Our Power of Language
“The problem isn’t the word, it’s the way we treat people who we use that word to describe.”
After watching this great segment from the Daily Show the other day, I started thinking more about how some of our everyday language has changed. Homeless people are now referred to as unhoused and the word “retarded” is no longer socially acceptable language when referring to people with intellectual disabilities. Of course, there is also the evolving language used for LGBT folks and people of color.
I had a conversation recently with a friend who works in tenant’s rights advocacy about why saying “the projects” is no longer acceptable when referring to subsidized housing. Instead, she prefers to say “affordable housing” because that is really what it is – affordable housing for low-income folks. “The Projects” unfortunately comes with a lot of historically racist and classist baggage. According to her, saying affordable housing helps to destigmatize and reclarify this type of housing for both residents and non-residents.
I’m still not sure if changing the language around every few years will change how people think or treat people living under those circumstances, but that is just me.