Sunday, November 11, 2012
Winter Class (5)
Hi breakers!
Please do not forget that if you are taking the class for one credit hour, you need 4 blog posts, and if you are taking it for 2, you need 6.
For this week you may write a response to either John Franklin Stephen's letter to Ann Coulter, or the panel at the end of class.
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John Franklin Stephen's letter hit me more than I thought it would. When I was younger, I would use the r-world, not specifically to insults those that have mental disabilities, but as a general insult. I never thought about the kind of implications it really had, and how offensive it could be. This changed drastically last year. A very good friend of mine has spent a lot of time advocating for people with mental disabilities and would get very offended by my use of the r-word. After listening to her, and learning her stories of advocacy I began to feel the same hatred for the word. It still sometimes slips my tongue, but always bothers me that I would use it as an insult, as it is not. I think Mr. Stephen's letter is not only impressive in how elegantly it is worded, much better then I could ever do, but in his attitude towards Ms. Coulter. Though he is obviously offended by her use of it as an insult, he is willing, and even ecstatic to help her see the error of her ways. He is genuinely forgiving, which to me is the most impressive part of his letter. I would hold a grudge against someone who was openly insulting me, or people like me, with the use of a word similar to the r-word. Overall I commend Mr. Stephen for not only getting his point across, but being a good advocate for the group he associates with.
ReplyDeleteJohn Franklin Stephen’s letter was perfectly worded and extremely needed. I feel using the r-word as an expression or insult is a relatively new taboo in American culture. Retarded used to be used to describe a mental disability, but today we more often hear autistic in its place, for example, and avoid the r-word all together. I remember in Jr. high I used to throw around the r-word in casual conversation, not realizing its true connotation. In high school, advocacy groups raised awareness about the negative effects of the name-calling, and it opened my eyes to my many mistakes. I never thought of the word as a means to degrade an entire group within the population. Because the r-word has more recently been deemed a derogatory term, I think it explains why Ann Coulter’s tweet slid somewhat under the radar. If it was not for class, I don’t think I would have heard about this scandal, and that bothers me. However, if Coulter were to insult Obama with a different name, then the tweet would have been broadcast nationally on many news stations. Stephen recognizes this by asking Coulter what other names she contemplated filling in as her insult of choice before deciding on the r-word. Perhaps she chose this vocabulary because she did not think much backlash would arise from it? I think further awareness needs to be raised about the casual use of the r-word in order to prevent it from being even somewhat acceptable in public settings. Hopefully, by the help of individuals like John Stephen, people will become more knowledgeable of the term and be encouraged to change their language.
ReplyDeleteI think it is sad and astonishing how often we don’t realize that the words we say can hurt others. Too often, we think before we speak. I am guilty of this too. We get caught up saying common phrases, and we don’t stop to consider what they actually mean. John Franklin Stephen's letter to Ann Coulter made me really stop and think about what I say. I had not really considered the actual implications of calling someone the “R-word.” It is insulting and wrong on many levels to use this “R-word” as a derogatory term. People who are truly mentally retarded are not any less valuable to society than those who are not. My group felt extremely strongly about this topic. We realize how offensive and hurtful words like “retarded” and “gay” can be. Even if they are said in a casual way, they are still offensive. It is important to consider the meaning of the words we chose before we say them.
ReplyDeleteThis principle also needs to be applied to Alternative Breaks. For me, at Give Kids the World, I need to be sensitive to the situations that the people there are in. The kids at the Give Kids the World Village are children with life-threatening illnesses. I should never ask a child or parent why they are there or other questions that would cause them to revisit their pain. Such questions would only distract from the purpose of the child being there. I don’t want to be the cause of a child having a negative experience, especially at a time when he is supposed to be able to forget all of his problems for the time that he at the village.
The power of words and especially the choice of words used has never been more important in today's society. Especially when so many people are more aware of the implications of improper word choice. All throughout high school I had used the word gay to say that something was of lesser value, or not important, not even thinking about why I used it or what implications it would have on people that were homosexual. It wasn't until I came to college that I saw the LGBTQ community and realized that the word gay is used to describe a group of people that is not the norm to most. And realizing that I was using a hateful word to describe mundane actions and simultaneously hurting a specific demographic.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we forget how powerful certain words are until they are used unfittingly. Stephen's response was so eloquently worded that if I were Ann Coulter, I would be ten times more ashamed than normal for using the r word. Perhaps at some point society decided it was okay to use derogatory terms to describe things, and now it is society's doing that is repealing those thoughts, as evidenced by not only Stephen's letter but by the public backlash that is apparent.
John Franklin Stephen’s letter to Ann Coulter brought up quite a few issues I had never thought of before. This letter was necessary in response to her tasteless choice of words. I found his reaction to be classy and well thought out. He didn’t stoop to her level and begin name-calling, but he did get his point across that she could have easily chosen a better word to describe her feelings towards the President.
ReplyDeleteThis letter made me realize how language can affect more people than you originally believe it will. When I was younger, I would use “retarded” and “gay” as adjectives to describe things or situations I didn’t like. My older sisters finally sat me down and told me that it was insensitive and there were so many other words I could choose instead of those two. Later on, I realized that using these two words in a negative connotation means that being retarded or gay means that there is something ‘wrong’ with an individual. I think I was in seventh or eighth grade when I really stopped to think about my choice of words. By that time, I knew a few people who identified as gay, and I didn’t see anything wrong with it. That’s when I really made an effort to stop saying it.
Language will definitely play a key component on my trip to Playworks. I think the most important type of language to use in the Playworks environment is positive and encouraging words. Part of their mission is to also provide safe, fun play that is bully-free. Language has a huge role in creating a bully-free environment for children. Not only are the word choices that students make when communicating with each other important, but there is also something to be said about the tone and intention behind their communication through verbal and body language. It’s also important when working with children to treat them like equals. Using a condescending tone of voice or telling them “they’ll understand when they get older” isn’t going to help build these kids up to be the best they can be. The purpose of Playworks is to provide a positive and safe environment for children to be children, so I would never want to take away from this experience because of my poor methods of communication.
I believe John Franklin Stephen's letter to Ann Coulter put many things into perspective and brought up the issue of society's adoption of using words without considering their origins. In my opinion, incorrect or malicious use of words, labels, or stereotypes has increased because of the influx of social media using them and the influence of many politically incorrect celebrities.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, social media allow individuals to post virtually anything in minutes, even mere seconds. This results in the possible publication of a post that was not thoroughly thought through by the user. In a matter of moments, individuals can post hateful, derogatory comments about YouTube videos, Facebook photos, Tweets, or anything else that is social media. As a result, others see these comments and mimic what their "peers" do because it's what they view as normal.
In addition, many celebrities are contributing this issue. Lately I've noticed the popularity of celebrities who haven't done anything to be famous other than being born into wealth or behave outrageously. For example, Jersey Shore has become increasingly popular over the years, yet the show is full of(bleeped out but understood) expletives, name-calling, and stereotypes. Another example are our comedians today. How often do you hear a comedy skit based around race, gender or class? This is not okay.
In retrospect, I think John Franklin Stephen's letter really opened my (and hopefully others') eyes to the power of words. Physical wounds can heal, but verbal ones remain in the mind forever.