DAY 36: Give up language that upholds racist stereotypes or invokes racism
There are many phrases and sayings that we use without being aware of their origins and how disturbing their true meanings are. For example, we often call the biggest bedroom in the house the “Master Bedroom” without realizing that we are invoking slavery. We put the word “black” in front of things to indicate that they are bad or negative such as blacklist, black market, black sheep. We call things dark when we mean sinister or frightening. And, many religions persist in using light or white imagery to invoke holiness and goodness and darkness to invoke evil.
Then there are the times that we mimic the accents or phrasing of people whose first language is not english. A common one is “long time, no see” which can apparently be traced back to an article in the Boston Sunday Globe in the 1800’s which was mocking the intelligence of Indigenous people.
TIP: There are many online articles and other sources of information on the racist or oppressive origins of common words and phrases. Take some time to learn the context and history of words and phrases you use frequently. Start to notice when you use the words “Black” and “white”, “dark” and “light” and whether there are alternatives that don’t reinforce racial stereotypes. And if you find yourself resisting this work, remember that all languages evolve and change to reflect shifts in values and cultural norms.
RESOURCES: