Don't Say That

This week, several recent articles, including one in the New York Times, covered renaming University of California's Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco acknowledging namesake Serranus Clinton Hastings's role in the horrific massacre of the Yuki Native peoples. The use of namesakes, harmful words, and the dismissal of origin stories repeats the original harm. Forcing people to relive the historical harms embedded in these names, continuing to use harmful words, and dismissing origin stories is psychologically retraumatizing.

Using namesakes, as well as terms like minority instead of more accurate terms like marginalized or underrepresented, reinforces psychological trauma and minimizes human value. The term minority is inherently othering, as it conveys that one is not within the majority group when the real issue is the inequitable treatment of those who are minoritized.

Moreover, it is all too easy to call someone a “minority” and dismiss or deny the social injustices they experience. Users can justify these words as part of the historical lexicon without bothering to understand the history and dehumanizing origins behind the usage.

As exhausting as it may seem, being thoughtful about the words we say and how they impact others is important. Communication is essential for human interaction, and the words we use to communicate matter. Increasing research on stigma, micro-aggressions, gaslighting, and harassment dispel the myth that words do not harm.

“That is why referring to people with mental disorders based solely on their disorder, such as “schizophrenic”, labels them as the disorder rather than describing the person’s condition as “having schizophrenia,” which can empower the person to be more than a diagnosis. Using words and terms without thinking about their impact amounts to verbal violence and is psychologically harmful.”

As we head into the end of the year, we enter a series of holidays and social events involving increased personal and group interactions, even with Covid-19 cases still rising in many communities worldwide. We are aware of how health affects our lives, and we need to be thoughtful of how language also affects our lives, the lives of others, and our collective psychological well-being.

Here are a few practices to add to your language toolbox:

1. Consider what words you choose to use and what they really mean.
2. Are you simply repeating what you’ve heard, unaware of the origins and meanings of the words?
3. Are you considering how the words you say may be harmful to others, especially with what we have learned over the past two years since the pandemic began about social injustices?
4. Think about which considerate words can replace the harmful ones.

Your willingness—or unwillingness—to consider how the words you use impact others is the first step in identifying systemic psychological harms. Being aware signals an intent to build healthy relationships with others.

Almost everyone wants to be seen, appreciated, and valued. We want to be heard and understood. As you will likely encounter more people in your interactions over the next few months, think about how your words can harm or improve the psychological wellbeing of yourself and others.