I never really thought of it this way till recently I heard someone say it in a completely harmless context. I don't like saying the word. And I don't like hearing it from anyone. In any context, it just strikes a bad chord in me. The word has a history of hate and suffering in every letter and syllable, and that's something we can't erase no matter how much people fail at trying to normalize, reinvent, or intellectualize it. In our lifetime, as long as its history is fresh within our minds, it will never be just a word.
But isn't it just a word? I'd argue yes and no. Sure by definition it is a word, but as soon as you use it, it's a bell tone. It's a feeling. It's an expression. It's an action. And so is every other word. They become real and impact people around you and even yourself sometimes. I'm reminded of Ancient Egyptian mythology and the god Thoth who was if I remember correctly kinda a big deal because he controlled writing. And it was thought that just the existence of symbols for things was magical and powerful. Even in Christianity, we have a whole book of words that contain an enormous amount of influence or power. Same deal with the Torah and the Qua'ran. So what happened to our reverence for diction? Is it limited to literature? Is actually taking the time to think about saying what you mean a lost art? Probably not, but our free will has definitely complicated this.
Because we have free will, things can get pretty selfish quickly. We're always making choices. Not anyone else, so we get used to being only responsible for ourselves. But when we make the choice to communicate or socialize with others, immediately our choices have consequences for others. So how do we handle that? I suppose it's to each his own, but I believe some folks way back when decided that was probably not the way to go about things. In Christianity, we're taught treat others like you want to be treated. It seems logical right? If every body respects everybody, we're all happy. But does that mean we have to cater to every single person we ever open our mouths around? You're talking about being PC, you say? Well, clearly you can't please everyone. And by no means should you censor what you want to say because some people may find it offensive. BUT you should take responsibility for the reaction.
When you speak, you should damn well know your motive, point, and audience. And if you strike the wrong chord by mistake or on purpose, you should fess up. Maybe not necessarily apologizing, but you should always be aware of the reception of your message. Sure the reaction and reception will depend on the audience. But you should hold yourself accountable. Don't fool yourself into thinking that people don't understand you cause they're stupid, small minded, too obsequious, or too sensitive. Cause I can guarantee you most of the time blame can be shared 50-50. So, we have millions of words to chose from to say even more different things nuanced this way or that...but some words are off limits...taboo is you will. But why?
Words don't become taboo for no reason. When a stigma gets attached to a word it's not a singular decision that was made by some PC policeman or woman. It's a universal one. For some reason or another by series of sometimes unfortunate events, we realize certain words make some of us uncomfortable or stir up old emotions and that in turn makes the rest of us uncomfortable knowing they're uncomfortable. So we decide to cut our losses and just stop using it. We decide to respect one another. We figure we're all better off. Then that word dies or maybe its meaning does...well you'd think it would. But history is the one thing we can't change and have no control over. All we have is the present. Use your free will and judgement. Take responsibility for what you say. Care about what you say and how you say it. Our words are powerful, and we should use them wisely.
