The author offers a cognitivist as opposed to expressivist analysis of 'asshole' and other foul words. But the guy is a 'liberal,' as witness the following bit of squeamishness:
(2) pejorative terms, which assume false normative or moral claims about certain independently identifiable groups of people (e.g., "honkey”, "wop”, "kike”, “limey”, "chink”, "n—-r");
He refuses to write out 'nigger' as he does in the other cases. Why not? The author is well aware of the use-mention distinction. He knows that to talk about a word is not thereby to apply it to someone or something. Why is 'nigger' more offensive than 'kike'? Why the double standard?
The author appears to be 'p.c.-whipped.'