You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Connected Learning Alliance Logo
  • About Connected Learning
  • Who we are
  • Resources
  • Publications
  • Blog
  • Get Connected
December 31, 2015

A Triptych on Changing Language, Changing Minds

Author

Antero Garcia
Categories: Civic Engagement, Equity
Racist comment handwritten on newspaper

Reading the Comments

“Go home you stupid illegal.”

I heard it a lot in 2014.

As part of a larger effort protesting the racist name of a local eatery, I was struck by how angry the responses were. Voicing concern for both myself and for society about what language does meant that commenters often assumed I was concerned about the racist name of a restaurant because of my own legal status in the country. (And to lay any readers’ thoughts to rest: I grew up multiracial in southern California, I’m half white, and the closest thing I have to an accent is the unromantic SoCal drawl with a penchant for saying “dude” and “hella” way too often, dude.) But, this blog post isn’t really about my experiences from 2014; it is about how the context of language has changed in the past few months.

Ultimately, I took a conscious step back from the protest efforts last year. The emails, comments, phone calls, and mail I received made engaging in public debate less than healthy for my family. And, though the hate mail and uproar over the restaurant has largely quieted down in my neck of the woods, I was struck by renewed vitriol over the name as the latest restaurant opened earlier in December in Arizona. Reading over news reports, I was struck by the comments: the same hateful language – “go home,” “go back,” “stupid illegals” – that is used to defend the name year after year.

It is in light of the renewed protests of the use of the “I word” that I wanted to contrast two other contemporary examples of society changing the contexts of language in the past few months.

Symbolic Language

On June 18, the night after Dylan Roof killed nine people in a church in Charleston, author and MacArthur “genius” Fellow Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote the following:

https://twitter.com/tanehisicoates/status/611652855523508224

Elaborating in an article for The Atlantic, Coates explains how defenders of the Confederate Flag promote its role as part of American “heritage” rather than “hate.”

Continuing dialogue, protest, and an engaged public regarding, ongoing racial violence in this country helped illustrate how the symbolic language of the Confederate flag speaks in ways that maintain a context — intended or not — that have hurtful consequences.

Two weeks after Coates’s tweet, the flag was removed from the South Carolina state capitol.

I was struck by the significant, landmark change and the lives that were lost that helped instigate broad public action. The context of speech changes over time. What may have seemed innocuous to many in the past ebbs and flows as the patterns and expectations of speech adjust with the present era.

He, She, and They

Earlier this month, the Washington Post accepted the use of “they” as a singular pronoun.

Though the significance may not feels as ground-shaking as the example of the Confederate flag above, “they” is a landmark step toward gender inclusivity and to addressing non-binary genders within how we address individuals in our writing. In a recent blog post, Andy Baio describes his efforts to address gender bias in poker, noting his thwarted efforts at addressing Wikipedia entries that assume only males playing the game. Similarly, for English teachers, Bill Bystricky addressed the role of “they” in English classrooms on the blog of the National Council of Teachers of English.

Again, the context of what gender means and our relationship with the words describing it have changed. What may have seemed grammatically incorrect in the past is now a move toward inclusivity.

What Words Mean

Words matter: they can erase entire identities; they can whitewash (and genderwash) assumptions about who we are; they can empower and uplift; they can stifle and destroy.

Words, like the concentric circles of ripples in a pond, create consequences and teach society in ways that have long-term effects. So often the lists of newly added words to dictionaries point to how our vocabulary keeps up with technology and cultural shifts around digital tools. “Selfie sticks,” “Netflix and chill,” and even #blacklivesmatter illustrate how our vocabulary moves alongside digital dialogue. Words are added and words change. But, we must also remember that the labels and the phrases in our current repertoires might need revisiting. Whether symbolic language — like flags that represent messages we can no longer uphold — or grammatical rules affecting gender identity and conformity, the second half of 2015 illustrated that we are a society particularly willing to consider and address our contemporary (mis)uses of words. I am optimistic about how our vocabulary will both grow and contract in 2016.

Banner image: A letter mailed to Antero Garcia says, “Leave The Guy Alone. Get The Hell Out Of Our Country – You Illegal Mexican! & Take The Rest w/You!”

Related Posts

December 12, 2022 ConnectedLib Toolkit 2.0: Bringing Connected Learning to Small and Rural Libraries

A young Black boy with glasses types and sits in front of a large computer monitor.

November 1, 2022 Education During COVID: The Voice Of Teachers Across Canada and the US

A ripped sign reads in large red capital letters: you are under surveillance

October 25, 2022 Getting Over Privacy: Surveillance Studies and Edtech

Categories

  • Civic Engagement
  • Connected Learning
  • Critical Perspectives
  • Digital Citizenship
  • Digital Learning
  • Edtech
  • Educational Practice
  • Equity
  • Featured
  • HX
  • New Trends
  • Research
  • Youth Well-Being

Blog Archive

  • 2023
    • 2022
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020
      • December 2020
    • 2019
      • January 2019
      • February 2019
      • March 2019
      • April 2019
      • May 2019
      • June 2019
      • July 2019
      • August 2019
      • September 2019
      • October 2019
      • November 2019
      • December 2019
    • 2018
      • January 2018
      • February 2018
      • March 2018
      • April 2018
      • May 2018
      • June 2018
      • July 2018
      • August 2018
      • September 2018
      • October 2018
      • November 2018
      • December 2018
    • 2017
      • January 2017
      • February 2017
      • March 2017
      • April 2017
      • May 2017
      • June 2017
      • July 2017
      • August 2017
      • September 2017
      • October 2017
      • November 2017
      • December 2017
    • 2016
      • January 2016
      • February 2016
      • March 2016
      • April 2016
      • May 2016
      • June 2016
      • July 2016
      • August 2016
      • September 2016
      • October 2016
      • November 2016
      • December 2016
    • 2015
      • January 2015
      • February 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015
      • May 2015
      • June 2015
      • July 2015
      • August 2015
      • September 2015
      • October 2015
      • November 2015
      • December 2015
    • 2014
      • January 2014
      • February 2014
      • March 2014
      • April 2014
      • May 2014
      • June 2014
      • July 2014
      • August 2014
      • September 2014
      • October 2014
      • November 2014
      • December 2014
    • 2013
      • January 2013
      • February 2013
      • March 2013
      • April 2013
      • May 2013
      • June 2013
      • July 2013
      • August 2013
      • September 2013
      • October 2013
      • November 2013
      • December 2013
    • 2012
      • January 2012
      • February 2012
      • March 2012
      • April 2012
      • May 2012
      • June 2012
      • July 2012
      • August 2012
      • September 2012
      • October 2012
      • November 2012
      • December 2012
    • 2011
      • January 2011
      • February 2011
      • March 2011
      • April 2011
      • May 2011
      • June 2011
      • July 2011
      • August 2011
      • September 2011
      • October 2011
      • November 2011
      • December 2011
    • 2010
      • January 2010
      • February 2010
      • March 2010
      • April 2010
      • May 2010
      • June 2010
      • July 2010
      • August 2010
      • September 2010
      • October 2010
      • November 2010
      • December 2010
    • 2009
      • October 2009
      • November 2009
      • December 2009

    Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news and information.

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    • Connected Learning in Teaching Practice
    • Connected Learning Research Network
    • Connected Learning in Libraries
    • Connected Educators
    • Connected Courses
    • Connected Civics
    • Institute of Play

    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Work With Us
    • Media
    • Write for Us
    • People
    • Newsletter
    • CLRN
    • CL Summit
    • CL Lab