Chapotraphouse

I actually had a positive interaction with somebody using the r word the other day after I called him out for it. I'm very open about being autistic. Most people can tell that I'm different socially but I don't act like a stereotype and sometimes they ask why. I answer. I do this, and the guy I'm talking (30s-40s cis dude) to is talking about how he got an Asperger's diagnosis as a kid and asked if I knew anything about that. I educate him on disability stuff for 30 minutes, he's genuinely interested in learning more for himself and the people around him.

Then at one point in the conversation, I'm talking about some fucked up thing done against disabled people and he just goes "Oh man that's so r******". Because of the conversation we just had, I didn't jump right to bad faith. I pretty much just explain some more history behind that word to him, and tell him that when he uses that word he's talking about himself. We've been talking for about a week after that sending each other book recommendations and he's showing himself to be a good comrade at heart with a lot of brain worms. Not saying this is true of everybody, but there is a very good chance that nobody had called him in on it and explained why it was fucked up to use that word.

I'm someone that's pretty vocal on this site about people misusing terms like insane, crazy, or sociopath, but also very vocal about giving people who use those words wrong grace. Maybes it's just where I live, but I see it as perfectly possible to pick these sorts of language "quirks" (for a lack of a better term) as part of cultural osmosis where I am.