Eric Gomes Mrs.

Brophy BTT 101 December 12th 2013 Just Kidding Not OK When Posting Slurs Online Introduction
Simple searches of Twitter or other social networks will find lots of allusive language, and the occasional just kidding! which doesnt take the sting out at all, according to a new poll. !liss, "#$%& 'n a shift in attitude, most (oung people now sa( its wrong to use racist or se)ist slurs online, even if (oure *ust kidding. !ut when the( see them, the( dont take much personal offence. + majority of teens and (oung adults who use the internet sa( the( at least sometimes see derogator( words and images targeting various groups. ,he( often dismiss that stuff as *ust *oking around, not meant to -e hurtful. .ckers, Jul( "#$%& +mericans ages $/ to "/ sa( people who are overweight are the most fre0uent target, followed -( ga( people. Ne)t in line for online a-use1 -lacks and women.

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a!!i"s #tory
I see things like that all the time, sa(s 2ito 3alli, $4, of 5eading, Pa. It doesnt really bother me unless theyre meaning it to offend me personally. .ven then he tries to -rush it off. 3alli, whose famil( emigrated from +rgentina, sa(s people tease him online with *oke a-out 6ispanics, -ut you ant let those things get to you. 6es t(pical of man( (oung people surve(ed. ,he ma*orit( sa( the( arent ver( offended -( slurs in social media or cellphone te)t messages 7 even such inflammator( terms as bit h or fag of the N8word. 9et like 3alli, most think using language that insults a group of people is wrong. ,he high school sophomore sa(s he tried, with difficult(, to -reak his ha-it of 3alling an(thing uncool gay or retarded.

$e%%rey"s #tory

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Jeffre( !akken, "%, a producer at a video game compan( in 3hicago, said the -ad stuff online, especiall( slurs protested anonymous!y, shouldnt overshadow what he sees as the (ounger generations stronger commitment to e0ual rights for minorities and ga(s than its elders. "ids (ere horrible before the Internet e)isted, !akken said. Its just that no( its more a essible to the publi eye. 3ompared with an +J8:J2 poll two (ears ago, (oung people are more disapproving of using slurs online. Nearl( ; in $# sa( using discriminator( words or images isnt all right, even as a *oke. Onl( a-out half were so disapproving in "#$$. !ooker, "#$%& Now a -are ma*orit( sa( its wrong to use slurs even among friends who know (ou dont mean it. 'n the previous poll, most (oung people said that was OK. !ut the share who come across slurs online has held stead(. :ore than half of (oung users of &ouTube, 'aceboo( and gaming communities such as )bo* +i,e and #team sa( the( sometimes or often encounter -iased messages on these platforms.

$ust $o(in-...

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Wh( do people post or te)t that stuff< ,o -e funn(, according to most of the (oung people who see it. +nother -ig reason1 to -e cool. =ess than a third said a ma*or reason people use slurs is -ecause the( actuall( har-our hateful feelings toward the groups the( are maligning. +ost of the time theyre just joking around, or talking about a elebrity, Jeff 6itchins, a white "/8(ear8old in Springfield, Pa, said a-out the insulting references to -lacks, women and ga(s that he encounters on the /ine and Insta-ram image8showing sites. ,ate spee h is be oming so ommonpla e, you forget (here the (ords are oming from, and they a tually hurt people (ithout e-en reali.ing it. Some slurs are taken more seriousl( than others. 5acial insults are not likel( to -e seen as hurtful, (et a strong ma*orit( of those surve(ed 7 ; in $# 7 felt comments and images targeting transgender people or :uslims are. +lmost as likel( to -e viewed as mean8spirited are slurs against ga(s, les-ians and -ise)ual people, and those aimed at people who are overweight.

Maria"s #tory
:aria 3aprigno, who has struggled with o-esit( since childhood, said seeing mean images on >ace-ook stings. !ut she thinks the online world reflects the rest of ?.S. societ(.

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Its still so ially a

eptable to omment someones (eight and (hat

someone is eating, said 3aprigno, $@, of Norwood, :ass. %e need to hange that about our ulture before people reali.e posting stuff like that online is going to be offensi-e to someone.

Eric("s #tory
.rick >ernandeA of West New 9ork, N.J., sa(s what people share online reflects the influence of song l(rics and music videos and movies. >ernandeA, "", said he was probably -ery loose a-out himself -efore he was chosen for a diversit( summer camp in high school that e)plained wh( phrases like 0hats so gay are hurtful. Now a college student, he routinel( sees insulting language for women and people of colour -andied a-out online. I try to all some of my friends out on it but its a really to no a-ail, >ernadeA said. 0hey brush it off and fi-e minutes later something else (ill ome out. %hy e-en bother1 '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.

0!e*andria"s #tory
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+le)andria Washington said shes accustomed to seeing men who wouldnt sa( offensive things to her in person post pictures of half3naked (omen in se)ual positions, followed -( demeaning comments and slurs like (hore and rat het. 0heyll post anything online, but in person its a (hole different story, said Washington, "", a graduate student in ,allahassee, >la.

onc!usion
,here seems to -e a desensitiAing effect. ,hose who report more e)posure to discriminator( images and words online are less likel( to sa( its wrong than those who rarel( or never encounter it. 3onte)t is crucial, too. Bemeaned groups sometimes reclaim slurs as a wa( of stripping the words of their power 7 like the feminist 4it h magaAine or ga( rights activists chanting %ere here, (ere 5ueer, get used to it! Washington, who is +frican8+merican, said that on most da(s she doesnt come across social slurs on social media. !ut she stum-les upon -igoted words when the races in the news, such as surrounding President !arack O-amas re8 election, and finds them hurtful in that serious conte)t. =ikewise, 3alli, the high school student originall( from +rgentina, said he could stomach almost an( name8calling -ut gets upset when someone uses a falsehood to denigrate immigrants.

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Works Cited
!liss, B. "#$%, Sept ""&. Csocialmanners via ,witter.com. !ooker, J. "#$%, Octo-er $4&. &o ila +edia 4i.. 5etrieved Becem-er 4, "#$%, from www.socialmedia.-iA .ckers, J. Jul( "#$%&. Social :edia .ti0uette. +a leans, $48$D.

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'nde) 'ntroduction...........................................Page $ 3allis Stor(...........................................Page " Jeffre(s Stor(.......................................Page " Just Joking............................................Page % :arias Stor(.........................................Page / .ricks Stor(..........................................Page 4 +le)andrias Stor(.................................Page 4 3onclusion............................................Page ;

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