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Do you mind your language when you speak? Be aware of the words you use, as these can discriminate without you realizing it!
“Sexist language, racist language, theistic language – all are typical of the policing languages of mastery, and cannot, do not permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas.” – Toni Morrison, Nobel Lecture, 1993
Words are a powerful tool; they can comfort the sad, motivate the uninspired, and calm the agitated. But words can also alienate and exclude in ways that can damage not just individuals but also society as a whole. Racist, sexist, ageist, and heterosexist expressions are some such examples.
Linguist experts Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, who studied the effects of language, proposed that language determines thoughts. For example, racist language express racist attitudes; sexist language puts people down because of their gender; ageist expressions show prejudice against older people; and heterosexist language indicates hate for people who are gays, lesbians, bisexual, etc.
Therefore, changing the way we speak can change our thoughts. It can encourage new ways of thinking, and possibly lead to a positive shift in our attitudes.
Here are some guidelines to eliminate prejudice in your language:
Racism can be direct and deliberate, or sometimes subtle and unintentional. To be mindful of racist expressions:
Sexist language stems from rigid beliefs about gender roles. To remove sexist language from your vocabulary:
Note: There may be situations where it is necessary to mark the sex clearly. In such instances, it is acceptable to specify the gender for purposes of clarity.
Ageist language grows from the belief that older people are physically and mentally incompetent. Some ways to eliminate ageist language are:
If an older person does have communication difficulties, use the guidelines from The American Speech and Hearing Association to adjust your communication style.
Heterosexism perpetuates the belief that only opposite-sex relationships are natural and worthy of respect, but we owe it to humanity to be respectful of people’s preferences and choices. Here are some ways to curb heterosexist tendencies:
Discriminatory language often stems from deep-rooted beliefs about other people. I hope these tips help you align your intentions and language, thus mindfully creating a dignified and equal society for everyone.
Image source: flickr, for representational purposes only.
A feline worshiper, beach bum, and book chomper, who loves to eat, write, and travel. I spend my time writing, studying publishing and communication, cuddling my fur children, watching the sunset, and trying to make read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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