Quote Originally Posted by zenga View Post
On top of that a lot of non native English speakers are influenced for a large part by what they hear on TV, movies, shows, music and whatever else they read on the internet. I'm almost inclined to say that it's utterly disrespectful to expect non native English speakers to be able to gouge every context of a word. I truly wonder if most native English speakers are able to communicate at the same level in a foreign language as most non native English speakers communicate in English. And then imagine that you put an effort into writing proper language in that foreign language and someone all in a sudden calls you out in a dramatic way for using a word (and turns to be projecting his/her own idea about the usage of the word, rather than what a dictionary or linguists say).
I might grant you a general exception for the above (in fact, I'd say we do that every day; just look at ebony's posts lol!). The word "rape," though, I do not believe fits that exception. Unless you've been living under a rock, you HAD to know about the negative connotations of the term. I can't imagine this is the first time you've ever heard anyone complain about casual use, especially in a congratulatory or smiling-with-pride-for-your-accomplishments manner. And again, there are a TON of alternatives to that word, the use of any of which might have pointed you out as not being part of the 12-year-old point-and-click-warrior crowd.

It's not like we don't understand the English language is littered with pejorative landmines. It's that we (or most of us anyway) understand that certain very commonly misused words are a sign that you have made a choice with regards to your vocabulary. That choice comes with consequences. You can wail and moan and gnash your teeth that someone expressed disapproval of your choice or you can modify your behavior accordingly by either ignoring the people complaining or not using the word. Trying to make it out like you're being abused because you didn't know any better is...puerile.