What makes a bad word bad?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-01-2012 @ 2:56PM

Michael said...

It's fun pretend that you are above it all, but the fact of the matter is that, like it or not, you are part of the society, and, therefore, down here with the rest of us. I'll give you the point that there are no "bad" words, but there are socially inappropriate words. What you are basically saying is that you are the sole judge of what is and isn't offensive, and that people can simply choose to not be offended. Unfortunately, there are very real pains and experiences that come with some of the words that you claim have no power. Personally, I'm more offended by intolerance than words, but I'm aware enough to know that certain language is inappropriate or harmful. Bottom line, language can show respect or it can show disregard for others, and pretending that you can magically step outside the social-cultural rhetoric is narcissistic at best and wildly irresponsible.

Add your comments

Your comments:

Remember me

E-Mail me when someone replies to this comment

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.