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profanity, language that is considered socially offensive due to being vulgar, obscene, or irreverent. The term profanity is often used in a religious sense to refer to language that is blasphemous, sacrilegious, or sometimes merely secular.
- Stephen Eldridge
Jun 16, 2020 · Many common terms and phrases are actually rooted in racist, sexist, or generally distasteful language. For example, the popular phrase "peanut gallery," typically used to reference hecklers ...
- Henry Blodget
- Blackmail, Blacklist and Black Sheep
- Ghetto and Inner City
- Spooky
- Sold Down The River
- Grandfathered in
- Spirit Animal, Powwow and Tribe
- Lowest on The Totem Pole
- Savage
- Gypped and Gypsy
- First-World Problem
"The issue here is that these are all negative terms," said Joseph Smith, an anti-racism trainer and educator. "[It] connotes evil, distrust, lack of intelligence, ignorance, a lack beauty — the absence of white." This lowering of blackness on the spectrum with regards to value was developed further in the wake of the transatlantic slave trade but ...
Smith says terms like ghetto and inner city grew out of the industrial revolution in North America. The word ghetto also has a painful historical root in Europe during the Holocaust, and was likely derived from Jewish settlements in Italy centuries ago. "Ghettos and inner cities were typically seen to be places where less refined people lived — the...
The term "spook" — used sometimes to refer to a ghost, spy, or something that's strange and frightening (often used during Halloween) — has a history of being an anti-Black slur when white soldiers began calling fellow Black soldiers "spooks" during World War II. "[It's offensive] because of who and to what it's applied to," said Smith. He reminds ...
This phrase, now used to mean someone profoundly betrayed or jeopardized one's position, is directly connected to the transatlantic slave trade, Smith said. "The problem with it, we use it in a lot of spaces," he said. "The negative connotation is hearkening back to a time when enslaved African people would be literally sold down the [Mississippi] ...
Likewise, the phrase grandfathered in — modernly referring to someone or a business being exempt from new rules and continue operating as is — dates back to a 19th century policy called the "grandfather clause," which indirectly stopped Black Americans from voting by limiting eligibility to only those whose ancestors could vote. "It's also speaking...
Given the history and current oppression of Indigenous communities by settlers, explained Taniguchi, metaphors English speakers casually use — such as spirit animal, let's have a powwow, and tribe — can be a painful insult to Indigenous communities. "[It's] a reminder that their past and culture have always been treated as insignificant by settlers...
Totem poles are sacred items, much like headdresses, in Indigenous culture, explained Kalra. The phrase "lowest on the totem pole," casually meaning something is less important, not only is culturally appropriating the totem pole, but it's contextually wrong. "In some First Nations communities, being [carved] low on the totem pole might actually be...
In the modern context, savage has become a word used to describe someone who is fierce, or a situation that is intense — and carries a positive or semi-positive connotation. It's used a lot in the sports world, explained Smith, especially among men when describing actions, behaviours and thoughts that don't conform to norms. The problem, he says, i...
When someone says they've been "gypped," they mean defrauded or swindled of something. But that word, which stems from gypsy, is problematic as it has been used as a derogatory slur against Roma who historically travelled from place to place across Europe, says Smith. The term perpetuates the stereotype that Roma are lower class, not mature or cult...
People have slowly moved away from using the term third world to describe low-income countries, says Kalra, but the phrase first-world problem is still used to convey that something is an issue only to those who live in a country with privilege and wealth. It can be classist, she said. "When we're saying first world, we're putting them at the top ....
Dec 14, 2018 · These words can be confusing, especially to people who are just learning English and all of its complex nuances. “Why is that word OK to say here … but not there?”. Let’s take a look at some of the words that often draw debate, so we can see when they’re OK to say and when we should steer clear.
Biased language refers to words and phrases that are prejudiced, offensive, and hurtful. An explanation and examples show how to avoid such language.
Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, involves the use of notionally offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion, as a grammatical intensifier or emphasis, or to express informality or conversational intimacy.
Every day—from the schoolyard to the workplace—we hear biased, hurtful and offensive language, including slurs, epithets (defined below) and so-called “jokes.” We also see slurs written on walls, buildings, streets and in our social media feeds.
