RSS Feed

Language & Stigmas

March 20, 2013 by Sam Lebold   

I’m not quite sure how well this would work, but the more I think about it, the more I would like to tackle it as a topic.

In recent years, most people have started to avoid using the word “gay” as a negative description. However, a lot of other labels like this still exist, and the only reason we’ve stopped using gay is most likely because of all the attention that gay rights have been receiving in the media. For example, you might still hear someone say “Wow that’s so gay” every once in a blue moon, but it doesn’t go over too well. How many times, through, do you hear someone say “Ugh, that’s so retarded”? My guess is, more often than not.

This is common across the board. Another example (which hits closer to home for me) is when people say “I’m so OCD about that!” I was diagnosed with OCD at age 8, and it’s really hard for me to stomach it when people treat it so flippantly, often with a negative tone to it. This is extremely hurtful to me–unless you have the disorder, you have no idea what it’s like!

For the most part, it seems like the usage of these terms springs from a lack of understanding, whether it’s a lack of understanding about how offensive these terms are, or a lack of understanding about the actual terms themselves. I’m not quite sure how I would back up an argument with data, evidence, or research, but I think it deserves some looking into.

If I were to pursue this topic, my intended audience would be our generation and those below it. I don’t notice a lot of the same usage in older generations, but I certainly do in those below us. I think it’s an important message for these generations to hear, because language has a lot of power, and used incorrectly, it can be extremely offensive. Language becomes so ingrained in us that it often influences the way we think, and it’s my guess that we have a lot of the stigmas we do around certain things like mental illness or disabilities because of the way that we treat them in our everyday language.

Like I said, it would take a lot more planning and thought, but it’s certainly something I’d like to look into.


3 Comments »

  1. Alyssa Ardolino says:

    I love this topic, and I think you could find evidence somehow. I think much of the use of these hurtful words or sayings is from lack of knowledge about how offensive they may be. Or sometimes people just choose to not care or “not mean it in a bad way”. I think you could make some really insightful conclusions in this essay because language (what you’d essentially be writing about and your very act of writing) is a very powerful thing. Great idea!

  2. Stacy Justo says:

    As someone who could possibly represent the intended audience you’re describing, your topic definitely hits home for me as well, despite the fact that we don’t share the same types of problems. Our society has been “geared” almost in such as a way that we’re all accustomed to using politically incorrect terminology, that we’ve grown to believe that certain offensive words are the words to actually be used when describing and unfortunate situation. I’m really glad that you brought this up, and I’m not sure if you looked into this aspect yet, but I’d like to see what sort of solutions you have for solving this problem. I personally find it really hard to “reconfigure” society in such a way that our way of thinking changes overnight, but perhaps you could suggest something better? Good luck on your essay!

  3. Emily Pearlman says:

    I really like this topic because I am the one to call out my friends for saying the word “retarded” and tell them not to use it because I hate how the word is used. I agree that it might be a little challenging to find sources that back this up, but I bet there’s SOME information out there. I think you can pull it off!

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Skip to toolbar