Classy Words
Yet again the UK media is full of 'bad' words. The debate about the words that children should be exposed to has flared up again (and as usual ignores the fact that only the most sheltered of young people will not have heard all of these and worse). GP Taylor's school appearance in which he used 'bum', 'fart' and even 'bogey', words which I don't doubt are used in that's school's playground every day has made it into the national press .
But aside from increasing the sales of his childrens books what is the issue?
Of course there are words we should not use. Words that have had so much hate stored up in them over long years that they now almost unusable for anything else. Although now many members of the groups on the sharp end of these words have started to reclaim them and refashion them as positive identity markers (eg NWA) they still retain their power to hurt because of their powerful negative associations.
There are words that we should consider not using. Words that some would consider blasphemous. Words that offend unnecessarily.
But we should ask why certain words offend. Some have religous meaning, often now forgotten by most, others like 'bum', 'fart' or 'bogey' clearly do not.
Make a list of banned words. I am sure that you will find apart from those hate words which have more recently and rightly been considered unfit for use most of the words there refer to sexual acts or body parts. More importantly they are common words for sexual acts and body parts. Anglo Saxon words not French or Latin ones. The are vulgar words, coarse words, impolite words. Words which when spoken mark one out as being lower class. That is the root cause of their ability to shock.
Look at the terms or approbation applied to these words: coarse, vulgar, impolite. All of these originally refered to a low class status. It is this which, unconsciously, troubles 'well brought up' parents whose children use these words. It's less the sexual content than the social context. We don't use those words.
Words that express hatred should be considered unusable (although if the hatred is not dealt with, simply changing the language does little or nothing) but ought we still judge a person by their vocabulary and accent? Words that indicate class difference and provoke the despite of (self selected) polite society are not offensive. Social snobbery is.
But aside from increasing the sales of his childrens books what is the issue?
Of course there are words we should not use. Words that have had so much hate stored up in them over long years that they now almost unusable for anything else. Although now many members of the groups on the sharp end of these words have started to reclaim them and refashion them as positive identity markers (eg NWA) they still retain their power to hurt because of their powerful negative associations.
There are words that we should consider not using. Words that some would consider blasphemous. Words that offend unnecessarily.
But we should ask why certain words offend. Some have religous meaning, often now forgotten by most, others like 'bum', 'fart' or 'bogey' clearly do not.
Make a list of banned words. I am sure that you will find apart from those hate words which have more recently and rightly been considered unfit for use most of the words there refer to sexual acts or body parts. More importantly they are common words for sexual acts and body parts. Anglo Saxon words not French or Latin ones. The are vulgar words, coarse words, impolite words. Words which when spoken mark one out as being lower class. That is the root cause of their ability to shock.
Look at the terms or approbation applied to these words: coarse, vulgar, impolite. All of these originally refered to a low class status. It is this which, unconsciously, troubles 'well brought up' parents whose children use these words. It's less the sexual content than the social context. We don't use those words.
Words that express hatred should be considered unusable (although if the hatred is not dealt with, simply changing the language does little or nothing) but ought we still judge a person by their vocabulary and accent? Words that indicate class difference and provoke the despite of (self selected) polite society are not offensive. Social snobbery is.
posted by David at 9:05 am
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