Issue Two: Derogatory Words
Although community service is an activist topic brought up quite often in conversation between seniors, the topic of derogatory speech, though used often, is not. Walking through the halls, derogatory words cannot be escaped. It’s a constant barrage of words constantly flung around, regardless of people’s feelings and regardless as to who’s listening. As one student from a New York high school stated,
“If I hear someone use the word ‘faggot’ in the hallway I will say something to them, especially if it’s a freshman or a sophomore,” said one Baruch student. “But I will say that that’s not an appropriate word to use. I definitely hear a lot of ‘that’s so gay,’ or ‘you’re a fag,’ and that’s wrong because they’re using it in a derogatory way. They’re using it as if it’s a bad thing. ‘You’re so stupid’ is the equivalent of saying ‘you’re so gay’ or ‘that’s so gay.”
High school students, although commonly thought of as irresponsible, indifferent people, are aware of what’s right and what’s wrong. When I asked several teens in our area whether they speak out against these words, most of them said that they did. How then does that explain the number of words that are still heard in the halls?
“There are certain words that shouldn’t be said, and when you hear them, you should say something, But there’s other words that are passable I guess, like certain curse words are just part of the language”(Abir)
But should these words really be used in everyday language? As stated by a member of a morals forum, even a word like “bitch” can offend people due to its gender specific nature.7 When asked what the thought of use of the words, Jacob stated that he does use them, but can see how it can be annoying if someone uses words in an offensive manner.
“I’ve been told by random people before, “Can you not say that around me?” and that’s totally cool, I [won’t], I don’t do it to piss people off.”(Jacob)
This is where these words come from in the halls. If more people were to speak out against these words being used, then people like Jacob, wouldn’t say them because they don’t want to have people get mad. One possible solution: Whenever you hear a word that may be offensive or hurtful to someone, ask the person who said it not to say it. They may not respond in a polite way, but then that shows that they really don’t care about other people’s feelings. Speaking out against negative things is a right that in this country we are promised, and it’d be a shame for something as small as seeming nit-picky to hinder us from using that right.