25-07-2015, 12:27 AM
I'm from the camp in which words are only as powerful as we let them be. Consider how words like "nerd" could mean a socially inept loser or a computer genius. Cracker is regarded to be a derogatory term for white people, but I'm not bothered by the word in the slightest. I treat it as a silly insult. Some people take offense with hearing swear words, but I'm not one of them.
I feel like I'm coming from a different generation when I say I recall there was a time not too long ago when the problems transsexuals/transgender individuals feared (or sometimes faced) was along the lines of losing one's job, being disowned by family, losing one's kids, getting assaulted or even murdered. In comparison, talking about being offended because someone doesn't abide by your verbal etiquette sounds so petty in my humble opinion. I think a part of possessing a strong sense of self-identity (no matter where you fall on the gender spectrum) is having a level of self-fortitude that doesn't bend or break every time someone says something to you that you don't like.
I feel like I'm coming from a different generation when I say I recall there was a time not too long ago when the problems transsexuals/transgender individuals feared (or sometimes faced) was along the lines of losing one's job, being disowned by family, losing one's kids, getting assaulted or even murdered. In comparison, talking about being offended because someone doesn't abide by your verbal etiquette sounds so petty in my humble opinion. I think a part of possessing a strong sense of self-identity (no matter where you fall on the gender spectrum) is having a level of self-fortitude that doesn't bend or break every time someone says something to you that you don't like.