But I personally see this spanning to any laws written long ago by an important figure, whether they are the Bible or the constitution. Extra words could fit in here. Let’s do it. Unlike the other two episodes I have discussed this one is not an outright criticism of rules, leadership and the government. By the end of the episode, the previous rules are reinstated, and it is declared that they will be constantly modified until they work well. If this particular episode is not an altercation against conservatism then I don't know what is. The final episode I would like to discuss is “The Story of Whomps”. In this particular episode T.J. gets in trouble when the word he invented “whomps” is declared a swear word. Ultimately the episode is all about freedom of speech. This is also the only episode that I have discussed that I will bring adults into. As someone who thinks freedom of speech is not as welcome as people will I have you believe in the world today I truly enjoyed this episode. For a change I am …show more content…
If we take a look at many of the misused and vile words we have today and how their meaning has changed over time a simple fact becomes obvious. These words were branded over time by society to appear vulgar. For example if we take the word nigger. At present it is horribly used as a racial slur towards coloured people. However it is a word that is accepted in intergroup usage. Another example is the word gay. In a different time this word was used to describe carefree or happy, but unfortunately by the 19th century the word had been developed into an unprecedented insult. My point is this episode of recess shows that a word is harmless. But like any weapon it can be transformed into something vile by its user. You could easily be shouting gibberish at a person, but the aggressive tone and volume of your words would still carry through the meaning to the
The old idiom, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” has been used for decades, and although a good sentiment, can be disproven by any person with an basic understanding of their feelings. The power of the words one hears can greatly affect their self esteem and confidence. The fact that words hurt is an issue everyone faces, but some words hold too much power, power that can be used in not so ideal ways. Slurs, or words that are used to oppress minority groups, are used too casually in the modern world, with grave consequences on the minorities they are used against. The word faggot, a term used to describe gay men, has become popular in modern America between school boys as a way to either mock their peers or intentionally hurt an actual queer person. This word in particular moves farther away from offensive and can be categorized as oppressive due to its both psychological and social ramifications. The use of the word faggot is an act of oppression when one looks at both the social and psychological effects the word has on both the user and the recipient of the slur.
The n-word is considered one of the most vicious racial slurs in the English language today. True that the n-word is closely associated with slavery and the oppression of blacks. Even after the abolition of slavery the word still haunted African Americans, especially in more segregated areas; where blacks were viewed as inferior to whites. In recent years the n-word has become less of a malicious slur in parts of our country. Public figures who use the n-word run the risk of losing their jobs. However, since the 1960s African Americans have coined the term “nigga”, when addressing one another. The rise of hip hop culture also enhanced the use of the word-they felt as though they are using the word as a term of endearment. Critics of the
In today’s society curse words and insults are used in many people’s regular vocabulary. Most of these insults, if not all, are being said without prior knowledge of the meaning behind the word. An example of an insult like this is porch monkey, a derogatory term for African Americans. The people that use derogatory terms like this are often ill-informed and unaccepting of other cultures.
However, many groups claim that political correctness in society is justified in its efforts to sanitize offensive material created though years of oppressing minorities. What was originally a noble idea, to remove blatant words of offensive meaning, has turned into an “over the top” effort to rid any words of possible controversy. We are regulating our ways of plain speaking, freedom of choice, and freedom of speech. Laws of restrictions on slander and public decency should be decided on the common law methodology and not by the interests of the liberal “mob”. If plain speaking is not allowed, clear thinking is
The essay “The Meanings of a Word” by Gloria Naylor discusses the many definitions of a word and how its meaning can change according to context and delivery. She made this point by telling a story of her childhood and the first time she heard the n-word used by a white person in a derogatory, demeaning way. She described her this situation that took place when she was in third-grade and a boy in front of her in math class called her the n-word. She had no idea what it meant to be called that in a negative way because the people she grew up around only used it as positive and empowering. At the end of her essay, she once again emphasized how easy it is to change a word into something hateful simply depending on who says it and their
Many of the predictions made by George Orwell in his book 1984 in relation to corruption of language are recognizable in the United States today. Our language is in the process of changing. The introduction of politically correct words and phrases over the past few decades is based on the principles of Orwell's Newspeak. Today, this phenomenon is a tool of liberals used to erase the opinions of the past, and to help propagate new ideas, and is rooted in the same motives as Newspeak. Although Political Correctness may not be all-encompassing as its Orwell's Newspeak, Political Correctness is equally as dangerous and oppressive to free thought. For example, terms such as "Affirmative Action" implies Action which is correct ("Affirmative" means correct, and "Action" is normally good as well) when actually what is meant is the preferential treatment for a particular minority group. The word "Peacekeepers," now refers to a soldier that occupies a foreign nation. During the cold war, when the USSR would do that type of thing,
The United States Constitution has been heavily influenced by outside sources that took place throughout history. However, not all people know of these influences and their impact on our nation. In this work, we will look at just a few of these documents that shaped America into what it is today. These documents include the Magna Carta, which affected many of the rights Americans have today, the Social Contract, which is from a series of works shaping how people believed they had rights that could not be taken away, and the English Bill of Rights, which has to do with how much power the government gets and how it maintains that power.
These documents have been a beacon to all men and women who value freedom. They are just as meaningful now as when they were written. As the American statesman Henry Clay said, “The Constitution of the United States was not made merely for the generation that then existed but for posterity – unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity.”
It wasn’t written in a way that it would permanently stick throughout the future for say like the U.S Constitution.
As humans evolve on earth, it has been inevitable to find solutions and create easier ways to manage and live life. Technology now promises the future and has revolutionized the everyday life of Americans. The rapid rate at which technology is evolving has left a gap in which the law has not been established in a clear manner. The Constitution is the law of the land and serves as a living document that grew up parallel to our nation. The law of the land itself has been adapted and molded as it prioritizes the rights and liberty of its citizens. Now a day women are allowed to vote and the legal age to vote is 18 as where in 1787 the constitution had established that only older men could vote. The science and technological progress happening
We must now act in obedience to that oath”). Not only does the last sentence of that line relate to sentence length (where shorter sentences convey a sense of urgency as compared to longer sentences), but it also uses ‘God’ and ‘Constitution’ to base this cause on morals, both religious and patriotic, respectively. Another example is in Lines 245-248 (“Above the pyramid on the great seal of the United States it says in Latin: ‘God has favored our undertaking’ … He really favors the undertaking that we begin here tonight”), where religious sentiments are taken to show that these actions of providing equal rights are just in the eyes of
For example the First Amendment begins, ”Congress shall make no law...” Madison’s original draft had contained a proposal that would have also prohibited state governments from violating the Bill of Rights, but the Senate deleted it.
Now, the Constitution is interpreted according to what it says in it’s entirety, instead of line
Textualism leads to absurd results because it fails to consider the very purpose of law respected by the community at large. Law is created to protect different human rights. Meaning of words cannot simply be decided by looking up the dictionary, it ought to be construed against the context as Scalia himself has pointed out in Smith v US. However, it is not done by simply finding the public meaning of that particular phrase in question. Instead, the context should include the purpose of enacting that provision. A dictionary-centred textualism makes law unascertainable, leading to inconsistent and absurd results. Embracing the broad purposive approach that considers a wider range of factors including the background and purpose of legislation is the only way to bring hope to