Does the term "cutting" bother you?
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neanderthin wrote: »No, and have other things to occupy my time with, like cutting up some ham for my western I'm about to have.
I think you meant to say "reducing body fat in a sustainable, healthy, socially responsible way" for your "patriarchal, oppressive, colonialist" that you're about to have.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »Nah, what bothers me is people going out of their way to take offense at things that aren't meant to be offensive in the slightest. Way more trouble is caused by irate, oversensitive people looking to be offended than the use of the word "cutting" which was popular in this sense way before it became a popular piece for bad journalists to show false sympathy over.
So something isn't offensive as long as it wasn't intended to be offensive? How does one know what someone else's intentions are if you don't explicitly communicate them? Are you a telepath?
Well, the reverse is how is someone supposed to anticipate how everyone else might interpret something, especially if it's not, in your view, reasonable.
Sometimes it seems like people go out of their way to claim offense just to get some kind of moral high ground in the discussion. I'm not saying I've never done it, but on the whole I don't think it's helpful, and in particular I think it's best to assume that someone else is not intending to offend when it could easily be innocent.
So typically, people aren't expected to know if a commonly used term is offensive to others. We are not telepaths. However if and when the second party says they were offended, the first party apologizes for the offense, admits the lack of intent to offend (if that's the case), and inquires how to continue the conversation using non-offensive terminology.
If the first party says something that the second party found offensive, and the first party apologizes, admits that no offense was intended, but then continues to use the word that caused the offense, the second party would continue to be offended and also realize that the first party lacks respect for the second.0 -
neanderthin wrote: »No, and have other things to occupy my time with, like cutting up some ham for my western I'm about to have.
I think you meant to say "reducing body fat in a sustainable, healthy, socially responsible way" for your "patriarchal, oppressive, colonialist" that you're about to have.
Where did the ham go?
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Yeah, no I get that it's a common term. I'm not discounting it. I understand that it's referencing cutting calories from your diet. From that perspective it's fine. Not ideal or precise, in my opinion. But I get it.
But there's another aspect: it's often used as an antonym to "bulking". Bulking implies adding weight or size to the body. I guess, for me, the duality doesn't really hold up between the terms. One is about the changing the body, the other is about changing the diet. Combine that with the unintentional overlap with the unfortunate meaning and it seems a bit problematic. Especially if the focus on "cutting calories" should be done in a healthy way.
Don't mind me...just picking nits. Again maybe it's just me.
Bulking is a calorie surplus with weight training (hopefully) so it is the opposite of cutting.
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You're still thinking about this topic? Wouldn't your time be better spent doing something more productive like, I don't know, maybe going to the gym. Oh wait, let me not say that, it might offend guys named Jim that might think you are going to see them.
Just popping back in to see what's new.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »Nah, what bothers me is people going out of their way to take offense at things that aren't meant to be offensive in the slightest. Way more trouble is caused by irate, oversensitive people looking to be offended than the use of the word "cutting" which was popular in this sense way before it became a popular piece for bad journalists to show false sympathy over.
So something isn't offensive as long as it wasn't intended to be offensive? How does one know what someone else's intentions are if you don't explicitly communicate them? Are you a telepath?
Well, the reverse is how is someone supposed to anticipate how everyone else might interpret something, especially if it's not, in your view, reasonable.
Sometimes it seems like people go out of their way to claim offense just to get some kind of moral high ground in the discussion. I'm not saying I've never done it, but on the whole I don't think it's helpful, and in particular I think it's best to assume that someone else is not intending to offend when it could easily be innocent.
So typically, people aren't expected to know if a commonly used term is offensive to others. We are not telepaths. However if and when the second party says they were offended, the first party apologizes for the offense, admits the lack of intent to offend (if that's the case), and inquires how to continue the conversation using non-offensive terminology.
But this does not normally happen if (a) the first party thinks the second party is being unreasonable, or (b) the second party starts out by accusing the first of being insensitive or bad motives, as happens too often.
Here, I haven't heard from anyone who genuinely thinks that the term "cutting" in context is offensive (you seem to be speculating that people might) or any good arguments for why it should be, and therefore I don't see any reason to change the use of it.0 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »I usually say I'm "prepping" as when I'm losing weight it's during preparation for a competition. Sounds better to me
See, but that makes me think of preppers like doomsday preppers.
So it's almost as if context, and one's own idiosyncratic filters and experiences, color the way they receive communication.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »Nah, what bothers me is people going out of their way to take offense at things that aren't meant to be offensive in the slightest. Way more trouble is caused by irate, oversensitive people looking to be offended than the use of the word "cutting" which was popular in this sense way before it became a popular piece for bad journalists to show false sympathy over.
So something isn't offensive as long as it wasn't intended to be offensive? How does one know what someone else's intentions are if you don't explicitly communicate them? Are you a telepath?
Well, the reverse is how is someone supposed to anticipate how everyone else might interpret something, especially if it's not, in your view, reasonable.
Sometimes it seems like people go out of their way to claim offense just to get some kind of moral high ground in the discussion. I'm not saying I've never done it, but on the whole I don't think it's helpful, and in particular I think it's best to assume that someone else is not intending to offend when it could easily be innocent.
So typically, people aren't expected to know if a commonly used term is offensive to others. We are not telepaths. However if and when the second party says they were offended, the first party apologizes for the offense, admits the lack of intent to offend (if that's the case), and inquires how to continue the conversation using non-offensive terminology.
