The Voiceless Minority

                                      Many years ago, I wrote a blog post entitled “Terminology Debate,” which explored the impact of language on society. Well, as they say, evergreen material constantly circles back around. The time has come to revisit the topic of language. We all know President Trump does not pull punches and is not the most sensitive or eloquent person. That being said, this blog has nothing to do with politics; instead, it addresses some insensitive remarks Trump made late last year. He used the “r-word” about former Vice President Kamala Harris. I am not only blaming President Trump for the resurgence of the “r-word; however, it cannot be denied that he has a large following and a great deal of influence. When political figures use such derogatory language, they make it seem acceptable. As an article written for Disability Scoop states, there has been an increase in the ...

"Language... .has as much to do with the philosophical and political conditioning of society as geography or climate...people do not realize the extent to which their attitudes have been conditioned since  early childhood  by the power of words to enable or condemn, augment or detract, glorify or demean. Negative Language inflicts the subconscious of most people from the time they first learn to speak. Prejudice is not merely imparted or superimposed. It is metabolized in the bloodstream of society. What is needed is not so much a change in Language as an awareness of the power of words to condition attitudes." ( Saturday Review  1967) When one thinks about the above quote, it doesn't sink in, so we take a closer examination of our surroundings. From early infancy, ours is conditioned by our physical surroundings and the Language we take in. For example, a child in India will learn several dialects of the Indian subcontinent. U.S. Eng...