LogFAQs > #946171328

JigsawTDC posted...

In my experience the term "trap" is only ever used as a slur for transwomen. Did you mean it in some other way?

In Japanese media, it's a character archetype of a particularly effeminate male (usually younger) who routinely passes as female in-universe. They may or may not dress as female, and if they do, it's often because another character has dressed them as such. Bridget from Guilty Gear is an example. It's generally played for comedic effect and not necessarily as a deliberate deception on the part of the trap.

It's understandable how it's ended up as a slur for transwomen, but in that sense, it's not a question of gender identity or any such thing. If anything, using it as a slur for transwomen is an example of erroneously conflating transsexuals with transvestites.

YoukaiSlayer posted...

It is kind of interesting how useless has such a negative connotation, as if everything needs to justify it's reason to exist, rather than just not be a negative influence.

It kind of depends on context. If we're talking about whether or not a given group of people is of use to me, it's so obvious as to be pointless to say. Of course most people aren't useful to me. I will never interact with or be affected by the vast majority of people in any way. To that end, when people do actually say it, it's usually said with a certain degree of vitriol behind it (i.e. "I wish none of X people existed"), which is where the negative connotation comes from.

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