There are a lot of words that derive from derogatory and defaming beginnings. Take "tone deaf" - it is considered sensitive to someone who is actually deaf. What would we use instead? The recommendation is "Musically disinclined." I wonder what to make of that.
What about "crippled" - it too is considered offensive to someone who is disabled even when it is used as a metaphor. Don't say "crippled by fear" - instead it would be "overtaken by fear".
Also on the list is "brainstorm. " Using the term brainstorm could be insensitive to those who have brain injuries or are neurodiverse (term used to describe conditions like autism).
"First-world problem" - is considered a classist description that can dehumanize people in certain areas of the world. I wonder if those people in "certain areas of the world" have issues like we have with these words.
Here's an expression - "You're othering somebody" - that is used to describe the derogatory slur implied by gypped which stems from gypsy and demeans people of Romany descent. While that verb isn't in the Merriam-Webster dictionary you can find the word "unbrother" - to reprise of the status of brother.
"Blackmail" is considered an association with black people. That's despite the origin which stems from Old English. It was amply applied in Scotland in various forms - e.g. by plundering chiefs in exchange for immunity from pillage. That was in the late 1600s. It was such a useful practice that it became a verb in the 19th century.
Looking over all the words, it seems we would need to start a regular daily routine of "purge a word"- as it would take a while to expunge all the derogatory and discriminating words in use. Maybe there's a board game there. That brings Fox and the Group Scrabble Game to mind - likely Fox would consider it marketable to the Woke crowd.
I like this image - it looks like sheet metal all tied up somehow - maybe it got that way from all those wrong expressions.
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