Sunday, April 5, 2009

Broken Language

I decided to dedicate this post to how I feel language within an aggregate or an environment can help develop a person's perception of the entire environment. For instance, my freshman year of college was the first time I had heard any non-Black person (outside of television) say the n-word. Personally, to hear anyone or any color say that word is annoying to me now. However, back then it was a word I used pretty commonly and believed that only other Black people should be able to say it. I hated how it seemed like other people were trying to "flip" the word and make it mean something positive when it is not. Initially, it made me very withdrawn and reluctant to talk to many White people on my campus outside of the people I already knew. I eventually grew to understand the ignorance that made people think saying the word was alright as long as it wasn't said maliciously. Now, the entire concept is dumb to me. This same line of thinking helpoed me get over how people often use stereotypes to help them "understand" why some people do what they do without ever asking them.

Applying this to Caleb's experience, I can understand why people become offended when a person uses something about you to describe an intangible concept. For example, there are times when the word Jewish is used to describe someone who is perceived as being frugal. Why not just call the person cheap? This reminds me of when I hear people use the term "ghetto" to describe something that does not work properly, looks old, or something of the like, without even knowing the root of the word. Calling something "ghetto" or "hood" is often associated with aspects of the Black community. However, ghettoes had their origin in the German word Judengasse, or "Jew's Lane" which was used to describe the areas Jewish people inhabited before being taken to concetration camps.

Statements and views like these can be perceived as part of a hostile environment. When certain actions and statements are allowed to happen without consequence, it can reinforce that the environment is not receptive to students who are different. Not only does it present a negative view of the aggregate, it makes the entire environment appear just as responsible. For Caleb, I think dealing with misconceptions and attacks on his religion would cause him to withdraw or seek out others who he feels can relate to his experiences. What other choice would he have when he is put in a position of powerlessness? No person would allow themselves to be degraded and disrespected if it was within their power to change the situation.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the language used by a population on a campus, more specifically the population with the strongest press, can set the tone for how outsiders perceive the institution. The more differentiate the population of an institution is, the harder it is for those outside of that circle to find acceptance without conforming. No person on a college campus should be made to feel so alienated that they cannot express who they are for fear of ridicule and judgment. it is the responsibility of the institution to create a sense of safety and inclusion for all of its students despite their differences. The acceptance of behavior that that is abusive to any population needs to be addressed in order to create such an environment.

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