Phrozenflame500
Member
It's become a shortward for "anyone to the left of me", so I can't really take it too seriously.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
What do you think of the people who use the pejorative "SJW?"
- Thread starter Jangowuzhere
- Start date
This is how group think works now. Its how you manipulate minds, you manipulate and co-opt the words to mean what you want them to mean.
Spirit of Jazz
Banned
That the person probably needs to step outside of their internet safe-space.
Shoot them into a black hole.
I just assume they're alt-right neckbeards 
"SJW" is straight-up the lamest attempt at an insult I can think of in recent memory. Seriously, what exactly about that term am I, as a liberal, supposed to find offensive or be insulted by? I get that it was originally meant as a sarcastic term to refer to the fringe, hard-left people who were seemingly insulted by everything, but as others have said - now it's just a term used by right-wingers to refer to any left-wing person (often millenials) who dare speak up about women, POC or LBGT rights.
"SJW" is straight-up the lamest attempt at an insult I can think of in recent memory. Seriously, what exactly about that term am I, as a liberal, supposed to find offensive or be insulted by? I get that it was originally meant as a sarcastic term to refer to the fringe, hard-left people who were seemingly insulted by everything, but as others have said - now it's just a term used by right-wingers to refer to any left-wing person (often millenials) who dare speak up about women, POC or LBGT rights.
Autumn Wind
Member
It is exactly like the same people who use the term snowflake. Of course as it was found out once she was fired, Tomi Lahren IS a snowflake.
On that tangent;
Is it just me or does anyone get the feeling that the only reason Ethan has his girlfriend in most of his "lol feminazi" videos is as some sort of defence mechanism against criticism of his shitty views towards women?
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
Causes my impression of said person to drop significantly.
Fox Mulder
Member
.
Last edited:
JonnyDBrit
Member
I just assume they're alt-right neckbeards
"SJW" is straight-up the lamest attempt at an insult I can think of in recent memory. Seriously, what exactly about that term am I, as a liberal, supposed to find offensive or be insulted by? I get that it was originally meant as a sarcastic term to refer to the fringe, hard-left people who were seemingly insulted by everything, but as others have said - now it's just a term used by right-wingers to refer to any left-wing person (often millenials) who dare speak up about women, POC or LBGT rights.
Yep. Which frustratingly I find also makes it harder to explain why the term really isn't something a person should want to use seriously, because even if accepting a person means it in the 'original' sense, most usage does not reflect that, so holding to that meaning is to willingly allow one's self to be duped. It's like trying to stick to 'queer' as meaning 'strange'; sure it may be valid in that sense, but most of the world isn't operating on that logic anymore.
Edit:
Honestly it's a basic but subtle tactic a lot of online personalities use. See also: The 'bring your cute pet into the camera so you can show them your affection as you apologise' tactic.
Nah, when SJW is used as a positive it's cheesy as fuck. I roll my eyes when anyone uses it. Not that the two uses are equivalent.
My main issue with people using "social justice" as a pejorative term is how the heck is it a bad thing to support social justice????
I find it to be a very good thing to support social justice because it would greatly advance society if everyone is equal in all areas which is one of the major goals of social justice.
I find it to be a very good thing to support social justice because it would greatly advance society if everyone is equal in all areas which is one of the major goals of social justice.
It's supposed to be sarcastic, sort-of. Like "Oh look, we have a badass over here". "Oh look, it's someone fighting for what they think is social justice".
So its intention as an insult is pretty solid.
InaudibleWhispa
Member
It's pretty much a useless term that nowadays is thrown at anyone who openly supports LGBT or feminism to any degree. I mean even the trailer for that Louis CK documentary about the black LGBT gang has comments calling him an SJW just for helping to tell a story. At that level, the word is so toxic that there is no longer any context in which anyone can even discuss the LGBT community without someone calling them an SJW. Those people have got themselves into such a fucked up mindset that any support of anything not straight & white makes them instantly judge and label that person, actively making the friends of gay and trans people an enemy by default. I understand that not everybody uses the term in that way, and some use it for extreme cases like the woman screaming in anger at a taxi driver for having a hula girl bobblehead, but it's so tainted why even bother? It's not like we're running out of adjectives.
Seductivpancakes
Member
I don't take anyone seriously who uses SJW. Especially if they're trying to discuss a subject.
"Watch me feed a raft of fluffy penguin chicks while talking about why the wage gap doesn't exist for 15 minutes"
Yep. Shows her saying things like "third wave feminism has ruined feminism" or other nonsense that he wishes he could say, he doesn't get any of the heat / branded as conservative. She's basically an extension mouth piece for him, she just repeats what he says but with a more conservative bend. It's a genius way of catering towards the right, while also not scaring his diet liberal audience away. He comes off as impartial and moderate, but he's really, really not.
This. As soon as they use the term "SJW" I immediately know what their opinion on social issues is. It's a good way of quickly learning whose opinions I need not respect, at least when it comes to those topics.
When someone unironically drops words like "SJW", "Cuck", "Fake News" etc. I instantly tend to start zoning out. Its like a safety response from my mind to back away even if I'm physically still there to limit the pain of hearing someone like that rant on and on. I also begin losing a huge amount of respect I had for that person as well.
