HOW WE SPEAK AND WRITE: THE LANGUAGE OF EQUALITY "It’s fascinating how a desire to corner the market on language enters cultural change dialogue. It speaks to the power of words to shape realities. Many will, for example, recall the debate and, at times, the rancor over who rightly got to use the word “black” forty or fifty years back. There had been, before “black” became standard usage, some feeling that only African-Americans who were on or supporting the front lines of change could rightly claim the term. To cite another example, in my community, there have always been those who insist on “Jewish-American,” finding “American Jew,” if not offensive, less preferred, suggesting a misplaced emphasis. There are numbers of American Jews, in fact, who object strenuously to “Jew” and much prefer the adjectival identifier “Jewish.” While I have no issue with “Jew,” I understand the historical reasons (Juden!) for the sensitivities involved. Similar language issues surround the changing legal status of gay citizens." Read More in HOW WE SPEAK AND WRITE: THE LANGUAGE OF EQUALITY, the seventh essay in "Passionate Justice."
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:28:21 +0000
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