Oh trust me, I’ve been called plenty of things, and have hurt for a great deal of my life as a result. I’ve also said awful things, and hurt even more for that.

I just think that separating people from parts of their language is more akin to a cultural lobotomy than anything else. Taking aspects of language from someone who does not truly understand why, will surely be jarring, and lead to negative reactions more often than not. I don’t think this is going to have a long term positive effect, unless we take the slow road of working to understand each other, and truly embrace all diversity. If we condemn those who hurt us, it only acts to drive more of a wedge through our society.

Telling someone that their actions which are fundamental to their being are hurtful to you, and they need to change, is in fact hurtful to them. It’s not their fault how they were raised, and how their experiences have shaped them, no matter how horrible someone might be. But if we embrace the diversity they add to society, and support them where we can, they just might come to see it for themselves, and strive to be better.

Only the individual can decide to change themself for the better. And even then, it’s a life long journey, and often only minimal changes are possible. So, we should be celebrating the efforts they put forth, not condemning them for the things they don’t have the capacity to change.