Slur;
Verb
make damaging or insulting insinuations or allegations about:
Noun
1: an insinuation or allegation about someone that is likely to insult them or damage their reputation:
Everyone on this site knows the power of words, it’s what we do. We write about things that are passionate or interesting or just something we thing might be of passing interest to others who read this site. Most of the time our words are measured and thoughtful, even when they are meant to invoke a response. But occasionally we get a little too casual with a word or label. Mind you we’re not alone, it’s a societal issue too.
One of the latest words to get this treatment is
Mansplain. If you go to
Urban Dictionary you’ll see the response the troglodytes have given it. Mostly because it has been casually used. Sometimes in jest, a funny hah hah. The definition universally used to mean;
delighting in condescending, inaccurate explanations delivered with rock solid confidence of rightness and that slimy certainty that of course he is right, because he is the man in this conversation
By the above definition it is a slur and with any slur make sure you are prepared for the push-back. Know that your target truly engages in this behavior. Don’t throw it around just because some guy engaged you once in assholery. We used to call such individuals assholes, but as in many things today there has been a need to find a separate label.
In 2013 Suzanne Churchill of Davidson College attempted to come up with a feminine label for the same behavior. Judge her argument for yourself. FECTURING: THE FEMALE EQUIVALENT OF MANSPLAINING?
None of us like being called names. Asshole more or less has a broad definition and encompasses all sorts of behavior, there’s no need to call someone by a different term unless they engage the specific behavior defined by that term consistently. You might win an argument with an asshole, but someone who engages consistently in the behavior of mansplaining or the female equivalent is a narcissist and will seldom be persuaded to anyone position other than their own.
The casual and flippant use of a word loses its impact. The flippant use will most likely turn the focus on the person using the term rather than the behavior of the target.