Forum Overview :: Reviews :: Re: What was Haji before it pokévolved into a nasty slur? Just a playful tease?

[quote name="Lizard_King"]No. It was definitely not a term of endearment, to be sure. But over the course of the war it became something more, something with unpleasant enough overtones that entire chains of command circa 2006 onward were being explicitly ordered to watch for it and correct it (probably for public relations reasons exclusively, but it still gave me pause). While as you point out there is nothing good in trying to erase it from history, discouraging the continued usage of the word and encouraging Marines not think of the Iraqis in dehumanizing terms had straightforward benefits in a counterinsurgency strategy where restraint was (suddenly) one of the more important characteristics. You know, even when living in the rubble of an Iraqi city. So, I enforced it and encouraged others to do the same, etc, etc. I know it's easy to view it as a political correctness charade or whatever the label is nowadays. Language on Caltrops or in the space of a comedy routine or satirical piece, when taken correctly, is something that should often push beyond social norms. But when it becomes a matter of habit in everyday communication and directly affects the quality of your work (imo) over the long term, I tend to take it more seriously. That's why I had a reaction to that particularly item, moreso than anything else. I'm still in a line of work where choice of words/tolerance of slurs in this sense can have a profound effect, and that's not easy to compartmentalize. But both you and Koba are correct in that editing it out of a primary source would be a mistake. [/quote]