2008 Woodie Awards
Male Image Digs Into Rhetoric Values
'Power of Words' Emphasizes on Language and Culture in This Day and Age
Kristen Carlson
Issue date: 9/30/04 Section: Feature
- Page 1 of 1
*All Latino women have big butts and wear huge hoop earrings.
*All white people are racist and have fake tans.
*All African-Americans are loud and play basketball.
*All homosexuals are promiscuous fashion designers.
Stereotypes - we've all heard them. Aimed against yourself or another group of people, stereotypes create a wall between cultures, taking away from the beauty of our country.
Welcome to the 21st century, where history seems to be repeating itself. Did you know that New Jersey is the most diverse state in the country, and yet is the second most segregated behind Alabama?
Try as we may to ignore it, signs of segregation appear everywhere. Your race, your class, and even sometimes your sexuality predetermine where you live and what you are.
This shouldn't be true in a new generation and a country where supposedly anything is possible. So why is it happening? This past Monday, Jhon Velasco, Program Co-ordinator for Violence Against Women, led a program called 'The Power of Words,' meant to target violence prevention. This was just one of the many programs going on this week, Male Image Week, running until Sept. 30. Velasco has lived in a wide variety of areas, and told us just how divided we are and how immune to unkind words.
Language is a very powerful tool when it comes to hurting or helping others, simply because communication is a bare necessity in life. Each and every one of us has the power to either cause damage or to brighten someone's day.
The stereotypes listed above were only a few of the many that were written down during the program by the audience members themselves. The purpose of this exercise was to open eyes to the hurtful things that people can say to each other without a moment's hesitation.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This childhood rhyme might sound good, but in reality, words do hurt.
Now, think of how good it feels to receive a compliment, to be told you did something great, or how nice you look today. The simplest phrase can have a thousand meanings and reactions.
Generalizations come out of ignorance, Velasco said. Ignorance + Power = ISMs (Sex-ISM, race-ISM, class-ISM.). By not saying anything, you are saying something. You are allowing the status quota to continue.
History does repeat itself. We learn about the history of our cultures, but sometimes the pain and struggle that our ancestors either inflicted or endured does not register in our minds. If more people knew the history behind typical racial slurs that are used today, they wouldn't be used as often. Don't use a word if you don't know what it really means.
Language can lead to violence. Try using compliments to counteract the negativity and segregation in the world, and the smallest voice will be heard. We, as the younger generation, have the greatest opportunity to create and change things.
*All white people are racist and have fake tans.
*All African-Americans are loud and play basketball.
*All homosexuals are promiscuous fashion designers.
Stereotypes - we've all heard them. Aimed against yourself or another group of people, stereotypes create a wall between cultures, taking away from the beauty of our country.
Welcome to the 21st century, where history seems to be repeating itself. Did you know that New Jersey is the most diverse state in the country, and yet is the second most segregated behind Alabama?
Try as we may to ignore it, signs of segregation appear everywhere. Your race, your class, and even sometimes your sexuality predetermine where you live and what you are.
This shouldn't be true in a new generation and a country where supposedly anything is possible. So why is it happening? This past Monday, Jhon Velasco, Program Co-ordinator for Violence Against Women, led a program called 'The Power of Words,' meant to target violence prevention. This was just one of the many programs going on this week, Male Image Week, running until Sept. 30. Velasco has lived in a wide variety of areas, and told us just how divided we are and how immune to unkind words.
Language is a very powerful tool when it comes to hurting or helping others, simply because communication is a bare necessity in life. Each and every one of us has the power to either cause damage or to brighten someone's day.
The stereotypes listed above were only a few of the many that were written down during the program by the audience members themselves. The purpose of this exercise was to open eyes to the hurtful things that people can say to each other without a moment's hesitation.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This childhood rhyme might sound good, but in reality, words do hurt.
Now, think of how good it feels to receive a compliment, to be told you did something great, or how nice you look today. The simplest phrase can have a thousand meanings and reactions.
Generalizations come out of ignorance, Velasco said. Ignorance + Power = ISMs (Sex-ISM, race-ISM, class-ISM.). By not saying anything, you are saying something. You are allowing the status quota to continue.
History does repeat itself. We learn about the history of our cultures, but sometimes the pain and struggle that our ancestors either inflicted or endured does not register in our minds. If more people knew the history behind typical racial slurs that are used today, they wouldn't be used as often. Don't use a word if you don't know what it really means.
Language can lead to violence. Try using compliments to counteract the negativity and segregation in the world, and the smallest voice will be heard. We, as the younger generation, have the greatest opportunity to create and change things.