Power, Language, and Freedom (second response)

Molly Quaid
Mod A

Not only is language being used offensively, but it is also being used in a harmful, threatening way. After reading what happened to Ms. Crouch in Eastern Michigan with YikYak, it is evident that many people only know how to express their freedom of speech in a negative, harmful way. I disagree with the way the students were using their resources such as YikYak because using language and power to harm someone is not what language was meant for. Astonished was an understatement when I read that article because of how deeply it affected Ms. Crouch. Also, I felt very disappointed in the article "How to Talk to Little Girls" because it shows how many girls now see themselves and if it weren't for the negative, harmful use of language, many girls would not feel like they were fat or ugly and would not feel the need to become anorexic or have eating disorders. As the article says, it is very common for the first thing to do when you see a little girl is compliment her on how cute she is or how beautiful she is which shows how our society only portrays that looks are more significant than anything else. Having the power to say whatever you want is too much freedom for some people who influence society negatively, like many people who think a woman is only pretty when she is thin and has makeup on.

Power, Language, and Freedom (initial response)

Molly Quaid

Mod A

In today's society, a strong characteristic a person can have is language. Not only is language a strong characteristic for a person to have but having freedom in speech intertwines with strong language. It is human  nature to have a natural sense of rights and freedom. With language also comes a strong sense of power. Propaganda still exists in the 21st century and back when the number of slaves were at their highest, abolitionists would use the power of language to portray a sense of propaganda of how slaves acted which influenced the general public. Not only does language have a powerful sense of power over the public when shown propaganda but it also limits the amount of freedom for the public and slaves. Propaganda still exists today with the tabloids and false rumors and stories about celebrities but because many people are inclined to listen to all the false rumors and to spread lies around, the freedom everyone has to use their own sense of language is reflected poorly. Not only can the power of language influence people greatly but it can also shift their viewpoints and cause their freedom to lessen because they are giving in to the bad parts of language. Language, when used poorly, can restrict one's freedom. Today, many stereotypes exist about muslims and them being terrorists which restricts their freedom. Because of a group of people that caused such great disaster, to many people, muslims will always be looked at as "terrorists" which limits their freedom in day-to-day life.