This: Linguistic reform without systemic change conceals unhappy truths. Social problems may be reflected in the way we speak, but they are rarely, if ever, cured by changes in language. It is certainly true that liberals feel better when they use the most acceptable phrase, but this should not obscure the fact that the oppressed continue to be oppressed under any label. (Perhaps we should not call people the oppressed; perhaps it would be better to call them people with oppression.) Our real problem in this and many other societies is that we respect only intelligence, stylish good looks, and earning potential. This society denigrates people who are not intelligent, who are deemed unattractive, or who are poor. Referring to retarded people as people with mental retardation will not make them brighter, prettier, richer. These names leave the old prejudices intact. Society’s attitudes and the values that underlie them must be changed. This will take far more than trivial linguistic changes. Can you imagine a Planning Board meeting at which a local resident says, We don’t want any retarded people living in our neighborhood! But people with mental retardation? That’s different. They can move in anytime. I can’t. Changing attitudes and values is more difficult than changing language. Perhaps that is why we spend so much time changing language.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 19:16:11 +0000
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