Words, or rather the emotions they convey, can be dangerous things. Used properly, they can elicit tears, joy, an appreciation of the beauty of the world around us. Used in another way, they can convey things of surpassing ugliness, too.

What's in a word? They are used, by all of us, to create a picture, a label if you will.

Think about the emotion evoked by these words below. Regardless of how you use them.

Conservative. Neo-conservative. Liberal. Progressive. Socialist. Communist. Fascist.

Labels...labels...labels...

Many are used as proud banners. These very same labels are used pejoratively.

Personally? I'm none of these. ...but by the same token, only the flipside, I'm all of these, depending upon, I sometimes think, which way the wind is blowing, and the day of the week...

Labels... Labels... Labels...

Here are some words that in the pejorative are less than kind. In and of themselves? They're, as someone pointed out to me, just sounds. Yet with hate, or other dark emotions behind them, they become something else entirely. They become weapons.

Faggot. Kike. Himey. Queer. Slope. Chink. Honkey. Whitey. The list is as endless as it is hateful, and hurtful.

All these labels are meant to hurt, meant to be hateful, meant to separate us, meant to raise one group over another. Strength through name calling...

Idiot. Stupid. Retard. Liar. Degenerate. ...again, the list is endless...hurtful...and hateful.

Quite a list, isn't it? Some of the most hurtful and hateful words in the English language...

Take a close look...Go on...now look again. Bet you've used some of these, or others just like 'em, at one time or another. I, to my everlasting shame, have. To what end? Expressing anger? Fear? Hate? All of these? Or something deeper perhaps even more shameful? Honestly? I don't know...probably don't want to, either.

What's in a name? Or a label?

Perception. Using those labels above...How am I, or you, perceiving that person? How would I be asking you to perceive that person?

As an enemy to be destroyed? As a target for destruction? An object of ridicule?

Indeed. All of those.

Calling myself, and you, out for this makes me, without a shadow of a doubt, a hypocrite of a most magnificent sort.

I would urge all of us to take a long hard look at how we use words, even if we never actually say them aloud, or type them for others to read.

I would say, regardless of how it makes me appear, and it doesn't cast me in a good light at all; that to even think these words/labels about someone else reveals that we aren't as enlightened a being as we'd like to believe.

We live our lives through words, and the emotions they convey. Through words we perceive the world around us. Think carefully of the words you would use, and the emotions you mean to elicit, lest it alter the world beyond mere perception.

Nice post, deep thinking.

Yeah, people only take offence to words if they want too.

A mom might say one word is bad, another might say it means the complete opposite, the kid calls one that word with good intention, but the other takes it as bad.

If you let words hurt you, its not the other person, its you that is allowing the emotion of having someone hate you get to you. In truth, the person that hates, hates their self.


Same with labels. If i had to label anything or anyone, i would only label it as existing.

[edit on 5-3-2010 by gandhi]

What do you mean?? Just kidding

Words have been put together over the years to make ideas. Some obviously better than others. These words/ideas are responsible for all our advancements and all our failures and our shames. I often wonder what the world would be like if humans were held more accountable for the words they use and ideas they generate.

Like for instance, horror movies that depict grotesque mutilation and torture like Saw or Hannibal etc. among others. I know there is entertainment value but words were put together to describe a lot of brutality and terror. How many crimes like copy cat stuff have been perpetrated because some careless person generated the idea that someone later acted upon.

I know that's not to say that the person may have thought of it themselves. Yes but disturbing idea generation doesn't help humanities cause. Does the world really need new and innovative ways to make others suffer in agony?

Maybe I am out to lunch with this but I think the OP touches on the subject matter.

chirp chirp,
sparrow

[edit on 5-3-2010 by sparrowstail]

We live our lives through words, and the emotions they convey. Through words we perceive the world around us. Think carefully of the words you would use, and the emotions you mean to elicit, lest it alter the world beyond mere perception.

I would add that this well thought and important message should not be overlooked when applied to oneself, either. Too many of us use words (in our heads) to ridicule and demean ourselves and our lives. In many cases, we say or call ourselves names that we would never say to or call another. Be kind to one self first and it will carry over to others...

