Lately, certain words usually only referred to by using their first letter, have been identified for elimination. What these words represent and the effect they have on people have made these forbidden words unworthy of human utterance.
There is the “N” word that is used extensively in America’s most famous novel, “Huckleberry Finn.” Since this word appears more than 200 times in Mark Twain’s book, many schools refused to let their students read it. Recently, a new edition was published substituting the “n” word with the word “slave,” considered a much more tolerable label for human beings.
During a recent governor’s race, someone in the background used the “w” word about a candidate during a telephone call made by his opponent. The word was meant to highlight this female candidate’s willingness to do anything for money. The woman feigned great offense to her new title in such a way that the name seemed too good to describe her. She claimed that the word was an affront to every woman in the state. But was it a sexist slur? Should it no longer be used?
Now there is a movement to get people to stop using the “r” word out of consideration for people with learning challenges. Using this word with any reference should be stopped, immediately, advocates urge.
And then there is the word so bad that I don’t even use its letter. It is the one between “e” and “g.” While it describes what most people seem to greatly enjoy, it is considered unspeakable. There is now a record using the full word in its title and throughout the song. Is this pushing artistic freedom too far? Can this word followed by the second person singular be used at least when listening to a terribly dishonest politician lie on T.V.? (I must admit that at times I get so upset at disingenuous congressmen that I sometimes yell out “letter between “e” and “g” to your second person singular” while watching them on T.V. I can only hope that nobody has heard me.)
What other words should be limited to just their first initial if mentioned at all?
Surely all words that can be deemed racial or ethnic slurs could be banned or limited to their first initial. We could have the “J” word, the “k” word (the worse, though lower case, version of the prior letter’s word), the “C” word (or the Ch if allowed two letters), the “P” word (all the jokes would be “P” jokes) and so on.
Then there are the words that denigrate character, like the “w” word that was so politicized recently. There could be the initialization of the “l” word for people who don’t speak the truth, the “p” word for those who appear too gluttonous, and the “g” word for those of us who like airing the laundry of our friends and acquaintances.
But then we come to words like the “r” word. These words add insult to injury. They help us point out and ridicule the physical or mental shortcomings of others. Words like “stupid,” “ugly,” “moron,” “dumb,” “homely,” “short,” “stubby,” “coward,” “dimwit,” and “slug,” could be forever banned because of the hurt they cause those given these labels which are frontal assaults on their self-esteem and feelings of adequacy.
There is another solution, one that would save countless adjectives that could be reconditioned and used for peaceful purposes. Rather than limiting the kind of words available for use, why not work on creating and nurturing a culture that has such understanding and compassion that such words lose their negative meaning? Not only would we be beyond even considering expressing vulgarity or insensitivity, the victims of even the then very occasional use of these terms would see them only as sad reflections of the speakers, and have compassion for their ignorance and apparent feelings of inadequacy.
But can a culture change? This question has risen in the minds of many watching the events in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Can these cultures change what seems to be their collective DNA? Can tribal nations come together as one people? Can education and exposure to the civilized world help them radically change their brutal attitudes, beliefs and behaviors?
The same could be asked about ours. Can we wean ourselves away from the violence and greed that drives some of our worst behavior? Can the elite learn to take less and give more? Can we spread intelligence and consideration to all corners and all aspects of our culture? Can we come together to end poverty and its resultant crime in our land? Can we come to learn that bigger is not always better and that more is sometimes less? Can our politicians stop their petty squabbling and partisan rhetoric and try their best to solve our country’s pressing problems?
I think that the answer is “yes” for us and an almost “maybe” for some of the other cultures mentioned. Germany and Japan changed dramatically after World War II. I think that we are seeing that happening in China and India. Even in the Middle East there is the beginning of a recognition that their way doesn’t work anymore and probably never did. It will take them a while to realize that first they must stop subjugating women even if that makes the men feel even more inadequate. Men there will not be free of their tyrants until they stop being tyrants to their women.
We will never to ban enough bad words to make all our people feel that their self esteem is not under assault. But we can work harder to ban ignorance and perhaps, to give all our people reason to have high self esteem making using negative terms against others unimaginable.
