Ixiel comments on "3 Reasons It’s Irrational to Demand ‘Rationalism’ in Social Justice Activism" - LessWrong

9 Post author: PhilGoetz 29 March 2016 03:16PM

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Comment author: gwillen 30 March 2016 06:41:14AM *  6 points [-]

I would just like to note / point out that "SJW" is not a particularly neutral way to refer to the group of people in question -- it smuggles in (at least for some readers, and I suspect for most) a distinctly negative connotation about the group described.

Obviously if that's your intention, then by all means use the language you prefer; but if some of the commenters didn't mean it that way, and are just trying neutrally discuss a movement, I'd encourage picking a different term for it. (I normally say "the social justice movement".)

I will borrow from Error's very apt disclaimer in another comment, and note that my feelings toward the movement in question are more or less neutral -- "an affect borne of opinions that cancel out rather than a simple lack of same."

Comment author: Ixiel 01 April 2016 11:06:06AM *  4 points [-]

Really? I thought it was a self-identified term trying to smuggle in positive connotations, at least among the ingroup. I mean, justice is good, right, and who doesn't want to be a warrior... I don't really know any of those people so I defer, but I tend to prefer the overlapping (but not identical) term "Bigoteer" to strip "SJW"'s -positive- connotation, though the fact I have never wanted to keep a positive connotation exposes my bias.

Comment author: gwillen 03 April 2016 07:34:08AM 1 point [-]

Hmm, I'd previously thought it was always a pejorative term; now (after checking out Wikipedia) I have the impression that it was originally a positive self-identification, now primarily pejorative in modern usage. So I don't really know what to think about it it anymore.

Comment author: Articulator 11 April 2016 07:26:18AM 1 point [-]

They've done a really good job of making it a pejorative. Anything's a slur if you hate them enough.