I have a lot of respect for words. They have power. I wish more people would actually learn to use them, and then think before doing so.

And I'm particularly worried about labels. Especially on this site. I haven't visited the site on a regular basis for about 3 or 4 years now, but now that I'm back more often, I'm disappointed to see that everyone seems to have a label for everyone else.

Totally mind-narrowing, labels are. Completely absolves one from taking responsibility for noticing the differences between us and respecting them, effectively making each and every one us nothing more than a bulleted list of stereotypical statements.

I think part of the problem is that a lot of people on a site like this are never completely honest about themselves. Sure, there are some things about ourselves that shouldn't be shared in this environment, but those things are completely irrelevant to what we are anyway. I'm saying that those who aren't proactive in actually letting people know what they are set themselves up to be labeled. And labels stick. That's why they're called labels.

If you insist on being mystery person, you never really integrate into a community, and that makes you at least part troll in my book.

And again, think before you type.

Most people are trained to argue, not engage in meaningful discourse, which entails actual re-examination and potential reformation of one’s views. In short, emotivist appeals are often the most effective, and I find the most effective way of arguing with the average person is to present an emotivist perspective on reason (irony noted).

Sometimes relevant questions, comments and observations are lost in purposeful trollery by those who don't understand the context or history of what they are responding to. I try to take the time to engage in discussion with each of those persons, but it grew tiresome really quickly once I finally understood most are just looking to yell the loudest and have their voices heard. With the audience that ATS gets, it is unsurprising that some comments need to be censored or first previewed before the spirit of the message gets lost in a misinformed commentary.

I'm just as guilty.

I 100% disagree. It's not the words...it's the intent.

I can just as easily, and in some cases more effectively, destroy someones self esteem and show hatred toward them with nice, flowery, happy words using techniques such as sarcasm, mis-direction, and underhanded compliments. Lying to them myself to lead them to believe one thing just to get crushed later on when someone else informs them otherwise.

Yeah...I know that above paragraph makes me look like such a nice guy

I'm not saying I use these methods...but they are available.

When an attempt like this is made to make everyone think of how "bad" these words are...you just give them more and more power. You make something taboo and it has power. If you or a group allows a word to take a hold of them and have it as that ONE trigger that is going to set them off (n-word, r-word, f-word....blah blah blah...they are so bad we can't even say them) then it WILL be used against you to illicit a reaction when a reaction is wanted. And if you give that word power and you let it get that reaction...then it is you who is defining that word...not the one using it.

There was this big movement of "take back the "R"-word" the other day. I bet the word retard was used more in that one day by people rebeling against the movement than it has it any other day.

If you really really really dislike a word and don't want to use it, that is your personal preference. I have one word that I will never say...for personal reasons...I cuss like a sailor otherwise. But for me, that one word is off limits. I won't try to get others not to use it, I don't get mad when others use it...I just don't because I disagree with it.

Language! It's a virus!
Language! It's a virus!
Language! It's a virus!
–––Laurie Anderson

The older I get the more I think Ms Anderson was onto something. There is something very peculiar about words...those funny little sounds that we make...and something even more peculiar about how much emotional and spiritual energy we have invested in them.

I am reminded of the old Lenny Bruce routine where he shouted the N word repeatedly at the audience then commented how odd it was that you repeat a word enough times and it ceases to have any meaning and becomes just another sound.

...i can agree that we might appear to be more evolved if we closely examined our own choice of words before slinging, errr, uh, sharing them with others... however, that requires self-analysis - and - self-analysis takes time and a big dose of honesty...

...thats just not very popular nowadays, especially in an environment (online) that encourages the mindset that your opinion is SO VERY important to millions of other people that are SO breathlessly awaiting your unique perspective that they will over-look your incessant use of "their" when "they're" or "there" is the correct term...

...those who point out your misuse of the kah-wane's lang-wich find themselves confronted by an angry mob who defend ignorance by telling the pointer-outer that they are an anal retentive that lacks intelligence because anyone with half a brain should be able to see the point regardless of your multiple mis-spellings...

...the obvious fallacy is - anyone with a half a brain is, at best, not capable of comprehending anything...