<p>I’m getting nostalgic for ID’s posts on binge drinking!:)</p>
<p>JAP describes a subgroup of Jewish women just as WASP describes a subgroup of white people. Both have their archetypes which are somewhat based in reality. I don’t think they are slurs. Just slang.</p>
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<p>Where have I said that?</p>
<p>Barrons, as a Jewish woman myself, I can tell you that JAP has a very negative connotation and is disparaging. In fact, when a colleague used such a term, he was reprimanded from the top and it was added to his disciplinary record in his employment file.</p>
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<p>That’s because it is refering to a specific religious group. Just calling someone a “princess” is hardly a slur. Likewise, “baby mama” is a generic phrase, used here to apply to out-of-wedlock mothers of any race, ethnicity, or religion. I have no idea what religion John Edwards baby mama practices.</p>
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he asks, wide-eyed. Blink, blink…</p>
<p>It’s Ok, Idad. I understand. It’ll get easier, I promise.</p>
<p>ID, I know a lot of single mothers and never once have thought to call them “baby mamas”, nor have I heard anyone else do so. The first time I even heard the term was when it was used disparagingly toward Michelle Obama and that it is a slang word for African American mothers who have children out of wedlock. It is used in a negative way. Single mother is not a slur but “baby mama” is when used in the ways it is being used.</p>
<p>Yes we have all become overly sensitized and companies have to CYA. I was in a mostly Jewish frat (ZBT) and the term was used very commonly by the guys. Considering it a slur is mostly in your head. I don’t see it as negative or positive. It’s just a shorthand term for a group of behaviors.</p>
<p>Definition of “baby mama”:</p>
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<p>Source: Urban Dictionary</p>
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<p>Where is there any mention of this being racist? Disparaging perhaps but I don’t see any hit of race in the definition. This term is currently being used to discuss a white female. Where is the racism?</p>
<p>SoosieVT:</p>
<p>So if I understand your argument, the term “baby momma” is a slur because it does not enjoy widespread usage in Vermont? By that definition, “Republican” is a slur.</p>
<p>Look up the definition in the urban dictionary. There’s no component of race or religion. It is simply a term that means unmarried mother of a child.</p>
<p>It was derogatory against Michelle Obama because she was married when her children were born and, therefore, was **not **a “baby momma”. It was, in fact, a false accusation.</p>
<p>I never said “baby mama” was a racist term. I do not believe it is. The term is being used about Ms. Hunter who is white. My point is solely that it is a slang word with a negative connotation (disparaging), whereas “single mother” is a factual term.</p>
<p>ID…I did look it up in Urban Dictionary before you suggested doing so. and it says that the term “has a negative connotation.”</p>
<p>Likewise, someone on this thread called Ms. Hunter a “tramp” and that is also a term with a negative connotation and is defined as: “a sexually promiscuous woman; prostitute.” Yes, she slept with a married man. No, I don’t approve. But no, I would not call her a tramp.</p>
<p>You’ve lost me. Are you saying that we should ban all terms that have “negative connotations”? Isn’t that taking political correctness to an unimaginable extreme?</p>
<p>Aside from that, I would argue that baba mommas are now so prevalent (37% of all childbirths in the United States) that having childred out of wedlock is now an accepted mainstream practice and, therefore, carries no social stigma or “negative connotations” as you put it.</p>
<p>I am suggesting to not use negative slang or slur terms. The woman is a “single mother”. That is fact. If you were to read a factual article, a single mother with a child born out of wedlock, would be referred to as a “single mother” and not a “baby mama”. An “opinion” article might call her a “baby mama” or a “tramp.” Likewise, I prefer to call male collegiate athletes, the factual term, not “town drunks.”</p>
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<p>This is a discussion forum. Of course the language used here will express opinions. That’s the whole point.</p>
<p>This is not the NY Times…er…wait, you said “factual article” didn’t you. Scratch the New York Times.</p>
<p>I agree that a discussion forum is to express opinions and not just facts. My point is that certain slur terms have offensive negative connotations. You are welcome to use them but many find them offensive. I personally find calling Ms. Hunter a “baby mama” or “tramp” as offensive. I have nothing wrong with someone stating an opinion that they feel that what Ms. Hunter did was wrong (it was in my view too). I would not choose to use a slur on her name, however. That’s just me.</p>
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<p>This doesn’t even make sense. The terms “male collegiate athletes” and “town drunks” don’t even refer to the same students. It is possible, of course, that there could be some overlap between the “male collegiate athletes” and the “town drunks” on any given campus, just like there could be overlap between theater kids and “town drunks”.</p>
<p>ID, I believe some athletes have problems with abusing alcohol and some theater kids do as well. For those who abuse alcohol, however, I would not refer to them as “town drunks.” I would call them students who are abusing alcohol or have an problem with alcohol and drink out of control.</p>
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<p>Call. Ms. Hunter whatever you want to. Nobody is posting ad hominem attacks on you for expressing an opinion or not with your choice of language.</p>