A Glossary of Terms

[smc]

Originally Posted by k.sucks.you

How do you know I haven't searched? How do you know I haven't asked people? How do you know I haven't Wikipedia or other references?

In fact, the "femboy" thread, and an ongoing 4chan debate, got me started thinking about this. In fact there are many conflicting definitions for these and other terms. Did you expect me to post MY definitions? Wouldn't that skew the posts that followed?

I was seeking clarity from those people here who might know better. Nevermind. I think that "smc" is right, there simply are no clear definitions that everyone might agree upon or even understand. (Thanks "smc".)

I still believe it was entirely appropriate to ask here, although it seems it isn't going to help me or anyone else.

-K

A few points of clarification/agreement, and a question:

1. I agree that there was no indication that you hadn't already done some searching. I don't think Mel Asher's point was meant to come across as it did. It strikes me as having been posed more as a rhetorical question.

2. Posting your own definitions, if it was done in a manner that supported discussion in the interest of consensus, wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Most people react in a more useful way to specific things you give them to think about rather than when you ask far more open-ended questions. Nevertheless, I do not think consensus will be reached. I'd love to be proven wrong.

3. The reason I don't think consensus will be reached is that there really are not "people here who might know better." Why? Because we are talking about terms of self-identity, and hence one person's "better" is another person's offensive term. To the degree any of us may know a little bit better, I think it is limited to when we insist on respect and defer to the self-identity of others. (Hence all the posts and even an entire thread about "ungendering.")

4. Why do you put my username in quotation marks? Just wondering.