Maybe it’s my country. In the UK if you go go hung on the labels (even if used benevolently) you start a process re:education that basically is full of “you can’t, you can’t, you can’t” and rarely what you can.
I grew up with it with my brothers, and I’ve seen it working in education and with my sons entry into it and I have to say I have a very love hate relationship with labels for that reason.
Things like context are v important in discussions, especially for things like slurs
I might (as someone on the spectrum) joke about autistic screeching with my friends (many of whom are also on the spectrum), but I wouldn’t do that in a public space or around people who have to deal with severely autistic children from which the term ‘autistic screeching’ derives.
A case of punching down vs punching each other to borrow some terminology
This argument is reminding me of that dude who got mad on these forums because he got criticized for wanting to yell slurs loads in RP.
Just don’t use slurs why is this hard?
I mean, nobody can tell me who I call autist, when I’m an autist myself.
Sure, if someone tells me ‘‘Dont call me that’’, then I wont. But if someone tries to ‘‘re-educate’’ me? yeah good luck with that one. 
I don’t use the autist thing in public. I use it to my friends or my brother.
Because that’s how they work.
I’m like 5% sure most people here are neither your friend nor your brother.
Have I actually thrown autist at anyone here?
I don’t get why this thing exists where you can be offended by a slur, which in essence is implying that the word is offensive, but then it’s totally fine when the offended party use it themselves.
Surely if something is offensive, the right thing to do is just not to use the slur at all?
Not throwing shade at anyone by the way, it’s just something weird about society that I don’t get.
That’s how I feel about the N-word. Sorta.
You were encouraging the usage of autist as a slur, yes.
Surely you understand that words have different weights depending on the way they’re used?
Yeah, but did I throw it at ANYONE?
There’s a difference.
Gonna have to disagree, there really isn’t much of a difference between out of the blue encouraging the usage of ‘autist’ as a slur or using it as a slur yourself.
The difference is in nothing but meaningless semantics, it’s still the same headassery.
Sure I do. Like in the example of autist, in the purely scientific sense I can see why it’s appropriate. The intent behind the word is super meaningful.
It’s just one of those confusing areas that gets people into trouble constantly.
But retard is fine to use? It’s the same thing.
Quote me on saying that that’s fine.
Woah now nobody would ever use ‘autist’ in a scientific setting
No they’d say Autism, if anything.
Point taken. Was trying to make an example but poor choice of word, hopefully it reflects what I was attempting to convey though.
edit: yo could this be the one that closes pet peeves? let’s find out, super excited
I doubt it. We’ll move on in a moment or two.
I appreciate that you didn’t mean harmful intent but honestly I don’t know what your intent was otherwise
Not really - normalising slurs in public discourse causes harm regardless of whether it is directed (even if it is immeasurably worse when directed)
Was just jumping off on the point that Tehya made about words having different meanings in different contexts, and giving a positive response towards that to show that I get it.
But not knowing that particular area very well, didn’t realise that autist wasn’t a scientific or medical term as I thought it was. I assumed that it was, as well as being derogatory, the medical word to classify someone with autism but if that’s not the case then fair enough.
Literally my bad. It’s a rough area of discourse and one I don’t usually get involved in.