You may have noticed that people are being a bit more careful about what they say, these days. Look back at movies from the 1990s and you’ll find yourself gritting your teeth and groaning over extremely casual racism, bigotry and misogyny that is peppered all over scripts. The world has changed and the way we use words has changed, too. You can probably think of several words that you know are bad, words you wouldn’t put in your book unless there was an extremely strong reason to do so, words that are still controversial and can still get books banned in many places around the world. Mark Twain’s books are still being fought over for just this reason.
But there are many words writers aren’t supposed to use anymore beyond the obvious ugly slurs. Do you know what they are, and have you modified your writing? Because 20 years from now, you don’t want people gritting their teeth and groaning over something you have written.
But there are many words writers aren’t supposed to use anymore beyond the obvious ugly slurs. Do you know what they are, and have you modified your writing? Because 20 years from now, you don’t want people gritting their teeth and groaning over something you have written.
The Power of Words
Words have power, as every single writer knows. Many of them have multiple meanings. Say a certain word and it can create a certain feeling. You know the words you could say to a man to make him feel angry, or small. You know what to say to a woman to insult her. You know these are bad, ugly words. But many words cause feelings and carry certain meanings that you might not intend. Many words are falling out of use and in some publications, they can’t be used at all. It’s up to you whether or not to use these words in your writing, but give yourself the option by finding out which words writers really aren’t supposed to use any more.
Family: While it seems innocuous enough, the word “family” has come to carry a lot of weight. Politicians and talking heads use this word a lot and for many, it has become a bit of a painful word. Not everyone has a nuclear family with parents and siblings, grandparents and uncles and all the rest.
And while the word can be used to describe any group of friends or individuals who become a family, the word still conjures up images of that nuclear group consisting of mother, father and babies. And for many different reasons, the image and the word can be hurtful, or provoke other unpleasant feelings.
Master: Until you start really paying attention to how often this word is used, you don’t really realize how often this word is used. It’s always been common in real estate. Master bedroom, master bath. Whether it’s a master room of some kind or a person who is a master of a game or a skill, the word appears enough that everyone knows just what it means. A master is the biggest or the best or the leader. And the word also has a very long and ugly history not just in the U.S., but all over the world. Because during the days when slavery was legal, the master was the person holding the whip. Real estate companies are now trying to avoid using this word, even when it’s being applied to something as innocent as a bedroom.
Though it fell into common use for over 100 years after slavery was abolished in the U.S. and in other superpowers around the globe, the word has incredibly ugly origins and many people are finally acknowledging that by refusing to use it.
Slave: Speaking of this ever-sensitive topic, writers for many publications are being told not to use this word. In fact, it’s best to avoid the term slavery when possible, as well. Rather than saying that someone was a former slave or referring to a person as a slave, the more appropriate phrasing is to say that a person was enslaved.
For example:
Akhat the Egyptian was a slave in the 19th century B.C.E.
Akhat the Egyptian was enslaved in the 19th century B.C.E.
The meaning is the same but the wording is just very slightly tweaked. Why this change? Because slave is not an occupation or a life goal. One does not become a slave the way a person becomes a baker. Slavery is put upon a person. It is forced. Having this thing forced upon a person does not make them that thing. You can force a dog to dress like a cow. You can put him in a little cow outfit, but the dog is not a cow. The dog is in a cow costume. A human being does not become a slave. They become enslaved. It is forced on them. This is just a little difference, but it does make a difference.
This small change in language draws a verbal line between choosing to be a slave, which no one in four billion years of Earth history has ever done and never ever will, and having it forced upon them. Writing enslaved instead makes it clear that this was a forced condition, not a way of life.
Family: While it seems innocuous enough, the word “family” has come to carry a lot of weight. Politicians and talking heads use this word a lot and for many, it has become a bit of a painful word. Not everyone has a nuclear family with parents and siblings, grandparents and uncles and all the rest.
And while the word can be used to describe any group of friends or individuals who become a family, the word still conjures up images of that nuclear group consisting of mother, father and babies. And for many different reasons, the image and the word can be hurtful, or provoke other unpleasant feelings.
Master: Until you start really paying attention to how often this word is used, you don’t really realize how often this word is used. It’s always been common in real estate. Master bedroom, master bath. Whether it’s a master room of some kind or a person who is a master of a game or a skill, the word appears enough that everyone knows just what it means. A master is the biggest or the best or the leader. And the word also has a very long and ugly history not just in the U.S., but all over the world. Because during the days when slavery was legal, the master was the person holding the whip. Real estate companies are now trying to avoid using this word, even when it’s being applied to something as innocent as a bedroom.
Though it fell into common use for over 100 years after slavery was abolished in the U.S. and in other superpowers around the globe, the word has incredibly ugly origins and many people are finally acknowledging that by refusing to use it.
Slave: Speaking of this ever-sensitive topic, writers for many publications are being told not to use this word. In fact, it’s best to avoid the term slavery when possible, as well. Rather than saying that someone was a former slave or referring to a person as a slave, the more appropriate phrasing is to say that a person was enslaved.
For example:
Akhat the Egyptian was a slave in the 19th century B.C.E.
Akhat the Egyptian was enslaved in the 19th century B.C.E.
The meaning is the same but the wording is just very slightly tweaked. Why this change? Because slave is not an occupation or a life goal. One does not become a slave the way a person becomes a baker. Slavery is put upon a person. It is forced. Having this thing forced upon a person does not make them that thing. You can force a dog to dress like a cow. You can put him in a little cow outfit, but the dog is not a cow. The dog is in a cow costume. A human being does not become a slave. They become enslaved. It is forced on them. This is just a little difference, but it does make a difference.
This small change in language draws a verbal line between choosing to be a slave, which no one in four billion years of Earth history has ever done and never ever will, and having it forced upon them. Writing enslaved instead makes it clear that this was a forced condition, not a way of life.
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