If English Could Change
There’d be no obsession over he or she, only a loving devotion to we
Socialism would stop meaning communism and instead mean the way forward
Ambition would reveal its sinister undertones, taken away from the words atheist and agnostic
Immigrants would not be called illegals and nationalists not called patriots
Suicides would not be called successful
Autism would no longer associate with words like stupid
And fat would finally cut ties with ugly, worthless, and lazy
Black, Asian, and Latinx would cease to be personality traits
Woman would no longer equal weak
Feminine would no longer be an insult; masculine no longer a threat
Intellectual would regain gravitas as expert lost its derision
We’d lose meaningless, enslaving abstracts,
Like dividends, compound interest, KPIs, and stock exchange
Watch them fall away to make room for inclusive, transgender, queer, and nonwhite to step out of the shadows of their stigmas
Curse words would lose their barbs as we embraced a more loving culture
It doesn’t have to be a question of if English could change
How we phrase things matters; ask yourself instead
When will English change?
The answer is when we start to adapt our languages. Watch our words and acknowledge the power burning within each one.
via #WritingBored on Twitter. Originally published at ashandfeather.com on February 8, 2018.