There is the “N” word that is used extensively in America’s most famous novel, “Huckleberry Finn.” Since this word appears more than 200 times in Mark Twain’s book, many schools refused to let their students read it. Recently, a new edition was published substituting the “n” word with the word “slave,” considered a much more tolerable label for human beings.
During a recent governor’s race, someone in the background used the “w” word about a candidate during a telephone call made by his opponent. The word was meant to highlight this female candidate’s willingness to do anything for money. The woman feigned great offense to her new title in such a way that the name seemed too good to describe her. She claimed that the word was an affront to every woman in the state. But was it a sexist slur? Should it no longer be used?
Now there is a movement to get people to stop using the “r” word out of consideration for people with learning challenges. Using this word with any reference should be stopped, immediately, advocates urge.
And then there is the word so bad that I don’t even use its letter. It is the one between “e” and “g.” While it describes what most people seem to greatly enjoy, it is considered unspeakable. There is now a record using the full word in its title and throughout the song. Is this pushing artistic freedom too far? Can this word followed by the second person singular be used at least when listening to a terribly dishonest politician lie on T.V.? (I must admit that at times I get so upset at disingenuous congressmen that I sometimes yell out “letter between “e” and “g” to your second person singular” while watching them on T.V. I can only hope that nobody has heard me.)
What other words should be limited to just their first initial if mentioned at all?
Surely all words that can be deemed racial or ethnic slurs could be banned or limited to their first initial. We could have the “J” word, the “k” word (the worse, though lower case, version of the prior letter’s word), the “C” word (or the Ch if allowed two letters), the “P” word (all the jokes would be “P” jokes) and so on.
Then there are the words that denigrate character, like the “w” word that was so politicized recently. There could be the initialization of the “l” word for people who don’t speak the truth, the “p” word for those who appear too gluttonous, and the “g” word for those of us who like airing the laundry of our friends and acquaintances.
But then we come to words like the “r” word. These words add insult to injury. They help us point out and ridicule the physical or mental shortcomings of others. Words like “stupid,” “ugly,” “moron,” “dumb,” “homely,” “short,” “stubby,” “coward,” “dimwit,” and “slug,” could be forever banned because of the hurt they cause those given these labels which are frontal assaults on their self-esteem and feelings of adequacy.
There is another solution, one that would save countless adjectives that could be reconditioned and used for peaceful purposes. Rather than limiting the kind of words available for use, why not work on creating and nurturing a culture that has such understanding and compassion that such words lose their negative meaning? Not only would we be beyond even considering expressing vulgarity or insensitivity, the victims of even the then very occasional use of these terms would see them only as sad reflections of the speakers, and have compassion for their ignorance and apparent feelings of inadequacy.
But can a culture change? This question has risen in the minds of many watching the events in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Can these cultures change what seems to be their collective DNA? Can tribal nations come together as one people? Can education and exposure to the civilized world help them radically change their brutal attitudes, beliefs and behaviors?
The same could be asked about ours. Can we wean ourselves away from the violence and greed that drives some of our worst behavior? Can the elite learn to take less and give more? Can we spread intelligence and consideration to all corners and all aspects of our culture? Can we come together to end poverty and its resultant crime in our land? Can we come to learn that bigger is not always better and that more is sometimes less? Can our politicians stop their petty squabbling and partisan rhetoric and try their best to solve our country’s pressing problems?
I think that the answer is “yes” for us and an almost “maybe” for some of the other cultures mentioned. Germany and Japan changed dramatically after World War II. I think that we are seeing that happening in China and India. Even in the Middle East there is the beginning of a recognition that their way doesn’t work anymore and probably never did. It will take them a while to realize that first they must stop subjugating women even if that makes the men feel even more inadequate. Men there will not be free of their tyrants until they stop being tyrants to their women.
We will never to ban enough bad words to make all our people feel that their self esteem is not under assault. But we can work harder to ban ignorance and perhaps, to give all our people reason to have high self esteem making using negative terms against others unimaginable.
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