Words have consequences

Faith in the Public Square
Lompoc Record
April 13, 2007

Michael Richards, Mel Gibson, Isaiah Washington; they all have two things in common: They're actors and they've achieved notoriety for inappropriate remarks. Their words caused them considerable grief, but similar words are spoken every day of the week. Convention suggests that when talking about offending words, we should use euphemisms, such as the “n-word” or the “f-word,” so as not to compound the offense.

Americans treasure our freedom of speech, and, rightfully, we decry censorship. But, while we're free to voice our thoughts and opinions, that doesn't mean every word is appropriate. Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel said: “Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts as a sound ends in a deed.”

Indeed, words have consequences, sometimes violent ones. This is the point of a passage found in the New Testament book of James, which suggests that the tongue is untamable and like a fire that sets a forest ablaze. Having the power to both curse and bless, we're encouraged to keep careful watch over our tongues.

Although our tongues don't have a “mind of their own,” it does take considerable discipline to tame our speech. It may seem trite, but Thumper's father's advice is worth considering: “If you can't say something nice ... don't say nothing at all.”
In a recently published letter to the editor that I had a hand in writing, Lompoc Interfaith protested what we considered to be anti-Jewish hate speech. We were accused, in several letters, of engaging in censorship and calling for legislation that would ban such speech. If you read our letter, you'll discover that no such solution was ever suggested.
The intent of the letter was to bring attention to the way we use words and the consequences of those words. We have freedom to speak what we wish, but the community also has a right to register its disapproval of those words without banning them.

What we wished to do in this letter was call the community's attention to the meaning of words and phrases, which in this one case appeared to be anti-Jewish and that were rooted in stereotype. We're tempted to use stereotypes to categorize people and groups, because they help us make sense of our world. The problem with relying on stereotypes is that too often they're not only incorrect, but they're rooted in fear. Reliance on stereotype can lead to acts of prejudice, discrimination, and hate speech. And hate speech can turn into violence, for violence is the acting out of hatred.

To get an idea of what I mean, consider for a moment the word “rag head.” It's likely that you've heard this word used of late; maybe you've even used it yourself. It's a word used to describe a person with a turban or maybe a head scarf, and in common parlance, it refers to people who're Muslim or Arab. Of course, people of many cultures, including Hindus and Sikhs, wear turbans. And, not all Arabs or Muslims wear turbans. Still, in the popular imagination, a turban represents Islam, and in this time of war, Islam equals terrorism.

When all Muslims or Arabs are viewed as potential enemies, a word like “rag head” helps fearful people maintain a sense of control, even though by doing so they must dehumanize a supposed enemy. Once we head down this road of dehumanization of perceived enemies, we find it easier to hate, and when we hate, we find it easier to do violence toward them.

The elimination of hate speech won't come through censorship or legislation, although there are places, like schools, that should be allowed to regulate such speech. Instead, the solution must come from within, as we pay attention to our thoughts and to our words. This process can be helped if we broaden our social circle a bit. Moving beyond our own group helps undermine fear, group think, and the stereotyping of others.
My own experiences with Muslims, Jews, Evangelicals, atheists, liberal Protestants, gays, African-Americans, Roman Catholics, Buddhists, Asians, and Latinos, just to name a few, have raised questions of my inherited set of stereotypes. I've discovered that no group is monolithic and that much conventional wisdom is misguided and wrong. In truth, if we can get beyond our stereotypes, offensive words will drop away, and with the elimination of such words, violence will diminish as well. This all may seem unrealistic, but it's a future worth working toward, lest hatred and violence prevail in our community, our nation, and in the world at large.

Dr. Bob Cornwall is Pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Lompoc (www.lompocdisciples.org). He blogs at http://pastorbobcornwall.blogspot.com and may be contacted at lompocdisciples@impulse.net or First Christian Church, P.O. Box 1056, Lompoc, CA 93438.

April 13, 2007

****Faith in the Public Square normally appears on Sunday in the Lompoc Record, but this week appeared on Friday, April 13, 2007

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