Chmpocalypse
Blizzard
They're utter pieces of shit.
I mostly think "this is a native English speaker who doesn't like minorities being uppity". It literally means nothing, though, go into r/worldnews and post something like "black people aren't worse than white people" or "we don't solve anything by attacking all muslims" - thre you go, you too can be a SJW.
GillianSeed79
Member
I automatically assume they are some sort of alt-right, misogynist, diet racist, Gamer Gate, Alex Jones fan, shit-posting 20-something-year-old over privileged edge lord who grew up in suburbia and and who is devoid of any culture or empathy.
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
No. SJW is a pejorative. It always was a pejorative. It just used to be used to describe fringe left liberals, but now has been co-opted by the right wing to apply to most liberals, as a pejorative.
As for "consensus", just google SJW, and tell me what you find for a definitions from various sources. To claim it's not a pejorative and is a positive label is a poor man's attempt at "reclaiming the word"
Edit: Even better comparison: Try arguing that "white knighting" was ever positive. It's the same shit.
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
We're probably not going to get along
Also chuckling at the "this insult used to mean something" crowd lol.
Also chuckling at the "this insult used to mean something" crowd lol.
Triggerhappytel
Member
It has very little meaning any more because it's so overused. I would guess that like 99% of the people who use the term are dribbling morons who apply it to anything vaguely left or approaching equality.
You Are Viewtiful
Member
I've been self identifying as one unironically. You'd be surprised at how many people that pisses off. It's definitely an easy word to reclaim.
Matrix XII
Member
This.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
People love to labor under the misconception that shaming people for having empathy makes them look wise and learned.
Easy, lazy cynicism as a means to feel briefly special by demeaning the very act, no matter how minor it might be, of daring to give a fuck about other people
Easy, lazy cynicism as a means to feel briefly special by demeaning the very act, no matter how minor it might be, of daring to give a fuck about other people
dantevsninjas
Member
It signals to me that they are either a garbage person or someone who is easily swayed by dimwitted rhetoric and has absolutely zero ability to do any research or form opinions of their own. In both cases I just tune them out completely because they have nothing of value to say.
JonnyDBrit
Member
Yep. It went from a soft but silly insult to being a serious pejorative (in the weirdest way possible), intended as immediately legitimising, presumably due to the old associations. Ie, it was accepted that 'SJWs' were fringe left idiots, ergo if it's applied to anyone on the left, they will be understood as fringe left idiots. Implication: Only the right remains a valid political stance.
Palette Swap
Member
My rule of thumb is that there's a 99.9% chance they're an asshole or are used to reading/watching/listening to assholes.
This rarely fails.
Other tells: "I prefer egalitarian to feminist", "cultural Marxism", "regressive left", "outrage/PC culture". They're all alt right talking points that the person is willingly or not parroting and propagating.
This rarely fails.
Other tells: "I prefer egalitarian to feminist", "cultural Marxism", "regressive left", "outrage/PC culture". They're all alt right talking points that the person is willingly or not parroting and propagating.
BLOODED_hands
Member
I ignore those idiots. It's worked out so far imo.
I actually think as a narrowly used label for people who present their socially progressive viewpoints in a way that borders on absurdity or hypocrisy, or is tinged with self-righteousness, it has applicability (yes, these people exist).
However, the term is almost exclusively used to delegitimize socially progressive ideals/thinkers per se, as if social justice itself were silly to talk about as valuable or important to consider.
However, the term is almost exclusively used to delegitimize socially progressive ideals/thinkers per se, as if social justice itself were silly to talk about as valuable or important to consider.
Does this make me anti-sjw? I'd rather have equality but not at the expense of other things, nothing should ideally be seen as bad (unless it obviously is, I.E. national socialism) especially when it's at the cost of something that isn't against what said thing stands for to begin with.
If it does then so be it, I'd rather let everyone actually have an opinion than let someone suppress another's.
If it does then so be it, I'd rather let everyone actually have an opinion than let someone suppress another's.
I've never actually used it as I think it's stupid
Father_Brain
Banned
They're invariably garbage people.
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
Do you think that simply expressing empathy for the plights of women or minorities is irrational? Because that's the baseline to be considered an SJW.
MrSaturn99
Member
Tells me pretty much all I need to know about the individual: someone I needn't bother with.
Like PC, it's a lazy-ass catch-all term for "person/thing I don't like."
Nailed it.
Like PC, it's a lazy-ass catch-all term for "person/thing I don't like."
Nailed it.
Spiritwalker
Member
I just assume they're morons and move on.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
How does this make sense.
How do you imagine equality is attained if not at the expense of inequality.
I used to be around people who would constantly throw the term aroundisability but I tend to avoid those types nowadays. These people tend to hold really abhorrent views despite not being informed.
Most of these people were in these he gaming community which is why I tend to no longer post on most gaming forums. I don't want to deal with that toxicity on a weekly basis
Most of these people were in these he gaming community which is why I tend to no longer post on most gaming forums. I don't want to deal with that toxicity on a weekly basis