Our Words DO Matter

It would seem obvious to me that the actions of the shooter in Tucson was the action of a deranged young man who had descended into the depths of mental illness.  Although many would like to see a direct causal relationship between the hateful speech in our country right now and his actions, I believe that would be a stretch.  He is simply one sick young man.

However, because this one incident cannot be blamed on our hateful discourse, we should not conclude that our words do not matter.  In fact, the ancestor of almost every action is a word birthed by thought.  Words DO matter.  As William Brennan suggests in his book Dehumanizing the Vulnerable saying words don't matter “negates the impact of name calling and minimizes the relationship between words and deeds.  Disparaging designations may inflict greater damage that physical blows and foster a climate of antagonism leading to the actual breaking of bones and other forms of violence.”

Climate, whether meteorological or social, is created by the convergence of several integrated yet independent factors.  Predictions can be based on watching these factors and relying on a few basic indicators.  I am convinced that the best barometer of “this climate of antagonism” that Brennan alludes to is what we are saying to and about each other in this country.  Based on that essential and telling indicator, I predict a very stormy future.

Some might read this and downplay he insidious nature of our use of words to degrade and objectify.  However, the reality is that even though name calling does not always result in physical violence, it is always an essential component of the type of large scale oppression that shows itself as discrimination, segregation, enslavement or even annihilation.

The destructive power of words is nowhere more evident than in the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.  Although it is difficult to find any evidence that Adolph Hitler ever personally perpetuated an act of violence against anyone, no one can deny the sadistic power of his words.  What Hitler knew, and what we need to remember, is that a few key designations of degradation, continually intoned, like any persistent slogan, has significant impact. 

Our Role.

We must come to believe how powerful words are so that we stop taking them so lightly.  Words dictate what we think and what we do.  The advertising industry banks on that fact – and they are right.  They understand very well that bytes of information presented consistently over time persuades and compels people to change their behavior.  We have to remember this the next time we hear just a few “slurs” here or a couple of “put-downs” there.  These short sound bytes comprise the commercials for the “isms” that result in violence. 

Each of us has a decision to make of whether or not we will work to change the climate of antagonism in our families, our schools, our workplaces, in our lives.  That decision begins with what we choose to say about one another.  We can either use our words for peace or for violence.  There is no middle ground. 

Now…What were you saying??