Why People Should Not Be Judged For Being Different

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.

In The Case Against Banning the Word “Retard”, Author Christopher M. Fairman made his argument clear in very clear that the effort to rid the use of word retarded or retard is futile and a possible danger to freedom of speech. Fairman does not base his argument on the idea that the mentally disabled, or mentally retarded, aren’t offended by the use of the word retard, but rather that the core issue isn’t the actual word but the negative connotation people put with taboo subjects. Because Fairman bases his argument on the idea that the offensive nature of words is created by the taboo nature of their origins, a large part of the paper is devoted to defending this idea with examples like the N-word and the use of the word gay. Although the

White people have been criticized for using the word nigger by black people, because when a white person says it, they claim it is racist or that they are not allowed to say nigga because they are white. They say that black people can use it because they have a right too, because of their people being oppressed in the past. Today we have black people, white people and all other variety’s of races calling their friend’s who are not black, a “nigga” in a way that claims them to be a close friend of some sorts. Most of the time we see black people call other black people niggas and we aren’t

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.

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

Bauer’s argument is based on emotion which makes it hard for the reader to follow. It is solely an emotional essay. The writer seems to have a very personal stance on the subject. She has raised a daughter with Down syndrome and she has tried so hard to shelter her from the hurtful word “retard.” Emotional essays provide no new ways of looking at the problem. Bauer’s argument was mostly a lot of finger pointing at the movie industry and their lack of compassion when using the word “retard.” Furthermore, the writer expresses society’s lack of compassion for the intellectually disabled community. The writer demonstrates examples of people’s use of this word as a means for expressing careless acts. Bauer states, “A clerk in a store apologizes for being "such a retard" when she can't find an item for me. Ouch. Kids at the mall call one another "you big retard." Ouch. A friend tells a long, involved story at my dinner table about her recent fender bender, with a punch line about "some retard" who parked behind her” (119). Bauer does not argue either of these points but just expresses her feeling about

In the article, What Do We Say When We Hear ‘Faggot’? by Lenore Gordon, it talks about what teachers can do if students are using derogatory language that suggest that a student might be gay. This article confirms my theory that education is the key when it comes to changing what people think, “name-calling is so common among children, and because it embodies the bigotry learned from adults, it is a good place for educators to begin” (Gordon, 1995, p. 87). This article was written in 1995, but I feel like times are changing and children are learning at a younger age that words like faggot and dyke are not okay things to say. However, that does not mean that it still does not happen. It is our jobs as teachers to education our students and

It is important not to stereotype or label people as this can lead to discrimination. For example children may discriminate against other children by name calling and teasing if they are somehow different to them.

Why do people struggle to accept those who are different from themselves? As one of many age old questions, examples of discrimination have been traced throughout history for ages. There are many categories of discrimination and inequality, including those aimed at people due to their race, sexual orientation, and gender. Gender inequality in specific has gone through a vast amount of changes, especially as women eventually began to speak out against the rules and laws that bound them. They protested against their lack of rights, the notion of being entirely dependent on their fathers and husbands, and the idea that they were even to be viewed as less than human by men. Because of this, it is almost impossible to track back the root of gender equality to one instance in history, as across the world before countries were even connected through exploration, women were thought of the inferior gender. Therefore, this essay is meant to show that, while we are making progress, there is still a lot to be done before women, men, and every other gender is accepted as equal.

We are in a time where minorities as a whole are pushing for further rights and respect from the public, and by holding onto these insults and slurs, it shows that society is unwilling to change for the better. It allows discrimination to fester in quiet ways, as a faint, cruel reminder of a time when being gay was a death sentence--and people unknowingly disregard the purpose of such a derogatory term in favor of using it as a comedic insult. In reality, no matter the intent, the word faggot is still recognized as a cruel condemnation by the queer populace--which needs to be taken into consideration as people attempt to shift their language into including more respectful

The first amendment to the United States Constitution protects people’s rights to their freedom of speech. Words can be very offensive, however, how someone responds to them depends on the type of misconduct being construed and the person it is offending. A person who calls themselves a true Christian may take the bibles approach which states in Matthew 5:39 “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek also,” meaning do not retaliate. Someone who may voice their opinion could either diffuse the situation or make it much worse depending on the type of offensive misconduct that is taking place. The way someone was brought up, their mental stability, morals and ethics I believe would depend on how one responds to something they may find offensive.

Choosing a word to describe many different disabilities along with the way they live their lives. Sometimes not even considering the feelings of others, just using the label to not offend themselves. Mairs states,“I don’t care what you call me, so long as it isn’t ‘differently abled,’ which strikes me as pure verbal garbage designed, by its ability to describe anyone, to describe no one” (Mairs). Mairs has no care for the words people call her, she believes they are only protecting themselves. It makes it easier for them to recover if someone got offended. Everyone has a choice what to be called. If Mairs wants to be called crippled, so be it. You’re not her and living the way she has to every

Words can have a huge emotional impact on people, and often affect their self-image and self-worth. It is words like "retard" or "retarded" for one, which can surely lead to such a result. People in today's society are not aware of the true and hurtful meaning of this word when they use it. No matter when it is used or how it is used, it will always have the negative connection with those who have such mental disabilities. Futhermore with such frequent use, those suffering from these disabilities, will feel different from others; as if they are labelled. In no way should the word "retarded" be acceptable in a society of today; for all will just become worse.

You can never really know what ethnicity someone is based on physical appearance or his or her name. The article “Why Race Isn’t As “Black” and “White” As We Think” by Brent Staples, does a good job explaining that physical appearance is not always what it seems. The majority of people do not even realize they are a certain race. They do not take the time to get to know their ancestors. All people ever believe is what family members tell them about their ethnicity. People get judged based on how their name sounds, for example if an African American has a name that is typically a “white” person name. African Americans also did not have any rights in the 1950’s and 60’s. But later, African Americans were granted equal rights and people start to overcome racism.

What do the words Cracker, Kike, Nigger, Jap, Chinc, Faggot, Queer, Dike and Spic all have in common? They are all derogatory remarks that humans call one another on a daily basis. Why can people use these terms and not have to worry about receiving any punishment or any ridicule? The reason is because of the First Amendment right of free speech. The first amendment gives people the right to basically say anything that comes to mind whether it is something nice or something like a derogatory remark. The first amendment is good and freedom of speech has its advantages like most things, but however, it also has its disadvantages. The disadvantages are that people can say words that are extremely hurtful