Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Controlling the Language Equals Controlling Thought
I visited several Colonial mansions recently and noticed that the term “slave” has been replaced by “enslaved people.” I’m not sure when it occurred, but it appears to be the new approved term. We all know that “illegal aliens” has been replaced by “migrants.” “Illegal aliens” is more descriptive, but our betters have decided that it creates opposition to open borders. One person in the UK was told to remove the term “illegal alien” from an online post lest it cause offense.
As in so many areas, the Republicans appear to be asleep at the switch. We are required to use a person’s current pronoun and our language is being restricted. We will all be enslaved people if this continues unchecked.
Saw this on one of the Orwell posts today on another site. But think the Dems may have gone a little too far this year. Especially after the immigration Martha’s Vineyard fiasco. Thank you Gov. D!. Will see in few weeks
The peculiar ascendance of “people of color,” in an era when the syntactically identical (at least to me) “colored people” would be completely verboten, strikes me as an even more extreme case of this kind of language sanitation. At least with the “slaves” vs “enslaved people” distinction, we could argue that the latter emphasizes the personhood, and treat their enslaved status as a modifier of that personhood. I can see the appeal of that.
On the other hand, I work in an industry where “master” and “slave” are still used to denote network and control components with hierarchical relationships, and I steadfastly refuse to adopt new terms for either.
In 21st century America, slavery is dead, racism is just a residual bit of bad character in some small-minded people (though BLM and the woke movement are working hard to reinvigorate it), and the only reason we aren’t effectively color blind is because progressives just won’t give it a rest.
Master and slave? Glad I opted for an accounting major instead of Computer Science.
Real estate has outlawed the terms “master bedroom” and “master suite”. Disgusting.
Why am I reminded of the “Voices of Authority” episode of Babylon Five?
I’m OK with changing “slaves” to “enslaved people” or “enslaved men and women”.
The people in question were just as much children of God as you or I or anyone else. To call them “slaves” puts them in a category outside of normal interactions, whereas to refer to them as “enslaved people” reminds one of their humanity.
One is troubled by the dating of the plaque, “1756-1878”. No doubt these were the years that this building was the President’s House; however, it gives the casual implication that there were
slaves, excuse me, enslaved people living there until 1878, when in fact the last such person was freed in 1817.Whether it was necessary to have the plaque placed at all is another question.
If we cede control of the language we have lost, no matter what else we do.
If an electrician started referring to connectors as “nonbinary” instead of male or female, disaster looms.
How about People Enslaved by Democrats and Freed by Republicans? Or People Discriminated Against on the Basis of Color by Laws Passed by Democrats Until Overturned by Federal Legislation Introduced by Republicans?
Yeah
Maybe in the Arabian peninsula and parts of Africa, but not here in America.
Republicans should use the language of the truth and not fall into the trap of using the same terms as Democrats . . .
If “enslaved people” had been the original, older usage, they would have changed it to “slaves”. Same with “migrants” and “illegals.” And in each case there would have been a believable explanation of why the newer term is preferable. It’s not about substance or restoring dignity to people. It’s about always keeping you off balance, attacking your sense of normalcy, and making you look to the liberal elite as the ones who know what is best for you.
I agree. And they (“they”) are really good at it.
They won’t be any more if we can get a Republican leader who never stops pointing this out. Who gets people to understand that the entire progressive agenda isn’t about the things they say it is, but about attacking and demoralizing their political opposition.
Then say “slaves”. No one’s stopping you.
On the other hand, calling them enslaved people could be said to minimize the severity of their condition, which the word “slave” more clearly communicates. In a parallel universe where “enslaved people” had been the traditional term, this would probably have been the reason given for why it should be switched to “slave”.
This is a small example. But look what they did with “oriental” and “Asian.” Who would dare use the former term now? Even though the white liberals who pushed the change 30 years ago never even tried to justify it. Why do you have to say Asian? Because we say so.
Now “birthing people”, pronouns etc. etc. It’s all nothing more than an attack. And it won’t stop till the targets of the attack understand that.
