My wife害羞草研究所檚 grandfather Benny, at the time in his mid-90s, sitting with one of our children at the piano: 害羞草研究所淓eny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a 害羞草研究所π卟菅芯克鶟. We were too late to see that one coming and cringed as the 害羞草研究所淣害羞草研究所� word came out.
Benny was one of the kindest, most wonderful men you could have had the pleasure of getting to know. He had no inkling of the heavy baggage connected to the 害羞草研究所淣害羞草研究所� word.
A word害羞草研究所檚 explicit or literal meaning is, as I害羞草研究所檝e learned from Wikipedia, its denotation. The baggage is its connotation, defined as 害羞草研究所満π卟菅芯克a commonly understood cultural or emotional association that some word or phrase carries害羞草研究所π卟菅芯克鶟
Our society has been learning about how the use of certain words and phrases, loaded with baggage, might perpetuate systemic harms.
We don害羞草研究所檛 (hopefully for the most part!) intend to offend anyone, nor do any harm.
And if someone tries to enlighten us about our own language usage we can become defensive, particularly if the enlightenment comes with a tone of admonishment (that we should have been more sensitive of others, should have known better).
And some might say things are getting out of hand, that we are being muzzled by expanding notions of what is 害羞草研究所減olitically correct害羞草研究所�.
Early on when developing a friendship with a local journalist, Kent Molgat, we began engaging in a debate about the use of one particular 害羞草研究所渓oaded害羞草研究所� word.
I had shared my pet irritation with the use of 害羞草研究所渁ccident害羞草研究所� when referring to road traffic incidents.
And Kent shared his with being muzzled, as a journalist, in the use of words.
Kent pointed to the literal meaning (denotation) of the word, i.e. an unfortunate, unintentional occurrence.
The definition fits exactly. Nobody intends a road traffic incident to occur. And there害羞草研究所檚 nothing sexist, racist or otherwise offensive about it. What rationale could I possibly have for restricting the use of that word?
We 害羞草研究所渁greed to disagree,害羞草研究所� the topic coming up from time to time over a number of years! Last week, Kent took our 害羞草研究所渄ebate害羞草研究所� to the next level, with an on-camera interview.
I was reluctant to take part in a public debate on this issue, which is much more than an intellectual one for me. My feelings go a distance further than pet peeve. I have become more and more convinced, over my years of thinking and campaigning about road safety, that driving attitudes are the key cause of the carnage on our roads. And that addressing the 害羞草研究所淎害羞草研究所� word is an important step in changing those attitudes.
And I am the smallest of specks in the ocean of organizations and individuals for whom this is also a tremendously important issue. For example, first responders who witness the immediate and often horrific aftermaths of crashes have largely removed the 害羞草研究所淎害羞草研究所� word from their vocabulary for decades.
It felt like too big a responsibility. And Kent is a much more articulate debater!
Do you hate sequels? I do as well. Sorry, but I don害羞草研究所檛 see a way to get to the punch line in one column. You can look forward to my next column, containing my very best attempt to articulate why we need to remove the 害羞草研究所淎害羞草研究所� word from our vocabulary when referring to those never ending collisions and crashes on our roadways.
And I will share the results of the debate.
Related: Hergott: Eyes wide open warnings
Related: Hergott: A different kind of P.A.R.T.Y.
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