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How is that advancement going?

My argument is that demonizing words isn't ever the answer. Like burning books that you don't like the idea of doesn't change the ideas.

Put that energy into actually changing how people think about things, instead of antagonizing them with your smug middle class values, and actually give them the reason and opportunity to do better.

Those words will still be there, they will be used in the cultural vernacular. .... in films, music, books, and discourse. There's no such thing as a bad word. Only bad intent. Change the words, and a new expression of the intent will emerge. You have achieved nothing until you actually address the root of the behaviors. You may think that by expressing disapproval of words, you are actually waving a magic wand at behaviors and that intent.

But experience teaches us that you are not. Would be my argument.

The policing of words, allows those who have more power to retreat into the comfort of thinking that all is well. And it very well may be in those comfortable circles where convention is respected. Less so in those circles where nothing is respected, because its a luxury that just isn't on the menu.

It strikes me as another driver to division. Look at me, I don't use bad words. Look at them, and how terrible they are with outmoded values, and their rickets and scurvy ( on the increase in modern Britain #Victorianvalues). Like bashing on pots and pans on your doorstep, rather than ensuring the health services are equipped, staffed, paid a living wage, and respected so that they can go about their daily work without abuse ( habitually verbal, all too often physical ) - all issues that a round of applause have completely failed to make a dent in.

Fiddling while Rome burns.

I'm addressing your contention that:

It isn't. It hasn't. We are celebrating one of the longest Democratic regimes for entrenched institutionalized oppression and inequality. Language has changed a lot. The middle classes are larger and smugger.

Meanwhile more and more peoples experience is more like that of Victorian Britain, than of a modern meritocratic equal society. It's not a good advert for language as the master of positive change.

Language is a tool for communicating actual belief and intents. It seems bizarre that I should have to make that point, but I do. The world is stock full of examples, sadly as much now as ever, of compliant language masking Machiavellian intent. The UK historically is a particular shining light of avoiding reality, by avoiding real discussion. As an instrument of control, and national exceptionalism. I'm not minded to think that progress is as profound as you might think, when most parents of black children still find the need to habitually sit them down and give them 'the talk'. Consider the different responses you might get to two examples, linguistically, of dealing with a situation of someone dishevelled, and in apparent distress.

Smarten yourself up, and take a moment to sort yourself out.

Fucking hell mate, you look like you've shit yourself. Are you alright?

If we mandate one as bad words, and as a thing that you can't say, then we will remove the possibility of an honest conversation, and an opportunity for real growth, in some cases. If we tell people that they can't say or do something, then a percentage of people will think 'fuck you' and lie to you.

In both cases they could put a barrier between the speaker and the recipient...but alternatively both might be valuable tools that unlock a positive move. There are no bad words here - just different situations, where communicating an intent in a different style might move things forward. I could give you countless examples of window dressing adherence to language conventions, that are purely a mask for inappropriate behaviours. From the hypocrisy of a men's golf club member mentality and attitude to women and minorities, through to the proliferation of modern slavery statements that are pointless and functionally meaningless (thanks George for my cheap clothes, I hope my purchase bought bangledeshi sweat shop workers a turnip). There's a massive amount of effort that goes into persuading special interest groups that they are doing the right thing, it's all those other bastards that are the problem, and keep voting how you do and we will make you feel safe and warm in your maintenance of the status quo. If you really want to fix a suppurating wound, it's best to actually have it looked look at. Just saying how brilliant modern medicine is, and how we've made so much progress wont save the limb. If there is a dirty problem to fix, you need to be prepared to get a little messy if you want to help.

If there is a freedom of expression, you can observe the actual state of the world, rather than just your conforming sub-group within it. You can, if you are minded, argue for the case for truth and light as you see it, and effect real change. If nobody is really talking to each other, than you probably don't really know, and if you do it's going to be a lot harder to strike up a truthful dialogue.

For me tolerance is the key here. Accepting that not everyone (actually nobody) shares your entire value set, but arguing for a collective set of values that actually work on a societal level. Rather than retreating into a comfortable sub-division of society, and persuading yourself that from what you can see, everything is going swimmingly. It isn't. It hasn't been doing for hundreds of years. There is a move afoot to make things worse. If you think that it is getting better, I think that you need 'the talk'.

You can see this absent link between words and action in so many places. There's a lot of knife crime. We have passed loads of legislation to 'come down hard' on perpetrators. We have some of the toughest legislation in the world on knife crime. Many of us are comforted and persuaded that the government is 'taking seriously' and 'delivering' on knife crime. It stops us looking and demanding change. Knife crime is getting worse. We need to have actual discussion, which may be distressing and uncomfortable, if we want real change. The management of the words around something doesn't generally fix things...it's often used as a tool to persuade people that they have done all the can, and to look no further into it (the bashing pots and pans on the doorstep for the NHS, that I often mention, is a most recent and visceral example here in the UK).

Of course the autism is a big factor in how I 'see' this, and how I interact with others. Which can be good and bad. I do not imagine for a moment that I am correct about all things in all cases, it's why I need a discussion with you to find out how other people perceive it...and it's why you need to do the same, rather than just retire the shirt on it.....which frankly achieves absolutely nothing tangible.

We haven't got this boxed off. We have generations of failure behind us...but we now have more opportunity for wider dialogue and discussion than ever before in human history (which is why the forces whose anti-social need for division is putting so much effort into controlling those avenues of communication). We should all consider our responsibility for that, rather than retreating into a comfortable warm and fuzzy place.

Words only have the power to hurt, when there remains a real legacy of the harm that created their demonisation. We can only truly address those harms, by widely, collectively, and realistically discussing where we are with them, and where we want to be. Sometimes I want to hurt and offend people (have you seen what those fucking tories and their wealthy facism enforcing puppeteers are actually doing? Total bastards.) Sometimes I want to learn. Sometimes I want to actually do something. It's going to take almost all of us to achieve meaningful movement in this. Retreating into a comfortable secure compound of the mind, isn't really going to hack it for the real life experience of many people.

I really, genuinely believe (and always have) that real and honest conversation, is the only way forward with this. That's going to be painful very often, because the reality is. It just doesn't cut it, with me, to say on the one hand 'that however much I disagree with you, I will defend to the death your right to say it' along with 'apart from that word, and that one, and the other one'.

I totally agree that we do not be wanting to use words to oppress, disenfranchise, and remove the human rights of other people. But we de facto are, more and ever more. Don't confuse the lack of use of the n-word while we do that with progress. We just use other mealy mouthed words, and people look the other way because it's easier. I find it more offensive that Dishy Rishi repeatedly and regularly says that the government is 'delivering for the british people' than me being called a cunt (though many women will just object to the use of the word, and around we go). Because one is a functional lie entirely predicated on misleading people, and the other is just an uncomfortable truth.