The Most Important Sentence

“Our listening is always linked to and shaped by a variety of cultural values.”

I have a daughter with Down syndrome, this particular sentence stood out to me because as our culture has changed so to has how we interact not only with individuals with Down syndrome, but with others who may have a learning/cognitive impairment. Our choice of wording has changed to reflect this cultural shift. For example: Down syndrome child versus child with Down syndrome. Syntax, the words we choose and the order in which they come in a sentence, can shift emphasis. Down syndrome child places emphasis on the condition, whereas child with Down syndrome places emphasis on the individual. This is a relatively recent cultural shift, that started sometime in the late 1970’s, with the intention of placing value or self worth as a human being on those individuals that have Down syndrome. Labels have also undergone changes, the R word, many states and institutions within these states have replaced it with developmentally delayed. Some states and federal programs have been slow to adopt this change. The R word isn’t politically correct and is considered demeaning, it’s often used in reference to calling someone dumb or stupid.

The term “politically correct” gets thrown around a lot. It does seem like society is having a problem balancing political correctness with freedom of speech. We seem so worried about offending others that our language is evolving. It’s challenging to try to speak in a way so as not to offend anyone. We forget to look at context, how the speaker is applying the word. On Real Time with Bill Maher, host Bill Maher discusses his rationale behind his use of the N-word. It’s such a racially charged word, that anyone not in the community is apparently forbidden to use it, regardless of context. Does this excuse the use of the word? No. However, was Bill Maher using the word in the context of a racial slur? Only he knows this. Why can those within a certain demographic use words that would otherwise be offensive if said by someone not in the group. Perhaps the best solution is to recognize the history of the word and work at totally absolving in everyday speech.


http://www.aaiddjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1352/1934-9556-54.5.342?code=aamr-site

https://www.cnn.com/videos/cnnmoney/2017/06/10/bill-maher-n-word-apology-joe-madison-bts-ctn.cnn