One of the most exciting things about college is the complete freedom to express yourself. You can speak freely without worrying about the consequences. Unfortunately, this can cause people to become blind to the offensive nature of many common words and expressions. Consider the real implications of these statements, and you might not be so keen to use them.
A few days ago, I was inspired to write this article after overhearing a group of guys talking about a difficult exam in one of their classes. "That test totally raped me," one of them proclaimed; oddly, none of them seemed phased by this word choice. So what's the problem with this metaphor? Consider this: one in four women in the United States experiences sexual assault in her lifetime. When you proclaim that you've been "raped by a test", the odds that someone around you has actually been sexually assaulted are very high. Think about how that person feels when you compare a traumatizing event in their life, something that can be incredibly scarring, to a difficult math exam.
Another problematic expression I have often overheard is "I got so drunk last night... I'm such an alcoholic." Though people often joke about this, it is actually a serious disease. Alcoholism ruins lives, kills 88,000 people annually, and tears families apart. If you do truly feel like you have an alcohol problem, you should be contacting someone and finding out how you can get help.
Some more expressions that are a bit more recognized, though equally harmful, are sexist and homophobic comments such as "pussy" "like a girl" "faggot" and "dyke". All of these words have negative connotations which can be insulting to LGBT+ people and women. You never know who is going to be hurt by these sayings, and they can be incredibly damaging to self-esteem.
"I'm so stressed I'm going to kill myself." I would be surprised if you have never heard anyone say this before. It seems like a very common way for students to express how overwhelmed they are with classes, but it is an extraordinarily dangerous saying. Anyone who has experienced the suicide of a loved one knows how devastating it is. By making light of it, you not only hurt people who have been affected by it, but you also put yourself at risk by creating a "Boy Who Cried Wolf" situation. If you constantly joke about killing yourself, people may not be able to tell if you ever actually need help.
Of course, I only touched on a small portion of the myriad of offensive things college students say on a daily basis.These sayings have become so common that people are desensitized to them and do not see the true meaning behind their words. By calling attention to a few of them, it is my hope that people will begin to think before they speak and work to cut these hurtful expressions out of their vocabulary.
