Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell
Thanks for the spelling correction sjfan! I knew that didn't look right.
In regard to your Rush Limbaugh point, there were liberals before Limbaugh came along. But the word "sexist" was coined by Steinem and her friends to be a criticism or insult, right? That is the point of the original post here, right? Otherwise, why would the OP be upset with sexism found in older literature?
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I'm pretty sure something has to exist before you can describe it with a new word. And that new word has to ring true to a culture before it can be adopted. The truth is, when that word was coined, it struck a chord with our culture to the point where even "sexists" use the word!
In that regard, seeing "Sexism" or "Racism" in older works is valid from the point of view of a modern reader. But that is the the problem of reading older works. You can't separate the author's culture from the author.
Words are invented all the time by individuals for a variety of reasons, but I think they move into common use only if they provide value in describing the world to people. "Sexism", and its variants meet that criteria, I think.