Words: Do They Really Carry That Much Meaning?
Words mean things, and the words people choose may carry consequences. While some people try to disregard words as meaningless, the reality is words can cause harm to individuals and carry serious consequences when not chosen correctly. A popular refrain when I was a child was “sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you.” In theory that may be true, but words do in fact hurt and carry serious consequences. Recently, an ESPN employee ran an article about a popular American basketball player entitled “Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin’s 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-stopping Loss to Hornets”1 on ESPN’s website. On the surface, the title may seem innocent but unfortunately, the term “Chink” in this case refers to a Chinese American man, and as such, the word “Chink” takes on a new meaning. While Anthony Federico, the author of the article, may have thought he was making an innocent comment, the word “Chink” is a derogatory word used to describe the people in the Chinese community in a negative connotation. In society today, much like throughout history, people continue to deliberately use words meant to offend people and portray them in a disparaging way.
Our society provides many examples of words that are used to offend people. A tough guy, for example, would take exception to someone calling him a “fag” as this would mean he was weak, feminine, and not a “real man.” People in society use words like “fag” to create an underclass of individuals. These words are used to empower the person who utters the hurtful refrain while marginalizing the person who is targeted by these words. This word, much like other words in society, carries with it a negative connotations and serious consequences with them. While the word “fag” may instantly conjure up negative images in one’s mind, other words are more subtle, and although many people may not think of the word “fruit” as having negative consequences, the reality is it carries these same negative connotations as the word “fag” in our society.
The word fruit has multiple meanings, implied and literal. According to Webster’s Dictionary Online, the first definition of the word fruit is, “a product of plant growth,”2 which is the meaning that most people in society are familiar with when they hear the word; however, the word also carries implied meanings when used in a certain context. According to the Urban Dictionary, the first definition of the word is, “someone who is a flaming flamboyant homosexual,”3 which is generally not the first definition that comes to one’s mind. The word fruit originates from the Latin and was first introduced in the 12th century.4 The word fruit did not take on a negative connotation until 1931 when it was used to refer to women as easy or willing to have sex with anyone, and it was not until 1935 when the word took on a new meaning, which was to refer to a male as a homosexual.5 This phrase is often used among males in today’s society when they are attempting to marginalize other males in society. It is used to imply that certain people are weak and are not the ideal man.
Our society today uses words to label people and marginalize individuals who are deemed different. Society does this to create an underclass, which allows for self fulfilling proclamations tolerating the dominant individuals in society to remain the prevailing class. Howard S. Becker provides insight on labeling and how people use labels to demonize individuals. According to Becker (1963), “being caught and branded as a deviant has important consequences for one’s further social participation and self-image. The most important consequence is a drastic change in the individual’s public identity.”6 Labels are often used to describe people and are regularly used in general conversation, but when society applies labels to people, these labels have consequences and those consequences become significant when individuals, who had not previously used the label, accept and attach those labels to people. Becker (1963) states that deviance is not defined by the behavior itself, but rather, it becomes defined with the interaction of the person who committed the offense and the people who responded to it.7 Thus, when members of society accept the label that one has been given, the label now attaches and has new consequences. As Becker states (1963), “[one] is treated in accordance with the popular diagnosis of why he [or she] is that way.”8 The label, therefore, becomes a self fulfilling prophecy as people accept that label, and as it attaches to the individual, people treat him or her according to that label.
While the label fruit is used to marginalize certain people in our society, this label, which is meant to degrade the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, questioning community (LGBTQ), is generally accepted and used among the LGBTQ community although there are still a small segment of the LGBTQ community who find the term offensive. The term fruit in the LGBTQ community has led to the use and acceptance of other words that are derived from that label; one of those new labels is the term fruit fly. According to the Urban Dictionary, the word fruit fly defines a heterosexual attractive woman who hangs out with gay males.9 While there may be some people who do not like this term, this term has come to be an acceptable replacement to the term “fag hag,” which was previously used to describe a heterosexual woman who hangs out with gay males.10 While members of people outside of the LGBTQ may use this word to demean people, the LGBTQ community generally looks at this word as harmless. It does not carry the same stigmatism inside the LGBTQ community as it does outside of the community.
Words do in fact carry with them consequences. As people in society continue to use words like fruit to marginalize certain individuals, there will continue to be an underclass of people in our society. When Anthony Federico wrote his article regarding the Chinese American basketball player, I doubt he imagined the consequences that lie ahead. The outrage over the title of his article was felt nationwide, and ESPN responded quickly to the public outcry by firing Federico. Even though Federico insisted he meant no harm by his words, the damage was done.11 Words in society have meaning, and when people use words to define people, the labels carry consequences. While the adage, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” may in theory be true, it is hard to believe the words Federico used are not hurting him and his family today.
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1. Gurney, M. (2012). National Post. Retrieved from http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/02/21/matt-gurney-racially-tinged-slips-of-the-tongue-shouldnt-get-you-fired/
2. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2012). Fruit. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruit
3. Urban Dictionary. (2012). Fruit. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fruit
4. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2012). Fruit. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruit
5. Online Etymology Online. (2012). Fruit. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=fruit&searchmode=none
6. Howard S. Becker. (2010). Labeling Theory. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 39-41). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
7. Howard S. Becker. (2010). Labeling Theory. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 39-41). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
8. Howard S. Becker. (2010). Labeling Theory. In Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers (Eds.), Readings in Deviant Behavior (pp. 39-41). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
9. Urban Dictionary. (2012). Fruit. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fruit
10. Razzano, T. (April 27, 2011). Creative Loafing. Retrieved from http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2011/04/27/back-talk-are-friendships-between-fruit-flies-and-gay-men-the-real-deal#.T0mZhPWimuI
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