Reclaiming slur words

[FlaviaAlbia]

Sort of a spin off from a point raised in another thread but I didn't want to derail that one.

Do you think reclaiming words like slut and TERF actually works? I've seen people saying they're reclaiming others like bitch ect too. I'm dubious and think not, I think it goes over too many heads to make a point.

Nope.

Men must be delighted to hear women call each other ‘bitches’. White supremacists the same for ‘nigger’. Why have a dog and bark yourself?

It depends on the audience. I do it with my lesbian partner and with two best friends and grown up daughters but would not reclaim language in front of anyone else because I do think it perpetuates the language's negative connotations. I know that doesn't happen when I use it with my very intimate friends.

Gay people seem to have successfully reclaimed queer, but I wouldn't ever say it as a straight person.
I think there is too much risk of it backfiring.

I commented on that thread to say that I think it legitimises the use of the words, depending on how they're used. On these boards, I totally understand why people have TERF in their username - but someone who doesn't get the nuance of their argument just sees them using the term, and could think that TRAs who use it are just using accepted (technical?) language.

e.g. "They call themselves TERFs so we're not misogynists"
"But black people say it?"

There have also been threads that have had mention of the sanitisation of some prominent TRA Twitter feeds - I don't think it's a coincidence that that has happened over the course of a few days after a few weeks of GC pushback in the mainstream media, often linking to these boards.

Gay people seem to have succesfully reclaimed queer
It depends which gay people you ask. Some gay men really hate the word.
I don't believe in the concept of reclaiming words, because you're never going to reach agreement on it. Some people are always going to find certain words offensive.

I dont think you can it just muddies the waters & allows people to continue to use them as slurs whilst saying "but they use it"

Failure to object is almost always assumed to be acquiescence.
Straight white couples have appropriated queer to include themselves in the LGBTQwev community because it is unacceptable to exclude anyone except Feminists.

Queer is considered a slur according to my gay friends (non political or vocal on SM).

Yes, that's all pretty much what I'm thinking! The legitimising of the words whilst they're still bring used to insult bothers me.

Im a lesbian and queer offends me because it's meaning has changed recently. Now many people who call themselves queer use it to suggest they are a bit genderfluid whereas lesbian is sometimes used by the transcult to hint at being terfy.
The words have become weaponised,.

Maybe not as successful as I thought then, but it still confirms why I wouldn't use slurs, because there are still people who use them that way.
I have gay friends who are involved with all sorts of queer groups (their name), such as queer cycling club, queer beer drinkers, queer housing groups, etc.
While it's still used as an insult by some, or many, I never would. though.