groups" /he+ often dismiss that stuff as -ust -oking around! not meant to be hurtful" #0ckers! %&'()

.mericans ages '1 to %1 sa+ people who are overweight are the most fre2uent target! followed b+ ga+ people" Ne,t in line for online abuse3 blacks and women"

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Callis Story
I see things like that all the time! sa+s 4ita 5alli! '6! of 7eading! Pa" It doesnt really bother me unless theyre meaning it to offend me personally "

0ven then he tries to brush it off"

5alli! whose famil+ emigrated from .rgentina! sa+s people tease him online with -okes about 8ispanics! but you cant let those things get to you"

8e s t+pical of man+ +oung people surve+ed" /he ma-orit+ sa+ the+ aren t ver+ offended b+ slurs in social media or cellphone te,t messages 9 even such inflammator+ as bitch or fag or the N:word"

;et like 5alli! most think using language that insults a group of people is wrong" /he high school sophomore sa+s he has tried! with difficult+! to break his habit of calling an+thing uncool gay or retarded"

Jeffreys Story
Jeffre+ $akken! %(! a producer at a video game compan+ in 5hicago! said the bad stuff online! especiall+ slurs posted anonymously! shouldn t

Just iddi!" #ot $ %he! &osti!" 'lurs $!li!e

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overshadow what he sees as the +ounger generation s stronger commitment to e2ual nights for minorities and ga+s than its elders"

Kids were horrible before the internet existed ! $akken said" Its just that now its more accessible to the public eye.

5ompared with an .P 9 </4 poll two +ears ago! +oung people toda+ are more disapproving of using slurs online"

Nearl+ = in '& sa+ using discriminator+ words or images isn t all right! even as a -oke" Onl+ about half were so disapproving in %&''" #$ooker! %&'()

Now! a bare ma-orit+ sa+ it s wrong to use slurs even among friends who know +ou don t mean it" *n the previous poll! most +oung people said that was OK"

$ut the share who came across slurs online has held stead+" <ore than half of +oung users of YouTube, Facebook and gaming communities such as Xbox Live and Steam sa+ the+ sometimes or often encounter biased messages on those platforms"

Just iddi!" #ot $ %he! &osti!" 'lurs $!li!e

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Just Jokin !!!

Wh+ do people post or te,t that stuff> /o be funn+! according to most of the +oung people who see it" .nother big reason3 to be cool" ?ess than a third said a ma-or reason people use slurs is because the+ actuall+ harbor hateful feelings toward the groups the+ are maligning"

Most of the time theyre just joking around, or talking about a celebrity " Jeff 8itchins! a white %1:+ear:old in Springfield! Pa"! said about the insulting reference to blacks! women and ga+s that he encounters on the "ine and #nsta ram image sharing sites" ate speech is becoming so commonplace, you forget where the words are coming from, and they actually hurt people without e!en reali"ing it.

Some slurs are taken more seriousl+ than others" 7acial insults are not that likel+ to be seen as hurtful! +et a strong ma-orit+ of those surve+ed 9 = in '& 9 left comments and images targeting transgender people or <uslims are"

.lmost as likel+ to be viewed as mean:spirited are slurs against ga+s! lesbians and bise,ual people! and those aimed at people who are overweight"

Just iddi!" #ot $ %he! &osti!" 'lurs $!li!e

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$arias Story
<aria 5aprigno! who has struggled with obesit+ since childhood! said seeing mean images on @acebook stings" $ut she thinks the online would reflect the rest of A"S" societ+"

Its still socially acceptable to comment on someones weight and what someone is eating! said 5aprigno! 'B! of Norwood! <ass" #e need to change that about our culture before people reali"e posting stuff like that online is going to be offensi!e to someone.

%ricks Story
0rick @ernandeC of West New ;ork! N"J"! sa+s what people share online reflects the influence of song l+rics and music videos and movies"

@ernandeC! %%! said he was probably !ery loose about himself before he was chosen for a diversit+ summer camp in high school that e,plained wh+ phrases like $hats so gay are hurtful" Now a college student! he routinel+ sees insulting language for women and people of color bandied about online"

I try to call some of my friends out on it but its really to no a!ail ! @ernandeC said" $hey brush it off and fi!e minutes later something else will come out. #hy e!en bother%

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*n the poll! +oung people said the+ were less likel+ to ask someone to stop using hurtful language on a social networking site than face to face"

&lexan'rias Story
.le,andria Washington said she s accustomed to seeing men who wouldn t sa+ offensive things to her in person post pictures of half&naked women in sexual positions, followed b+ demeaning comments and slurs like whore and ratchet"

$heyll post anything online, but in person its a whole different story ! said Washington! %%! a graduate student in /allahassee! @la"

Conclusion
/here seems to be a desensitiCing effect" /hose who report more e,posure to discriminator+ images and words online are less likel+ to sa+ it s wrong than those who rarel+ or never encounter it" 5onte,t is crucial! too" Demeaned groups sometimes reclaim slurs as a wa+ of striping the words of their power 9 like the feminist 'itch magaCine or ga+ rights activists chanting #ere here, were (ueen, get used to it!

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Washington! who is .frican:.merican! said that on most da+s she doesn t come across racial slurs on social media" $ut she stumbles upon bigoted words when race is in the news! such as surrounding President $arack Obama s re: election! and finds them hurtful in that serious conte,t"

?ikewise! 5alli! the high school student originall+ from .rgentina! said he could stomach almost an+ name:calling but gets upset when someone uses falsehood to denigrate immigrants"

Just iddi!" #ot $ %he! &osti!" 'lurs $!li!e

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(orks Cite'
$liss! D" #%&'(! September %%)" ESocialmanners" $ooker! J" #%&'(! October '6)" )ocial Media 'i"" 7etrieved December 6! %&'(! from www"socialmedia"biC 0ckers! J" #%&'()" Social <edia 0ti2uette" *ournal&Macleans! '6:'F"

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*nde,

*ntroduction""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page ' 5alli s Stor+""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page % Jeffre+ s Stor+""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page % Just Joking>>>"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page 1 <aria s Stor+""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page 6 0rick s Stor+"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page 6 .le,andria s Stor+""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page = 5onclusion"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page = Works 5ited"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Page B

Just iddi!" #ot $ %he! &osti!" 'lurs $!li!e