chost about radical language

I think when we talk about words that get overused in online “radical” contexts we should be careful not to overstate how that overuse effects actual physical spaces and communities. You might have an anecdote that points to how a word has been overused to the point of undue harm, for example, but that doesn’t…

I think when we talk about words that get overused in online “radical” contexts we should be careful not to overstate how that overuse effects actual physical spaces and communities. You might have an anecdote that points to how a word has been overused to the point of undue harm, for example, but that doesn’t mean the word is being overused like that in every situation, and it doesn’t automatically eliminate the usefulness or necessity of the word in those situations. We all could maybe do with more specificity and clarity in our speech and in our interpersonal relationships offline and on, but saying “this word doesn’t apply to these specific situations so it should never be used” is maybe throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

It also doesn’t help to conflate certain specific online social dynamics with things like offline/IRL accountability practices, for example, because how people act online and the ways in which they employ various concepts of “accountability” has no bearing on the ways people come together to hold themselves and the members of their IRL community accountable. There’s no universal way to do it. What works for some groups and individuals may not work elsewhere.