Do Words Matter?

Do Words Matter?

Words are very powerful, and sometimes the words we use offend people. Freedom of speech is highly valued but what happens when your freedom becomes hurtful or disrespectful to someone else? There are so many different kinds of people and different things that offend each person. In this day where we are more inclined to say whatever we want, we see more and more offense being taken to the words that get said. It’s hard to understand why certain words can be insulting to someone when it may not seem that way to you. We have to ask ourselves, why do we care what other people say and should we censer everything that goes into the public just so people don’t get offended?

In the article, “You Can’t Say That,” the author Diane Ravitch talks about how certain words are deleted from books or not shown in films because they could offend certain groups. In the article, Ravitch argues that although it may seem like we live in a world where anything goes, the truth is, that’s not true. Diane does research and gathers a list of more than five hundred words that regularly get deleted from textbooks and tests. Some of the words include cowboy, brotherhood, yacht, and primitive. Personally I believe that the censoring of words these days is somewhat extreme. I understand that certain groups could be offended by such words but why should everyone else not get the original words the author is trying to write because of that.

By removing any words that might offend anyone are we subconsciously trying to make everyone the same? Ravitch writes, “The great irony of sensitivity reviewing: it has evolved into a bureaucratic system that removes all evidence of diversity.” Sensitivity

reviewing was originally supposed to encourage diversity. In the end it is actually making everyone identical and causing misguided equality. For example, if we are trying to tell of a horrible time in history but we can only use words that are “politically correct,” it’s much harder to give feeling and sympathy to the story. I am a strong believer in being able to say whatever I want to say. I think that if you don’t say what you want, then you have no personality and you can’t stand for what you believe in.

If words are so effective, how much power can a word actually have? In “Terrorism or Terror: how much wallop can a word pack?,” the author, Geoffrey Nunberg, examines the different meanings between two powerful political terms. According to Geoffrey, the word terror has a different meaning then terrorism. Terror is a pervasive social plaque. Terrorism is humans who impose terror on a government. In my opinion, terror is a state of mind and a feeling. To me, terrorism is the act of causing terror and devastation. I am basically in agreement with the author of this story about my opinion on these two words. “Terror draws on a more complex set of meanings. It evokes both the actions of terrorists and the fear they are trying to engender”, Geoffrey said. Terror seems to get used for different meanings in specific situations. For example, when you hear the word terrorism you automatically think of 9/11 and the terrorists who have no purpose but to kill. On the other hand, when you hear the word terror, many different views could come to your mind. Some people think the subtle differences between the words have been politically exploited to manipulate public opinion. When we hear the war announced as “The War on Terror”, that name suggests that we are fighting against something that could only end in a perfect