But this does not normally happen if (a) the first party thinks the second party is being unreasonable, or (b) the second party starts out by accusing the first of being insensitive or bad motives, as happens too often.
Here, I haven't heard from anyone who genuinely thinks that the term "cutting" in context is offensive (you seem to be speculating that people might) or any good arguments for why it should be, and therefore I don't see any reason to change the use of it.
If the first party thinks the second party is unreasonable by saying they're were offended, that's the first party's problem. The first party respects the second party or it doesn't.
The second party can say they were offended. The choice of how the first party responds is completely on the first party.
I agree that no one is offended by the use of "cutting." I'm not offended by it. I was bothered by it.
Out of mild curiosity, what would be a "good" argument, in your opinion? Btw, I don't think the use of the word cutting should be or needs to be changed beyond specifying the object getting cut.0 -
neanderthin wrote: »No, and have other things to occupy my time with, like cutting up some ham for my western I'm about to have.
I think you meant to say "reducing body fat in a sustainable, healthy, socially responsible way" for your "patriarchal, oppressive, colonialist" that you're about to have.
Where did the ham go?
Pork is inherently triggering and/or offensive to so many that I, like other reasonable folks, choose to read that right out of neanderthin's statement. YMMV.
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I didn't realise cutting was used in a non self harm way
Yeah, no I get that it's a common term. I'm not discounting it. I understand that it's referencing cutting calories from your diet. From that perspective it's fine. Not ideal or precise, in my opinion. But I get it.
But there's another aspect: it's often used as an antonym to "bulking". Bulking implies adding weight or size to the body. I guess, for me, the duality doesn't really hold up between the terms. One is about the changing the body, the other is about changing the diet. Combine that with the unintentional overlap with the unfortunate meaning and it seems a bit problematic. Especially if the focus on "cutting calories" should be done in a healthy way.
Don't mind me...just picking nits. Again maybe it's just me.
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Did anybody use this one yet?
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Eh, I feel like the OP wasn't looking to change the world, just commenting on an awkward feeling about a word.
I, personally, had never heard the word "cutting" for either calorie/body fat reduction OR for self-harm until I was an adult, but my first encounters iwth it were in the context of dealing with teens and young adults who were struggling with self-harm.
And, often, that self-harm struggle was paired with eating disorders. So, yes, I'll cop to cringing when I see threads titled "Thinking of cutting!"....because I already spend a chunk of time here urging people not to be disordered in their eating and exercise habits and actual cutting seems like it's lurking in wait on the boards some times.
That said, I think the term was used in the bodybuilding community before self-harm came to popular attention. So, really, they had it first, neener neener.
Either way, I always preferred "reducing" to both "dieting" and "cutting." It was the default term in the UK when I lived there and I think it's actually the most accurate way of all to express a lowering of calories and raising of exercise as a method to lower body fat and girth.
Not about to tell people what to say. Cutting was a term before I got here, LOL. But, yeah. It makes me cringe, because in my life experience it's something that has always coexisted with VLCDs and laxative abuse (looking at you, Tea-toxes!) and other disordered eating. (Just don't eat anything white or any foods after 6pm or anything that rhymes with "cat" on a Tuesday and you'll be FINE!)0 -
I felt a little disturbed by it when I first joined this forum, but now my brain has adjusted to the alternate meaning and added it to the possible interpretations of the word and I no longer automatically think of violence/self-harm.0
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Thought this was going to be a satirical thread.
The term cutting doesn't bother me at all, but it does bother me when people try to turn their own problems into everyone elses.
As long as the word cutting is used in the context of fitness, then it has nothing to do with self harm.0 -
_incogNEATo_ wrote: »Did anybody use this one yet?
i never found him funny0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »Nah, what bothers me is people going out of their way to take offense at things that aren't meant to be offensive in the slightest. Way more trouble is caused by irate, oversensitive people looking to be offended than the use of the word "cutting" which was popular in this sense way before it became a popular piece for bad journalists to show false sympathy over.
So something isn't offensive as long as it wasn't intended to be offensive? How does one know what someone else's intentions are if you don't explicitly communicate them? Are you a telepath?
Well, the reverse is how is someone supposed to anticipate how everyone else might interpret something, especially if it's not, in your view, reasonable.
Sometimes it seems like people go out of their way to claim offense just to get some kind of moral high ground in the discussion. I'm not saying I've never done it, but on the whole I don't think it's helpful, and in particular I think it's best to assume that someone else is not intending to offend when it could easily be innocent.
So typically, people aren't expected to know if a commonly used term is offensive to others. We are not telepaths. However if and when the second party says they were offended, the first party apologizes for the offense, admits the lack of intent to offend (if that's the case), and inquires how to continue the conversation using non-offensive terminology.
But this does not normally happen if (a) the first party thinks the second party is being unreasonable, or (b) the second party starts out by accusing the first of being insensitive or bad motives, as happens too often.
Here, I haven't heard from anyone who genuinely thinks that the term "cutting" in context is offensive (you seem to be speculating that people might) or any good arguments for why it should be, and therefore I don't see any reason to change the use of it.
If the first party thinks the second party is unreasonable by saying they're were offended, that's the first party's problem. The first party respects the second party or it doesn't.
I just don't think that every possible claim of offense deserves to be respected, no.
I do think it's better to make sure the context indicates what you mean, though. Like I said above, I do like the bodybuilding use of the term and don't automatically think self-harm unless there is some context which would suggest the latter.0
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