I don’t know that she coined the term, but I believe it was on Bridget Phetasy’s podcast that I heard the term “euphemism treadmill.” A word has a negative connotation, so we’ll tell everyone that word is offensive and to use this other phrase. After time passes, that term has the same negative connotation, so we rename it again. Then what do you know, that term now has the same damn negative connotation.
I wonder if the people who demand these changes already have a list of what to go to next when the inevitable happens, or are they caught off guard each time, thinking they had solved a problem once and for all.
I have wondered about this too. Do they (“they”!) ever brush their hands off and say, “Great! Our work here is done.”
Related, why is Moslem unacceptable/derogatory/belittling/othering/beyond the pale/colonialist/etc. but Muslim is okay?
IVY league-trained lawyers working for the plumber’s union must be working on this.
Stop using “gay” for homosexual. I have. Master bedroom remains in my vocabulary. I use “black” and “white” for those “races”, neither capitalized.
The Martha’s Vineyard fiasco was like Judgement Day for upper class liberals. It’s had such such a good effect on my mood that I think we should celebrate Martha’s Vineyard Day, the day a mere 50 illegal immigrants landed on the “sanctuary” of Martha’s Vineyard, every year.
Governor DeSantis just blew apart the undeserved credibility the upper class frauds of the Left had with ordinary people.
I’m not saying people won’t act the same to their faces, but we’ll turn away from them now with a smirk we didn’t have before.
They look utterly ridiculous.
As for “enslaved people” , I like that better. I think “slave” doesn’t adequately remind you of the humanity of the person who was enslaved.
The lie of omission accomplished by the dating of the plaque (comment#6) is a perfect example of why I hate and fear leftist mentality. The plaque is a perfect example of the way leftists use something good (“enslaved people” in place of “slaves”) to indoctrinate people in something false and evil (a deliberate lie of omission about our history designed give people a more negative view of their country.)
Taking an undeserved moral high ground in order to intimidate and con people with lies into something that will harm them is the way leftists have always operated and will always operate.
I don’t know if I have the nerve to stop using “gay” for “homosexual”. ( I once, without thinking about it, used “homosexual” instead of “gay” in a conversation with an unapologetic red-neck who happens to also be my favorite nephew. When he got over his shock, he was very amused.)
I generally say homosexual when I’m speaking of both sexes, and either gay or lesbian when speaking of either male or female homosexuals, respectively. And you’re right: people find it jarring.
When I’m just joking, saying something like “that’s so gay” about something a friend does, of course I use that word. It’s not funny otherwise.
I really don’t care if people are shocked at my language. If they can’t handle the truth, that’s their problem, not mine. I am shocked at all sorts of leftist language, but they sure don’t care about my feelings, do they? Why should we always worry about offending them, when they are happy to offend us all day every day? We must start calling things by their real names, regardless of peoples’ feelings. As someone I remember said “Fear of the name causes fear of the thing itself”.
I recently read in a 150-year-old novel that someone was described as both gay and queer in the same sentence. But oddly, he was not homosexual, in fact a ladies’ man. Those writers were so backwards back then.
Moslem sounds wrong, Muslim is the correct way to say it.
Moslem/Mohammedan sit with ‘negro’. They’re just words, but seem to have some cultural baggage. (Maybe Conservatives should reclaim them all?)
They aren’t the same thing.
All gay people are homosexual, but all homosexuals are not gay.
Language matters. Years ago I was working in the cafeteria at my college in Northern Indiana, listening to the radio (as you do), and the news break included the words “a woman, two men and three Arabs were killed in an explosion in Jerusalem”. I’ve never forgotten it.
I guess. But when Moslem was in general (non-derogatory!) use, wasn’t that the correct way to pronounce it, in English?
I can’t remember when that was the case, but I grew up in India where that has never been the correct way to pronounce it in any language (including English).
50 illegal immigrants per month is the proper dosage. Make sure there are lots of children and pregnant women.