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Jack Ormel Leslie Brophy BTT101-01 2013/12/11

Just Kidding
$ntroduction

ot OK !hen "osting #lurs Online

#imple #earches o% Twitter or other social net&orks &ill %ind lots o% a'usi(e language) and the occasional *just kidding+, &hich doesn-t take the sting out at all) according to a ne& poll. 1 $n a shi%t in attitude) most young people no& say it-s &rong to use racist or se/ist slurs online) e(en i% you-re 0ust kidding. But &hen they see them) they don-t take much personal o%%ence. 1 majority o% teens and young adults &ho use the internet say that at least sometimes see derogatory &ords and images targeting (arious groups. They o%ten dismiss that stu%% as 0ust 0oking around) not meant to 'e hurt%ul. 2

2or an electronic source 3 author 3 4a(e Bliss 5Blissman6) Title-7socialmanners (ia T&itter.com) #ept. 22) 2013
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2or a 0ournal article %rom 3 author 3 Joan 8ckers) Title 3 #ocial 9edia 8ti:uette) Journal-9acleans) July 2013) pg-s 1;-1<

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1mericans ages 1= to 2= say people &ho are o(er&eight are the most %re:uent target) %ollo&ed 'y gay people. a'use> 'lacks and &omen. ?alli-s #tory *I see things like that all the time,, says @ita ?alli) 1;) o% Aeading) "a. *It doesnt really bother me unless theyre meaning to o end me !ersonally., 8(en then he tries to 'rush it o%%. ?alli) &hose %amily emigrated %rom 1rgentina) says people tease him online &ith 0okes a'out Bispanics) 'ut *you "ant let those things get to you#, Be-s typical o% many young people sur(eyed. The ma0ority say they aren-t o%%ended 'y slurs in social media or cellphone te/t messages 3 e(en such in%lammatory terms as *bit"h, or * ag, or the !ord. Cet like ?alli) most think using language that insults a group o% people is &rong. The high school sophomore says he has tried) &ith di%%iculty) to 'reak his ha'it o% calling anything uncool *gay, or *retarded., e/t in line %or online

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Je%%ery-s #tory Je%%ery Bakken) 23) a producer at a (ideo game company in ?hicago) said the 'ad stu%% online) especially slurs posted anonymously) shouldn-t o(ershado& &hat he sees as the younger generation-s strongest commitment to e:ual rights %or minorities and gays than its elders. *Kids %ere horrible be ore the Internet e&isted), Bakken said. *Its just that no% its more a""essible to the !ubli" eye., ?ompared &ith 1"-9TD poll t&o years ago) young people today are more disappro(ing o% using slurs online. early E in 10 say using discriminatory &ords or images isn-t all right) e(en as a 0oke. Only a'out hal% &ere so disappro(ing in 2011. 3 o&) a 'are ma0ority say it-s &rong to use slurs e(en among %riends &ho kno& you don-t mean it. $n the pre(ious poll) most young people said that &as OK. But the share &ho come across slurs online has held steady. 9ore than hal% o% young users o% YouTube) Facebook and gaming communities such as Xbox Live and Steam say they sometimes or o%ten encounter 'iased messages on those plat%orms.
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2rom a &e'site 3 1uthor 3 Joe Booker) ame o% !e' "age-#ocial 9edia BiF) last updated Octo'er 1;) 2013) accessed 4ec. ;) 2013) OAL-&&&.socialmedia.'iF

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Just JokingGGG !hy do people post or te/t that stu%%G To 'e %unny) according to most o% the young people &ho see it. 1nother 'ig reason> to 'e cool. Less than a third said a ma0or reason people use slurs is 'ecause they actually har'our hate%ul %eelings to&ard the groups they are maligning. *(ost o the time theyre just joking around, or talking about a "elebrity), Je%% Bitchins) a &hite 2=-year-old in #pring%ield) "a.) said a'out the insulting re%erences to 'lacks) &omen and gays that he encounters on the Vine and Instagram image-sharing sites. *)ate s!ee"h is be"oming so "ommon!la"e, you orget %here the %ords are "oming rom, and they a"tually hurt !eo!le %ithout e*en reali+ing it., #ome slurs are taken more seriously than others. Aacial insults are not that likely to 'e seen as hurt%ul) yet a strong ma0ority o% those sur(eyed 3 E in 10 3 %elt comments and images targeting transgender people or 9uslims are.

