hmichellerose on Nostr: I have a general policy of calling people out when I hear them say ugly things. And ...

I have a general policy of calling people out when I hear them say ugly things. And nearly always those people will get angry at me for that and say all sorts of things such as “You’re too sensitive” or “I have free speech” and my favorite, “It’s just a word!”

And yes, they are entirely correct. It’s just a word, and words don’t really matter, it’s just a sound. But, intentions do matter. I don’t care about the word itself, I care about the intention.

“Bitch” is a good example. I will at times call a friend a “crazy bitch”, but in a playful context where it is clear that my intention is joking or even complementary. That same friend may have just yesterday encountered some asshole at a bar that got mad at her when she wasn’t interested in him and called her a “fucking bitch!” In that context it’s clear that his intention was to insult her and to insult her specifically because she is a woman. And this friend is going to respond to these two situations very differently. Same word, very different intentions.

It’s always all about the intention. The same word is a very different thing when used light heartedly vs when used as an insult.