I agree. Small nitpick: retard in WSB context is not entirely an insult. You can swap letters and come up with trader. It’s WSBs special way of saying you belong to it’s retail trader group that does stupid bets.
This is really important context. WSB traders use words that some would consider offensive in an affectionate way. “Degenerate gambling addict” sounds terrible but it’s a compliment there.
Criticising people’s language without their context reminds me of Americans getting upset when they hear Spanish speakers say the word “black”.
WSB users are so into the argument about context that they forgot that when borrowing from another language, that language's context doesn't just vanish.
I don't think it's quite the same though, the Spanish word for black exists in an entirely different culture that isn't shaped by the words use in modern America. Whereas the WSB usage of language is a direct reaction to the context of the word. They aren't saying retard because it came up through some parallel etymology, they're saying it specifically because it's offensive.
Yeah this is just bastardized internet dialect. The word's increasing offensiveness (for good reason of course) in most of the rest of the English speaking world isn't reflected in WSB using it as a term of endearment. I call my dogs and cat the cutest shithead fuckers all the time while feeding them off my plate, sounds bad in public but in my house with my little group it's, well, pet names.
"not entirely an insult" sorry this is a lame excuse, it's offensive. it's a word used to demean no matter what context. To them its funny, it's not. typical bunch of men who need to show their hyper masculinity with insults and chants of "hold the line". are these the same people that call themselves patriouts.
go to zenomountainfarms.org if you don't understand why the use of that word is offensive
I see what you mean. I saw the subreddit with fresh eyes again. Its unnecessary, rude and demeaning to the people with learning disabilities. But I must concede they seem to be using the term to refer to trading. But what confuses me they call everyone the r-word. Who ever makes a trade on the stock market. Even themselves. Don't you see how unnecessary that is?
I didn't say it was OK, just that it was intentional. You're reading a lot more into my comments than is there. There are a lot of things in life that I don't think are OK. I also don't try to stop them.
Plenty of standup comedians use humor that I find distasteful or even offensive. I just read a book instead of watching them. Plenty of bars are frequented by people I don't like. I just go to a different bar.
No one has to visit WSB, but I'd prefer to live in a society that errs on the side of allowing people to congregate and communicate as they see fit.
As an aside, I've had to deal with two kinds of assholes in my life: people who use offensive language, and people who get offended at everything. I'd rather deal with neither, but if I had to chose, I much prefer the former.
