• Ever since we decided to create language all those many centuries ago, we have used those same linguistic creations to help further instil in society the hatred that we have felt over the ages for whichever particular group other than ourselves that struck our fancy. Discrimination continues to this very day thanks to the continued usage of hateful words and a naivety of the general populace concerning how said words were used in the past.

    Humans have many forms of self-expression, of which language is but one. Unfortunately, there have been many instances in our past where we have used language to help facilitate our own dislike for other groups of people. There are actual references in religious texts which go to great lengths to promote racial degradation. Take the Talmud for instance, one of the central texts of Judaism, in which, Ham, one of the three sons of Noah, is depicted as a "sinful" man, and his descendants as degenerates who are cursed by being black. In our society today we go to great lengths to say that things have changed, that things are different now, but there are lasting effects of our actions. One obvious example is the image that rappers have in our society. They are portrayed as dumb and insensitive beings who enjoy inflicting suffering upon others. Yes, that's right, caricatures from the past remain to this day, because really, how smart do you think 50 Cent is? He'd have to be pretty clever to have managed to get as famous as he has.

    People use many words which have immense baggage, without even realizing what it is that they're saying. There are words which most know the history, if not necessarily the meaning of, such as ****** and c***k, but there are others which are less well-known. People use the expression "gyped" often, but has anyone ever stopped to think about what it refers to? Gyp was a word that was used to express the hate that specific groups harboured against gypsies, as well as how they were cheap and not of good quality, which is still in place nowadays, for in today's society we generally use gyp to express the feeling of being ripped off, as in paying a large amount of money for something of poor quality. Now I do believe that the language people use in their day to day lives is a personal choice, but I hope that people will take knowledge and get educated on the history behind words, because every word has a reason for why it exists, and for the way it is the way that it is.

    Hopefully by reading my essay you have learned something, and now, before I finish I have one final question to ask. How many times will it take to get us as a species to realize that we are all human and that we all deserve respect?