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David Andrews
Monday, 14 August 2023, 11:30
It really makes me shudder when I hear in Spanish the words "moro" (Maghrebi), "panchito" (south American), "maricón" (poof) and "travestí" (transvestite/ transgender). The words ... were commonplace slurs here in the 70s, 80s and, I would say, 90s. Arriving in 1991, from very PC London, to Malaga, I can remember being completely horrified by how these, and other derogatory terms, were banded around both at work, home and in the bars. These kinds of words had disappeared, well in my world they had anyway, from "polite conversation" in the UK. Similar insults in English were definitely frowned upon and were a vague memory from 80s playgrounds and dodgy 70s comedy programmes.
The change of the millennium brought with it many changes and Spanish society began to understand that many of these words caused offence and, little by little, these slights were relegated to the world of "energúmenos" (thugs/ fanatics).
In the last couple of years, these insults have been gradually raising their ugly heads again. Today, I find myself completely taken aback when somebody starts using them in a completely flippant way. Why is this happening? Is it caused by the resurgence of the far-right in Spain (and all over the world) and a normalisation of hatred and prejudice?
My experience is that they are being used by people, younger than me, who believe that this is "edgy" vernacular. When I confront people about this, I am told that, firstly, I am an old fart and, secondly, that these words have been demythicised, taken back by the affected groups and are now used to confront the world in general with their own prejudices!! The only answer I have is, "Well, I find them quite offensive."
Call me simple, but isn't it just better to avoid these words completely? Why enter into a potential minefield, offending many listeners, when you could just avoid it? Especially in a work/social environment, where you probably won't be able to spend a couple of hours explaining the deeper significance of your words.
How do we know when we are dealing with racism, chauvinism, homophobia, etc. or when you are just dealing with somebody's attempt at breaking down cultural archetypes or taking a stance against the same slurs that they are using?
Cutting to the chase, wouldn't it just be easier if we tried to "walk a mile in someone else's shoes", show respect to others and make day-to-day life as pleasant as possible? The world is hostile enough without adding more confrontation.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" may have been invented by our mothers to make us feel better, but it's not actually true.
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