The words [Equity-language] guides recommend or reject are sometimes exactly the same, justified in nearly identical language.

Although the guides refer to language “evolving,” these changes are a revolution from above. They haven’t emerged organically from the shifting linguistic habits of large numbers of people.

Prison does not become a less brutal place by calling someone locked up in one a person experiencing the criminal-justice system.

The whole tendency of equity language is to blur the contours of hard, often unpleasant facts. This aversion to reality is its main appeal. Once you acquire the vocabulary, it’s actually easier to say people with limited financial resources than the poor.

  • MindSkipperBro12@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    When people are hurting from being beaten with a stick, it doesn’t help at all if it’s called the “People’s Stick”.

    • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      It’s poor and analogy. You’re assuming the amount of pain is equal between two different things. It’s certainly not.

      How can we be sure of this? Simple! We can test it. Go up to a black person and call them a black person. Then go up to a black person and call them a n*gger. Ask them which one felt worse.

      It’s the difference between me saying “it’s a poor analogy” and “that’s just f*cking wrong”. Tone and word choice is very important.