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    Old white guyAngela Helm
    5/01/19 10:48am

    Just to nitpick, but someone who borrows money to buy a house is immediately called a homeowner (well, at least if you’re white, I don’t know if POC end up being called home borrowers or something else).

    But something like “legal encounter survivor”, “police encounter survivor”, “prison survivor”.

    Especially considering that some people (or some types of criminals) are not so labeled.  I don’t hear Martha Stewart ever being labeled a former inmate, an ex con, or the like. 

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      crouching tigerOld white guy
      5/01/19 9:03pm

      Dinesh D'Souza will always be an ex-felon to me.

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    Nora MorseAngela Helm
    5/01/19 11:13am

    Some of Jerry’s analogies could use more seasoning.

    Nobody ever chose to get cancer.

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      crouching tigerNora Morse
      5/01/19 9:02pm

      I know a few cigarette smokers...

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    Hayden LorellAngela Helm
    5/01/19 11:05am

    Maybe I should be less sensitive.

    Nope...F@&k that.

    Making a mistake in your past, or even multiple mistakes, or hell not even mistakes at all, just trying to survive by any means necessary whether they be “legal” or not shouldn’t condemn you to a labeled life.

    This is especially poignant to me with the “religious” types. I can’t speak for all religions, but growing up in a catholic school and a very Irish catholic family(no longer religious); if you use these terms in a derogatory manner and claim to be christian, I have bad news, you’re not.

    You cannot claim to be a Christian person and totally ignore the teachings of forgiveness, kindness to others, and charity. If that person you’re referring to is an “ex-con, ex-inmate, ex-felon, etc” then they have already paid for their shortcomings and you should treat them as they are....a human being trying to live their best life.

    So no, don’t toughen up or be less sensitive. People need to stop being dicks. People always used to tell me to just “shrug it off” or “toughen up” when I would be called a “faggot” or “fairy” or any other homophobic/derogatory mark. Do you toughen up? Eventually, but it still hurts, it still causes harm and for some, that pain becomes inescapable.

    People need to be more conscious of the impact, words and labels have. Bottom line.

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    bfredAngela Helm
    5/01/19 11:25am

    If Jerry was being introduced within the context of the work he does, then his status as someone who has seen the system from the inside would seem relevant. I can understand beefing with the phrase used, but not the data point itself.

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