It’s not words that are ‘problematic’; hate itself is

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 9, 2022

The word police are at it again. It happens every time thin skins collide with nasty spinners of good language. It isn’t new. When “cougar” became a sexually aggressive mature woman, critics were set to kill the word and rename the cat. It gets crazy (“UW’s ‘problematic’ word list: ‘crazy,’ ‘ninja’ — and ‘grandfather’?, The Herald, Feb. 1).

How is a teenager supposed to interpret it when dad says, “Cut the grass.” Did dad mean, mow the lawn, or stop toking? C’mon. Don’t people have better things to do than try to make perfect order of the stew called language?

Offensive language has a number of roots. Patently unkind descriptions are hurtful. Demeaning references to one’s origin are wrong. Language that works to marginalize people is wrong. But when hypersensitive do-gooders organize to inspect language for possible hurtful misuse, bad things happen. Hammer, an excellent tool for driving nails might need a new name because of a hammer’s potential for causing blunt-force trauma. A ridiculous example? Certainly. But no more ridiculous than condemning ‘grandfather’ as hurtful ageism.

There is no limit to the number of words they might sharpen to undermine, demean, threaten, marginalize, scare or otherwise cause hurt. Better to focus on society’s fracture lines that divided us. Hate is the disease, hurtful language one of its symptoms. Language critics; please redirect your energy toward curing the disease; hate and prejudice. For an example of where it comes from, google “Newt Gingrich language memo.”

One more thing: When inspecting words for potential misuse, please balance criticisms with consideration of how each contributes positively to civilized discourse.

Robert Graef

Mill Creek