Thank you for the etymological note, WO'N; was exactly what I was searching for too.
It is to this attitude of contempt that we should direct our corrective thoughts and not to the language being used to describe it
I couldnt agree more Faldage. Reminds me of a daily (almost) family squabble. Many discussions or arguments at home tend to get derailed because of dad's intolerance with improper word usage. Mum always is telling him to get "behind" the words. The general point of angst being, that it is not only what something IS that is important, it is equally important to focus on what it is PERCEIVED TO BE. Indeed, if words were once used to translate contempt, then the same words get tainted by those attitudes and are continually perceived as deriding. And therefore, even if they aren't strictly derogatory in today's changed circumstances, they are probably PERCEIVED as being such.
