Sticks and Stones: Are Names Hurting Us?
Racial and Sexual Slurs Have Become More Pervasive
In the seventies, television was groundbreaking. Characters like Archie Bunker and Maude made scandalous history in TVLAND by referring to people with derogatory and inflammatory names based on race, gender, and sexual proclivity -- comments that were ironically much more politically incorrect than my boy Bill Maher could ever make on TV nowadays. These characters brought subject matter that was considered taboo and only discussed behind closed doors to living rooms across the country.
The reality is, racism and sexism have permeated our culture. We are as obsessed with them, as we are labeling everyone and everything as a way of defining and separating individuals. Of course, that is bound to happen in such a huge melting pot synonymous with fusing so many various cultures and people into one. We're free to be you and me, so to speak -- or are we? We seem to constantly monitor what others say, scrutinizing our politicians and censoring our performers. But far too often, we, ourselves, speak without a filter or a modicum of respect for others. Some have taken their liberties to the extreme with our modern-day ability to offer our opinion on the Internet, while others have developed a hyper-paranoia and sensitivity. And far too many have developed an apathy and numbness to the brutality of how many of us speak to or about others every day.
When I finally reached the park, I was invigorated by Mother Nature. Spring had sprung and love was in the air -- except for the man and woman engaged in an intense conversation, in which he continually called her a b*** and other names normally reserved more for an enemy than a partner or friend.
Unless, you're like the two sistas I saw earlier at the Deli who only referred to each other as "bitch." I had to wonder, if those two women had come across this couple, they'd probably be the first ones to take off their earrings and let him have it: "Who you callin' a bitch?"
The First Amendment guarantees our freedom of speech. It's one of our greatest delights in this country and at the heart of a million disagreements. But, while our parents had it right-- actions speak louder than words -- words can and will hurt us, if we give them the power to do so.
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