Most young people think it’s all right when friends are joking around with each other. Jaded by the Internet free-for-all, teens and 20-somethings shrug off offensive words and name-calling that would probably appal their parents, teachers or bosses. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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And an Associated Press-MTV poll shows they don’t worry much about whether the things they tap into their cellphones and laptops could reach a wider audience and get them into trouble.
Seventy-one per cent say people are more likely to use slurs online or in text messages than in person, and only about half say they are likely to ask someone using such language online to stop.
‘On Twitter, everybody’s getting hit hard. Nobody really cares about nobody’s feelings,’ said Kervin Browner II, 20, a junior at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. ‘You never know how bad it hurts people because they don’t say anything.’
But young people who use racist or sexist language are probably offending more people than they realize, even in their own age range.
The poll of 14 to 24-year-olds shows a significant minority are upset by some pejoratives, especially when they identify with the group being targeted.
‘It’s so derogatory to women and demeaning, it just makes you feel gross,’ Lori Pletka, 22, says about ‘slut’ and more vulgar words aimed at women.
