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[hector13]

slut is a gender neutral term of endearment

Amongst equal friends perhaps, much in the same way that one could call one's best mate a fuckface but you wouldn't greet a stranger as so without expecting great insult to be incurred

It’s not really gender neutral either. Promiscuity among females is still viewed pretty universally poorly, whereas the inverse is true for promiscuous males.

[Rolan7]

Context matters a lot too.  It has a completely different meaning coming from a stranger on the street instead of a close "friend", or describing oneself

It does get a lot of gender-neutral use nowadays despite its original meaning.  Words change and all!

Related unpopular opinion:  I still don't really like being referred to as "queer", even in completely benign contexts.  But I like that other people like it?  I'm actually happy that my gut feeling is unpopular, reclaiming slurs is tricky but cool.

Remember when "nerd" was a really rude thing to call someone?  And it's still possible to use it as a real insult, despite being a bit defanged these days.

Sounds like a good way to get sued when someone doesn't follow the exact instructions that you can't include without being classed an alcoholic beverage.

My favorite is those Prohibition-era don't-brew-this-at-home kits.  Jeez, the Budweiser Malt package has a guy literally winking.

“After dissolving the brick in a gallon of water, do not place the liquid in a jug away in the cupboard for twenty days, because then it would turn to wine.”

[Iduno]

Context matters a lot too.  It has a completely different meaning coming from a stranger on the street instead of a close "friend", or describing oneself

It does get a lot of gender-neutral use nowadays despite its original meaning.  Words change and all!

Related unpopular opinion:  I still don't really like being referred to as "queer", even in completely benign contexts.  But I like that other people like it?  I'm actually happy that my gut feeling is unpopular, reclaiming slurs is tricky but cool.

Remember when "nerd" was a really rude thing to call someone?  And it's still possible to use it as a real insult, despite being a bit defanged these days.

For me, Queer is way easier than LGBTQ+ because you don't pronounce each letter and also I transpose numbers/letters sometimes so I need to be careful and double-check acronyms. Plus it's been used as a slur the least during my lifetime, which is helpful with my comfort. Edit: For me to be called. I do my best to call others what they want, but I'll fall back on my own comfort if I don't know/remember others' preferences.

And yeah, I was GMing a TTRPG at a comic book store, and felt weird about referring to the players as nerds.

[McTraveller]

For discussion of the controversial kind:

• Spoiler: There are no such things as accidents. (click to show/hide)

  All things generally classified as "accidents" are actually caused by systematic error or uncontrolled random failures. They aren't "accidents" but are the result of insufficient information and/or controls, including various types of personal diligence.  Calling things "accidents" often lets people shirk responsibility.
• Spoiler: You cannot "die before your time." (click to show/hide)

  Tautological. If you died, you cannot have died earlier than that point, therefore it's not possible to die before you die.  Legal definitions of clinical death notwithstanding, of course.  (I would personally use "memory continuity" as part of the definition, so even if you are declared clinically dead but recover, if you have memory from before the clinical report, it doesn't count as death for purposes of this discussion.)
• Spoiler: You cannot be "born in/with the incorrect body." (click to show/hide)

  Tautological. The body you are born in/with is the only body in which you could have been born; it cannot be "incorrect." (It may have some inherent internal dissonance, but it cannot be "incorrect.")  Note this is not to be confused with statements on socioeconomic status, like "you were born in the wrong country" or "you were born with the wrong skin color."

[Loud Whispers]

That's sort of like the aphorism "your keys are always found the last place you look for them"

[NJW2000]

Ah, "useful words and phrases in ordinary language are wrong because of these very literal and specific interpretations of them". That's not a controversial opinion, it's a quibble about semantics dressed up to look like a thesis about the real world.

Have you ever considered studying metaphysics? I think it'd be perfect for you.


Potentially controversial opinion: it would be in the best interests of almost everyone in the region for Israel to formally annex all or most of Palestine. This is the only outcome likely to offer the citizens of Palestine any measure of peace and security.

[McTraveller]

Oh yes, not just metaphysics, but also metacognizance.

I guess the "controversial" aspect is really that careless use of phrases is dangerous.  So yes while I understand that common use of the phrases I listed, I think those common uses end up supporting a problematic view of the universe.  Words and ideas do matter.

[hector13]

Ah, "useful words and phrases in ordinary language are wrong because of these very literal and specific interpretations of them". That's not a controversial opinion, it's a quibble about semantics dressed up to look like a thesis about the real world.

Have you ever considered studying metaphysics? I think it'd be perfect for you.


Potentially controversial opinion: it would be in the best interests of almost everyone in the region for Israel to formally annex all or most of Palestine. This is the only outcome likely to offer the citizens of Palestine any measure of peace and security.

Well… Ireland comes to mind as an example of why that’s not a good idea. Politics and religion don’t mix too well.

Equally so, Netanyahu, while likely on the way out, has expressed disdain for the Arabic parts of Israel, so it still wouldn’t do them any good.

[Bumber]

Home fries are superior to hash browns.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Home fries are superior to hash browns.

Yes. Is this controversial? Every time I've ordered hash browns in stead of home fries I've (unfortunately) lived to regret it, most places I've been to that serve "hash browns" just serve lightly brown strips of potato flesh and honestly it's gross as hell.

[Frumple]

Hash browns can be pretty good, but I've never met anyone that actually says they're better than home fries, yeah. Home fries being superior isn't exactly controversial.

[Starver]

I feel obliged to mention that the "British chips vs US fries" discussion is looming large.

Horses for courses, naturally. (But let's not also bring lasagne into it, ok?) We're also in danger of bringing the Belgians into this fight.

[martinuzz]

And the Dutch. Don't eat our hash. It's hard enough already to get some quality maroc nowadays with all the lockdowns.

[Bumber]

Yes. Is this controversial?

Maybe if you hate onions.

[Frumple]

What's onions got to do with it? Folks that can stand the taste of the nasty things put them in hash browns sometimes, but it's far from necessary or even default and they're generally not involved with home fries at all.

fake e: wait, shit, I see the problem now, there's at least two different things called home fries and I wasn't thinking about the one that does tend to have onions in it. The other's just well seasoned french fries/potato logs, and usually is just that and naught else.

... though tend is still not necessarily. Home fries sans onion are fine, too. Better to me 'cause onions are the metaphorical devil's asshole, but still. Either sort's better than hashbrowns tend to be when onions aren't involved.