Christopher M. Fairman's 'Saying It Is Worse'

The disadvantages of regulation and elimination of the language
In the modern society, millions of people realize that several offensive words with insulting taboo meanings heavily disturb their daily lives and break some special groups of people’s respect to push them to feel like outsiders of the whole society. As a result, more and more people join some underway movements to eliminate the use of these offensive words in people’s everyday speech and writing. However, these offensive words themselves are not the culprit, the bad meanings people attach are the problems and some other functions of the words are useful in the society. Christopher M. Fairman the author of “ Saying It Is Hurtful, Banning It Is Worse” also argues that although

It is true that retard people will feel uncomfortable and insulting when they hear the word “retard” because retard people deem that the word “retard” contains mock, disdain and discrimination from others. However, actually most of people only see “retard” as a word to describe a kind of mental sickness. Fairman, the author of “saying it is hurtful, banning it is worse” also argues that some bad words such as “retard” mostly are used as an academic word, he says that “he found nothing wrong with ‘calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards”(168). R-word is used to describe an academic mental illness most of time, and people do need a word like “retard” to functions as the name of this kind of mental disability. Before the appearance of “retard”, “idiot”,a word with worse meaning, did the same job and after the death of “retard” there must be a new word which also may be attached similar insulting meaning, accepting the same duty. Not only academic functions, some bad languages also can bring people senses of belonging. Although using new language more often instead of people’s original language can assist people more easily integrate into the new country, only motherland language contains an intimate feeling because original language

people should have the rights to use any words and any languages they prefer to use, which can make them more comfortable. Fairman mentions that the censorship of the offensive words which deprives the freedom of the public is totally wrong and he say “The risk of direct government censorship of the word ‘retard’ is real”(171). Freedom is the basic requirement of living and history confirms that people are willing to fight with any power for protecting their freedom. At the same time, any law in any country clearly mentions the freedom of any individual is divine and inviolable because people have fighted for achieving the freedom generation by generation. Hijuelos also thinks that freedom is pretty essential and people should have the freedom to use any language they want, and when he was young, his family actually insist using Spanish in the United State. He says that “ Spanish, rather than English, is what I heard day in and day out” (132). Although using the first language in foreign countries may cause the isolation and loneliness, the foreigners have the freedom to choose still insisting in speaking the first language to achieve the feeling of belonging and these choices should be respected.