education is key

I guess this can be seen as a continuation from my last post. In class we’ve read an essay by Gloria Naylor called “A Word’s Meaning” and a newspaper article called “In Bid to Ban Racial Slur, Blacks Occupy Both Sides” b Anahad O’Connor. Both readings deal with the widely use of the n word in today’s world. I personally despise the word, I think it’s degrading, and I don’t understand why rappers and other media high figures feel the compelling urge to use it a million times in a short amount of time.

In the newspaper article there were a few websites that I went onto. Abolishthenword.com had this very disturbing flash presentation in the beginning before entering the site. Pictures upon pictures of cruelty towards a specific group of people. I believe that each person who died from cruel attacks were called the n word before dying, which just makes me even more angry that today it is a term of endearment or power.

What is it with our generation to take such cruel words used to attack several groups of people who aren’t the same as us and turn them into a “positive” term? It’s disgusting. What’s even more disgusting is when it is acceptable among people of the same group using the same word to each other as a sign of respect.

I applaud those who are taking steps to educate today’s youth about the origin and vulgar use of the n word. No matter what race you are, there is no reason to use words like that. “Words are stronger than actions.” That is true. I think the spoken word is the strongest weapon ever created. Physical pain can heal is what I always say, but that emotional and mental pain will never go away. Never. The spoken word attacks emotionally and mentally, scarring those attacked for life. A child will forget the knee scrapes and the bruises, but call that child the n word or any other derogatory word…and they will remember it for the rest of their life. Without the proper education, we can lose hope that respect will prevail. If we do not educate the youth today about words such as the n word, they are just going to keep using without paying respect to those who died before them from that word. And that’s what make is disgusting to me.

Today's Slang Can mean You're offending a whole group of people

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17388702/?GT1=9145

We were discussing in class how the English Language is constantly changing, and we are always changing the meanings of different words. I was reading an article that I feel tied into that discussion. Slang is an ever changing informal way of the English Language. There’s politically correct terminology but then there’s just plain degrading words out there. This particular article discusses a lawsuit against a school for reprimanding a girl who used the term “that’s so gay.” Her parents claimed it was a violation of the First Amendment, and sued the school.

I don’t really want to get into the politics of that lawsuit, but I think it’s appalling nowadays how words that are used to identify a group of people are now being turned around and used as slang. Words like “queer” “gay” and the n word. I just think it’s inappropriate to make slang out of these words. It’s offending in a way to hear people calling people fags because now it also means “stupid.” Well it’s an offensive term to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. Then there are racial terms that being used instead as an insult but as another form of stupid or other words along those lines. These words are offensive! Why are we bringing them back into slang?

I hate when people use the word fag or gay in a way that means stupid around me. I would actually make my friends stop using the terms in such a way because it would upset me. Being an out lesbian, I had to deal with a lot of gay bashing growing up. Now to hear words that were used to cut me down and beat me up meaning “stupid” is just appalling to me.

I wish there was a way to stop it all, but I’m going to look at it realistically. It’s not going to happen. Let America use these, but as an individual I’m going to stop it around me. Too many people have been hurt by those words, that it’s inappropriate to used them. I honestly just don’t want to be reminded of bad times, and I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who agree with me on some level. I mean it’s weird in a way that I’m fighting for the term “gay” to remain the way it is and not mean “stupid.” But look at this way, using the word gay, you are also referring to a homosexual person and I can tell we are all not “stupid.”