The Importance Of Language As An Instrument Of Oppression

Language as an Instrument of Oppression
Language is a liberating creation that has allowed humans to jot down their thoughts, speak their minds, and fight for entitled rights, but at the same time, language is also thronged with impediments that has hindered certain groups of people, specifically minorities, from seemingly universal rights. In the recent years, gay marriage has been a controversial topic that many people are extremely passionate about or resentful of. Although many of the southern states had banned gay marriage, on June 26, 2015 at 7 A.M., the Supreme Court formally announced nationwide that it was unconstitutional to ban gay marriage. In other words, gay marriage was legalized across America. Despite this radical change, many people–mostly from extremely conservative views–continue to be prejudiced against homosexuals and people of different sexualities other than …show more content…
Even though gay marriage has been legalized, many people still use slurs against gays, lesbians, and other non-heterosexual people. The negative connotation of slurs like “gay” and “queer” are continually used against people of different sexualities as instruments of oppression and have, unfortunately, been very effective in suppressing them.
You may think of these slurs as mere words, lightly tossed around when making fun of a friend or teasing someone who acts a bit different from the norm or dresses meticulously, but the daily usage and desensitization to these words has caused the implications carried with them to have much heavier consequences. What makes slurs so harmful is the association; when one person calls another a “faggot” or a “butch”, he or she is actually using