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Originally Posted by Ninetales
I suppose the argument would be if they are intrinsically related how can you separate the two. You can say "context matters" but if tone, familiarity, judgment, etc. can easily get muddled in conversations that lack this level of ambiguity, then it's easy to unintentionally spread the worst connotations of the word.
The "language changes over time" argument is a strange one as well. Using a hateful words in a hateful manner (especially knowing its connotations) and then just claiming a tamer version is not how a definition would fluidly change. It's not using it as an insult at all that would eventually do this, but w/e it's a hill weirdos are willing to die on for some reason.
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You can separate the two because of shades of meaning. The two forms of the word are linked but do not mean the same thing even while
evoking the same meaning. It's language. It's complex and bizarre and nearly impossible to pin down but there are still recognizable differences in how a single word can mean different things in different contexts. You just gotta use a bit of judgement in where and when you use it and perhaps shrug off criticisms that you feel are shallow, missing the point, or strawmanning you but that's always the price you pay for ****posting.