Skip to main content

Watch Your Language !!1!11!1!11!!

Often times, people fail to realize how much of an impact that the language they use can have on other people. In an age of social media, this problem has only worsened. People feel safe behind a screen, be it a phone or computer, and have no issue using offensive slurs/ insensitive phrases because they will never have to deal with the consequences of their action. Very few people I know would have the nerve to come say n*gger to my face, yet I see many that I know feeling very comfortable using it online where they think their actions don’t count. This environment is only cultivated by social media, with people flippantly throwing around words like retarded, f*g, and d*ke, without thinking about the impact their phrases have on others.

Yes, I am sure that people who say these words “don’t mean it” and have no malicious intent, but people need to realize that the words they say and put out into the world have real power. Not only is it a reflection of themselves and the way they choose to interact with the world, but it can also have serious negative consequences for people on the receiving end of the comments. While I believe that the internet can be a good thing, and create safe, welcoming spaces for people who do not feel traditionally accepted by society (ie. queer people, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and those who fall in between the cracks of those categories). That is what makes this internet, pardon my language, assholes, all the worse. They go out of their way to invade safe spaces and create negativity, and for no reason whatsoever. What does someone get from ruining someone’s day? What do you gain by using slurs that you know you shouldn’t be using? Do you feel good about yourself after mouthing the N word or sending it to your friends, even posting it on media? Are you proud that you broke a rule that exists for a reason? Apparently. If you wouldn’t say it in real life for fear of the consequences, don’t say it at all. Your phone shouldn’t be turned into a weapon, but test me enough and I can make it one :)

Image result for saying the n word on social media



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Politics in the English Language (Orwell)

1. I agree with Orwell's position. While basic language may be an instrument of growth, we use language for more than mere communication He goes into detail about how politicians twist their words and intentionally create vagueness to confuse and appease the masses- something that had been a successful political tactic. When used properly, language is for communication, but when used more manipulatively, it can become a weapon, with fallacies illustrating the way we use language to a achieve a negative goal. Even as I right this, I am torn between sounding super professional and using a bunch of fillers words so I can make this blogpost reach half a page. 2.Orwell objects to ready made phrases and mixed metaphors because they are overdone and no longer cause an image to form in a reader's mind, they are often misused, and when they are utilized, it is because writes have become lazy and are trying to avoid investing time and effort into creating their own unique phrases. ...

the midriff ;)

Women in media have always been oversexualized. With sex icons changing from Marilyn Monroe, to Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, the role of women in media, and the way for women to reach high position in media is by being sexy and powerful, an idea that media has captured and sold to consumers in a neat package: the midriff. The midriff is more than a bared stomach, more than just an exposed sliver of skin, but is the embodiment of the ideal woman. A woman who is obsessed with her appearance, and uses her sexuality in order to gain power/ control others. She is not real, rather appeals to what women want to be. Or at least, what media wants them to think they want to be. Of course some of these traits exist in women: yes some women are obsessed with appearances, and some are obsessed with the approval of men, but is this due to media, or because that is the way things just are? Or more concisely, is media a mirror or a feedback loop? The answer to this is blurred because of the way med...

Reflection

Reflection Critical thinking, the media blogs specifically, were a great way for me to improve my analysis skills and give me a better understanding of the way that media is used to manipulate me. Looking back at my first media blog, I discussed how happy I was that media is becoming more inclusive. I was excited about people of all colors, genders, sexual orientations, and body types were being included in the media we consume, but after the class I realized the true reasons these people are a part of advertisements. It is all for monetary gain. Companies do not care about inclusion, they only care about ways to make money and appeal to a broader audience in order to do so. The same companies that sold one body and one skin type, have somehow managed to sell me my own identity, commodifying people or color and other minorities as a way to get more money. Once we isolate the true drive of all advertisements and all companies, it is much easier to see through them and not as easil...