If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?
I wouldn’t ban any language, that’s all a bit 1984 and George Orwell.
The philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein,said “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”
But the way language is used can and does hurt. So some language, I claim, should be used carefully, judiciously, and with a a healthy dose of circumspection.
I would class hate speech in this category. It’s nearly always unnecessary. Sometimes all you need is the truth. If, for example, someone is being a bully, call them out on it. Speak truth to power.
Choose the truth. If you have difficulty doing that (and who doesn’t?) follow Jesus’s example. He not only told the truth, He was the Truth.
Leave a comment