"He is so retarded!" "This class makes me want to slit my wrists." "I'd rather shoot myself than write this paper." "That movie was so gay."
People talk. A lot. Studies show that on average, women speak around 20,000 words a day while men speak about 7,000 words a day. With everyone doing so much talking, sometimes it's hard to be aware of what we are actually saying and how it can affect others. I think it's time we change that. From now on, I urge everyone to be cautious of their word choice and start speaking responsibly.
When people use terms that aren't "politically correct" to convey something or use them by the completely wrong definition, they usually do not mean any harm by them. As a culture, it has simply become the norm to use some of these hurtful words. However, it is time for us to realize that what we say does matter to others. Even though it may not matter to your best friends or the people you are sitting with, it might matter to the person that overhears your conversation.
Just think: what if you had a family member that was mentally challenged and you heard someone use the word "retarded" to describe something they think is dumb?
What if you were struggling with self-harm and the person sitting in class next to you jokes that they want to "slit their wrists"?
What if your best friend committed suicide and you overhear someone remark that they would rather "shoot themselves" or "kill themselves" than listen to a lecture?
What if you find out someone close to you was sexually assaulted and days later another friend brags to you about how they just "raped a test"?
Not only do these words have zero context for the sentences we put them in, but they can also be emotionally triggering or offensive to many different people. What we say can hurt others and since we cannot know who would be affected by certain words and who wouldn't, it is better to just not say them at all.
So remember... "retarded" and "gay" do not mean dumb or stupid, "I'd rather kill myself" is not an appropriate response for something we don't want to do, and you can't "rape" a test or an opponent in a video game. It is up to us to make a difference.
