The slippery slope
Back in February New York banned the 'n-word'. There was a lot of commentary on the whole thing, but in the end, it was done and things settled down. I really doubt that many people took notice, and, in all likelyhood, even fewer actually changed their speech because of the ban.
Now NY is trying to ban "bitch" and "ho" because of their pejorative meaning against women. And now the same arguments are popping up again.
First off, if you're looking to ban words that insult and demean women, at least get the worst offenders in the ban. Second, why on earth are you banning words in the first place? A word is just a word. If you ban one, (even assuming people pay any attention) another word with the same meaning will pop up in its place. I've never seen the difference between saying "Shit" in angry frustration and "shoot" with the same intent. If you tell someone to "blow off" does it matter that you didn't swear? the person will get your intent just find, and respond accordingly.
I think that these type of laws come into being simply because legislators fear to regulate things that matter and make a difference, but want to be seen doing something. Here is a shout out to all people in positions of power and influence, there are plenty of things you can work to change and get involved in, you don't need to create them.
Now NY is trying to ban "bitch" and "ho" because of their pejorative meaning against women. And now the same arguments are popping up again.
First off, if you're looking to ban words that insult and demean women, at least get the worst offenders in the ban. Second, why on earth are you banning words in the first place? A word is just a word. If you ban one, (even assuming people pay any attention) another word with the same meaning will pop up in its place. I've never seen the difference between saying "Shit" in angry frustration and "shoot" with the same intent. If you tell someone to "blow off" does it matter that you didn't swear? the person will get your intent just find, and respond accordingly.
I think that these type of laws come into being simply because legislators fear to regulate things that matter and make a difference, but want to be seen doing something. Here is a shout out to all people in positions of power and influence, there are plenty of things you can work to change and get involved in, you don't need to create them.