>the argument "these words have meant the same thing for a long time" doesn't mean that the word is therefore okay to use
Nobody said that. The etymology was only brought up to show that 'man' being gender neutral is not a neologism that can be easily argued against.
I don't know why you brought up slurs at all. Using a term that focuses on a gender or race does not imply insulting anyone.
If you enunciate clearly you can probably use "negro" without upsetting anyone, and only getting odd looks for such an out-of-fashion term. Mentioning race is not where the social baggage is.
I don't know why you brought up slurs at all. Using a term that focuses on a gender or race does not imply insulting anyone.
Both sexist terms and racial slurs are exclusionary language, which is the point I was getting at. I never said that people were being insulted by man/mankind.
Nobody said that. The etymology was only brought up to show that 'man' being gender neutral is not a neologism that can be easily argued against.
I don't know why you brought up slurs at all. Using a term that focuses on a gender or race does not imply insulting anyone.
If you enunciate clearly you can probably use "negro" without upsetting anyone, and only getting odd looks for such an out-of-fashion term. Mentioning race is not where the social baggage is.