A couple of weeks ago, I observed an interesting debate between two friends of mine concerning the power of words and whether or not we could universally erase a select few. One seemed to believe that words possess only as much power as people provide them, that they can mean nothing if we treat them as such, and if we stop using them in the future, they'll all but vanish. The other seemed to disagree with this notion, as they mentioned how a few words got under their skin more than any other, and that whether or not we uttered such words in the future, that wouldn't remove their affect on us.
First of all, as a writer, I'm inherently biased toward the power of words. I'm also a believer that less is often more when it comes to certain words. If an individual rarely uses what's considered to be profane language, when he or she does utter such a word, it often times lands a bigger punch than if the stereotypical drunken sailor utters such a remark. It should also be noted that, although words have technical definitions, the same term can hold completely different meanings to different people, dependent upon their upbringing, religious or political views, and other life experiences. This doesn't make any one party right or wrong on such a definition necessarily, but when delving into the matter, we have to keep in mind that words can emotionally impact people differently.
When fully contemplating about my friends' debate, I came back with mixed feelings. On one hand, I partially agreed with the former's assertion that words possess only as much power as people provide them, yet I also agreed with the latter's claim that denial of a word in the future doesn't remove its power of the past.
It's true; there are times when even those closest to us have learned how to press our buttons and utilize a word in order to intentionally get under our skin. What then is the best strategy to offset that? By making it appear as though this button-pushing doesn't bother us at all. However, when it comes to certain derogatory terms, like ni**er, I think, regardless of whether or not it's uttered in the future, we can't ignore what it's meant in the past.
As difficult as it might be to admit to our country's mistakes of the past, without this admittance, we leave ourselves more prone to committing similar mistakes in the future. If I were a recovering alcoholic, it wouldn't do much good to just stop uttering words which are associated with alcohol, denying the substance completely. In order to get over my problem, I'd have to admit I had a problem in the first place, and regardless of the temptations in the future, be able to resist them, and improve from my past mistakes in the process. I hate the N-word and terms like it, but I'm not going to espouse the removal of such language or shameful events from this country's history. Some textbooks are now trying to shine a brighter light on slave owners, and slavery in general. There are even a few textbooks which appear to want to show America off as a utopia. I think such denial sets a dangerous precedent, however. If we completely ignore discrimination has ever existed in this country, how will we then tackle our problems with discrimination? It's impossible to solve a problem if we don't believe a problem exists.
While it may be true that words posses only as much power as people provide them, if people ignore their histories, we're left powerless to the inevitable recycling of past atrocities affiliated with those very terms.
First of all, as a writer, I'm inherently biased toward the power of words. I'm also a believer that less is often more when it comes to certain words. If an individual rarely uses what's considered to be profane language, when he or she does utter such a word, it often times lands a bigger punch than if the stereotypical drunken sailor utters such a remark. It should also be noted that, although words have technical definitions, the same term can hold completely different meanings to different people, dependent upon their upbringing, religious or political views, and other life experiences. This doesn't make any one party right or wrong on such a definition necessarily, but when delving into the matter, we have to keep in mind that words can emotionally impact people differently.
When fully contemplating about my friends' debate, I came back with mixed feelings. On one hand, I partially agreed with the former's assertion that words possess only as much power as people provide them, yet I also agreed with the latter's claim that denial of a word in the future doesn't remove its power of the past.
It's true; there are times when even those closest to us have learned how to press our buttons and utilize a word in order to intentionally get under our skin. What then is the best strategy to offset that? By making it appear as though this button-pushing doesn't bother us at all. However, when it comes to certain derogatory terms, like ni**er, I think, regardless of whether or not it's uttered in the future, we can't ignore what it's meant in the past.
As difficult as it might be to admit to our country's mistakes of the past, without this admittance, we leave ourselves more prone to committing similar mistakes in the future. If I were a recovering alcoholic, it wouldn't do much good to just stop uttering words which are associated with alcohol, denying the substance completely. In order to get over my problem, I'd have to admit I had a problem in the first place, and regardless of the temptations in the future, be able to resist them, and improve from my past mistakes in the process. I hate the N-word and terms like it, but I'm not going to espouse the removal of such language or shameful events from this country's history. Some textbooks are now trying to shine a brighter light on slave owners, and slavery in general. There are even a few textbooks which appear to want to show America off as a utopia. I think such denial sets a dangerous precedent, however. If we completely ignore discrimination has ever existed in this country, how will we then tackle our problems with discrimination? It's impossible to solve a problem if we don't believe a problem exists.
While it may be true that words posses only as much power as people provide them, if people ignore their histories, we're left powerless to the inevitable recycling of past atrocities affiliated with those very terms.
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