Choosing Your Words Wisely Will Empower You And Those Around You
Posted: 03/21/2013 7:26 am
This week, I was disturbed by some words I read, words that were written by people I thought were intelligent and well educated. Our words are a direct reflection of our deepest beliefs and convictions. They can have the power to move, enlighten and educate, yet can also disturb, anger and ruffle a few feathers. The old saying, "words can hurt" has been around for a long time for a reason: it's true.
Let's go back -- way back -- for just a moment. See if you can translate the meaning of this passage from Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales (1380's):
Words can change over time; sometimes new ones replace the old ones. Perhaps they've become inappropriate, have negative connotations or simply change meanings because of cultural changes.
One example of the definition of a word changing due to cultural changes is the word "gay". In the 1934 movie musical "The Gay Divorcee", "gay" meant lighthearted or happy. It wasn't until the mid 20th century that the meaning went through several transformations. Today the word "gay" mostly refers to someone's sexual orientation.
This week, as I quickly glanced at some Facebook posts, I noticed one post in particular from someone I barely knew. Reading it sent shivers down my spine. There were only six words:
In the late 1960s, there were no IEP's, no diagnoses of OCD or ADHD, no self-contained classrooms for children with learning disabilities. Today when I think about that classroom, it saddens me to think of how those students and their parents were treated, and what they must have endured.
So I would like to say to the person who wrote the post about The Kardashians: Shame on you.
Here are a few other words that have changed over time:
•Handicapped to Disabled: After The Crimean War, the British Parliament made it legal for returning veterans, permanently hurt in the war, to beg for money on the street. They placed their "cap in hand" = handicapped. This word is no longer acceptable, and does not appear anywhere in The Americans For Disabilities Act. The word "disabled" has replaced "handicapped."
•Victim to (Fill in your own word): This is a pet peeve of mine. I recently read an article focusing on the recent diagnosis of a famous person with Multiple Sclerosis as being a "victim." We are not victims as in a victim of a crime. We are people with a chronic illnes.
•Spam: In an episode of M*A*S*H, the animal-loving Radar O'Reilly sent a lamb back home to Iowa before it could be slaughtered. The cook, covering up for the missing dinner, prepared a SPAM ham. Yes, before computers, the word "SPAM" was best known as a pre-cooked, canned "meat product." Ugh.
•Commode: From a piece of furniture standing on legs to a toilet.
•Fag: A British term for a cigarette, it was later used as a slur against effeminate men. I always hated that word.
•Friend: Prior to social media, a friend was your ally or someone you trusted and cared about. Today it's used as a verb, meaning someone you may not know or perhaps even met.
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