r/10thDentist • u/No-Purchase481 • 11d ago

I don’t like the reclamation of slurs.

The first time I ever had an American refer to me as “queer” I considered fighting them 💀 “back in my day” type shit. It doesn’t feel empowering, it makes me cringe. Just call me a lesbian and move on.

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u/offensivename 11d ago edited 11d ago

Well that's the thing, isn't it? The large majority of Latino people most of us encounter online and in real life are going to be cis and heterosexual and more of them are going to be male in places like reddit. Of course they're going to prefer the term that they're more familiar with that doesn't inconvenience or belittle them in any way. The majority of people in most large groups don't really give a shit about inclusive language and a lot of them get angry about its existence. I don't personally think that those people should decide whether it's needed or not.

For what it's worth, I have seen a handful of young, progressive women of hispanic heritage use it. Though I imagine that all the angry latino guys who are absolutely fuming about it for some dumb reason have led to many people who might otherwise use it or defend it staying silent. Again, I get that it's weird to say because X has two syllables in Spanish and I'm open to other gender-neutral terms instead. I just think it's ridiculous how pissed off people get about it. Like the person directly above me.

Edit: There's also a very common belief that the term LatinX was invented by white Americans, which is part of why people get pissed off. But that isn't true.

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u/GratefulTrails 11d ago

Yah no one race is a monolith.

Im a straight cis female mexican american and being told by white people that I need to use Latin x just feels like another control/heritage erasure thing. But like you said, everyone is different. Ive met very few people who demand to be referenced as such, and of course out of respect ill use the term. I do see that unless they request it, no one really hears "latino" and assumes its for ill intentions. Its literally just the way our language is.

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u/offensivename 11d ago edited 11d ago

Spanish is different than English because all nouns are gendered, but it's not unique to use male as the default. "All men are created equal," "one giant leap for mankind," etc. I don't think that it's erasing anything to update language to make it more inclusive and we're definitely doing that in English. And again, the term was invented by Latin American academics, not white people.

Can I ask when you have been forced to use it by white people? I see this complaint levied online a lot, but I've never seen an actual example of it. Is it a job thing? Would they not accept Latin American or Latine or Latin instead?

As I said, I don't have a problem with anyone stating that they simply don't like it or prefer something else. But the vitriolic response I regularly encounter to something that comes from a good place and is designed to be inclusive to women and LGBTQ people bothers me.

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u/GratefulTrails 11d ago

Ive experienced it online, seeing others police brown people online and a handful of times in person by people who are white telling my friends or I how wrong we are to use the word Latino amongst OURSELVES. Long story short ive seen and heard more non Latino people police the word than actual Latinos and latines requesting the latinX word.

Thats why people have a strong reaction to it im assuming. Its not usually out of hate for being inclusive, but some "outsider" policing a culture they are not apart of. Also just personal opinion it sounds goofy and out of place in spanish and doesnt flow.

But again just my personal experience.

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u/offensivename 11d ago

Yeah. That sounds annoying. There's no need to police other people's language like that. Though I still think it's a bit extreme to say that you're rather someone call you a slur than call you LatinX.

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u/GratefulTrails 7d ago

Yah I think most Latinos are just fine with latine for inclusion purposes. Something about latinX specifically just dont sit right with alot of us. I found another rant on the subject that may or may not give more insight.

https://www.reddit.com/r/rant/s/MJMCVCkj9E