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1lmost as likely to 'e (ie&ed as mean-spirited are slurs against gays) les'ians and 'ise/ual people) and those aimed at people &ho are o(er-&eight. 9aria-s #tory 9aria ?aprigna) &ho has struggled &ith o'esity since childhood) said seeing mean images on 2ace'ook stings. But she thinks the online &orld re%lects the rest o% D.#. society. *Its still so"ially a""e!table to "omment on someones %eight and %hat someone is eating), said ?apringa) 1H) or or&ood) 9ass.

*We need to "hange that about our "ulture be ore !eo!le reali+e !osting stu 8rick-s #tory 8rick 2ernandeF o% !est e& Cork) .J.) says &hat people share like that online is going to be o ensi*e to someone.,

online re%lects the in%luence o% song lyrics and music (ideos and mo(ies. 2ernandeF) 22) said he &as *!robably *ery loose, a'out that himsel% 'e%ore he &as chosen %or a di(ersity summer camp in high school that e/plained &hy phrases like *-hats so gay, are hurt%ul. o&

a college student) he routinely sees insulting language %or &omen and people o% colour 'andied a'out online.

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*I try to "all some o my riends out on it but its really to no a*ail,, 2ernandeF said. *-hey brush it o and i*e minutes later

something else %ill "ome out# Why botherG, $n the poll) young people said they &ere less likely to ask someone to stop using hurt%ul language on a social net&orking site than %ace to %ace. 1le/andria-s #tory 1le/andria !ashington said she-s accustomed to seeing men &ho &ouldn-t say o%%ensi(e things to her in person post pictures o% *hal /naked %omen in se&ual !ositions), %ollo&ed 'y demeaning comments and slurs like *%hore, and *rat"het#, *-heyll !ost anything online, but in !erson its a %hole di erent story,, said !ashington) 22) a graduate student in Tallahassee) 2la. ?onclusion There seems to 'e a desensitiFing e%%ect. Those &ho report more e/posure to discriminatory images and &ords online are less likely to say it-s &rong than those &ho rarely or ne(er encounter it. ?onte/t is crucial) too. 4emeaned groups sometimes reclaim slurs as a &ay o% stripping the &ords o% their po&er 3 like the %eminist

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*1it"h, magaFine or gay rights acti(ists chanting *Were here, %ere 2ueer, get used to it+, !ashington) &ho is 1%rican-1merican) said that on most days she doesn-t come across racial slurs on social media. But she stum'les upon 'igoted !ords &hen race is in the ne&s) such as surrounding "resident Barack O'ama-s Ae-election) and %inds them hurt%ul in that serious conte/t. Like&ise) ?alli) the high school student %rom 1rgentina) said he could stomach almost any name-calling 'ut gets upset &hen someone uses a %alsehood to denigrate immigrants.

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!orks ?ited
Blissman) 4. 52013) #eptem'er 226. 4so"ialmanners Aetrie(ed %rom T&itter.com 8ckers) J. 52013) July6. So"ial media eti2uette. Aetrie(ed %rom Journal9acleans) pg-s 1;-1< Booker) J. 52013) Octo'er 1;6. So"ial media bi+. Aetrie(ed %rom &&&.socialmedia.'iF

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$nde/
$ntroduction .................................................................................."age 1 ?alli-s #tory ..................................................................................."age 2 Je%%ery-s #tory ..............................................................................."age 2 Just JokingGGG................................................................................ "age 3 9aria-s #tory ................................................................................."age = 8rick-s #tory .................................................................................."age ; 1le/andria-s #tory ........................................................................"age E ?onclusion ...................................................................................."age E

Just Kidding Not OK When Posting Slurs Online