March 4 - Words we can't say.

Language changes. However much it may dismay us, this we pretty much have to accept unless we wish to emulate the French with their obsession over language purity. Words change meaning, new words come into use and old words disappear. The problems is, words are symbols, often with more meaning than their definition. Sometimes, such symbols are adopted for other meanings. For instance, just about all the words used to identify African Americans were, at one time, not offensive. Over time they became offensive, in addition to their non-offensive meaning.

Ann Coulter has found herself in a bit of hot water over the use of one such word. That word used to mean a bundle of sticks and the shortened form of the word is still used to reference a cigarette. She was unambiguous, however, having uttered it explicitly to invoke fury from those who find it offensive.

Sometimes words are only offensive in context. Both presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama claimed to have mis-spoken, recently, and wound up issuing public apologies over the use of the word, "Wasted". An interesting thing about words is that they can be used precisely the same way in pretty much the same context by two different people and still mean two different things. Such is the case, here, but both were called on to apologize and both did. The thing is, while McCains apology was probably sincere, it appeared to be pandering as a response to a call for apology from the DNC. Given his ability for elocution, I'm sure Obama's apology sounded sincere, but since we know his position on the war, I think we know that "Wasted" was precisely the word he meant to use and only regretted the backlash, not the insult.

Ann Althouse is a Democratic Blogger and respected New York Times Columnist. Despite being a Democrat, she is largely loathed by the left wing blogosphere because she will not engage in the cognitive dissonance that is so often seen over there. For instance, though that group preaches peace and passivity 24/7, when Dick Cheney was recently targeted by an assassination attempt, their only remorse was that Dick wasn't a casualty. She has been writing recently about and event that occured at the law school she graduated from. Apparently, a law professor uttered some remarks about the Hmong (an ethinc group from Southern China and Northern Indo-China, near as I can tell) community that students representative found to be offensive, or think they would have, had they been there.

The thing is, maybe especially in law schools, professors have to be able to speak about the offensive. In fact, anyone who wishes to talk about the offensive needs to be able to say the words without the words themselves being offensive. This professor was probably engaging in discourse regarding the subject and making a point, not being a racist. We don't actually know because he has not publicly disclosed his side of the story. He probably doesn't feel he should have to.

George Carlin had his seven words, but I hear or read most of them at least once per week if not once per day. So, we have this new set of words we can not say and ideas we can not describe. Words such as "faggot" and "niggardly" can not even be used in a correct, non-offensive context because the word itself has become offensive. We have taken protection of other's feeling so far as to expunge society of any evidence of an idea. Not the idea itself, mind you, just the evidence of it. Freedom of speech my A$$.

I take hope, however, from the generation now in our schools. For, like generations past, they too take words and make them their own. I've mentioned before that I play World of Warcraft. Like many online games, aside from game play, it also provides the ability to converse with your fellow players. To say the age range is diverse is an understatement. I know people over 50 and people less than 10 that play the game. However, there is a fair population of pre-teens and teens. That generation have, in their turn to mangle the English language, hi-jacked the word "gay". They use it as a generic term to mean "stupid" without connotations of homosexuality.

This has already cause homosexual groups to protest the changing usage. A student was recently disciplined for it's use. I think I'm going to join the rising generation and say, "How gay".