Q&A not Q&A: ” I don’t really think zedsexual is the way to go. It is not only etymologically nonsensical, but sounds like something tumblr would make up…”

anonymous said:

As an asexual person, I don’t really think zedsexual is the way to go. It is not only etymologically nonsensical, but sounds “like something tumblr would make up” to the outside observers. This is just something else that will make people not take us seriously. Isn’t there another way? Maybe, some positive prefix? I know in other languages there is such thing but I’m not sure about English.

anon, while i personally don’t care for z/zedsexual either, i also don’t care for people criticizing a word because it sounds “like something tumblr would make up.”

as if a word being coined on Tumblr automatically delegitimizes or discredits it.

as if i or anyone else should avoid a word just because other people assume the word is somehow connected to Tumblr and that that is automatically a bad thing.

anon, i realize that you yourself probably do not feel like a word being coined on Tumblr actually delegitimizes or discredits it, but why do you feel a need to appeal to the people who do feel that way? not you, nor i, nor anyone else need appeal to them for legitimacy or approval of the words we use. so what if they attempt to discredit the words we use in connection to Tumblr? the fact is that people like that will literally latch onto any possible reason, no matter how ridiculous, to discredit a word if they don’t like it. opting to use a different prefix isn’t going to necessarily legitimize the word in their eyes.

also, not only is it not the ace community’s responsibility to make ourself more marketable (for lack of a better word) to others by changing the words we use in order to be taken more seriously by others, suggesting that usage of a word makes us less likely to be taken seriously is essentially blaming users of z/zedsexual at least in part for other people’s acephobia / asexual erasure / ignorance.

regardless of what you or i think about the word z/zedsexual, people should be able to freely use the word without having other aces suggest that the word they use is in any way responsible for other people’s bullshit…

people are responsible for their own bullshit.

as for possible alternatives, i’m assuming you mean aside from allosexual and non-asexual. i’m not really aware of any other proposed alternatives atm.