Our Choice of Words.
This article is part of Finding the Words, a newsletter that delivers practical insights on the day’s issues.
Sometimes, it takes an error to learn a lesson. And this week, I’d like to share one of my recent errors with you.
In last week’s Finding the Words, I wrote about journalist Ed Yong’s experience identifying a bias in his science reporting, in which he realized an important gender imbalance among his sources. Ed shared his experience in The Atlantic back in 2018, and subsequently was kind enough to share his story with me personally on the Mission Forward stage. In the years since, Ed’s story has served as a reminder to me that we all carry some form of bias, and we often bring it to the table without realizing it’s there.
Turns out, I showed my own bias in last week’s post.
I titled last week’s column Blind Spots, referencing the area where a person’s view is obstructed. The phrase is often associated with driving, including the viewpoint behind your shoulders which is often visibly obstructed. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary also defines blind spot as a phrase commonly used when a person is unwilling or unable to understand a topic, often related to an ignorance.
In choosing Blind Spots as my title, I did exactly what my article suggested we avoid: I used language that reinforced my own bias as an able-bodied person.
Know Better, Do Better
Disability isn’t derogatory. The phrase I chose, and the context in which I used it, referenced visual impairment to describe a lack of knowledge or willful ignorance. This characterization is not respectful of people who are blind. I could just as easily have titled the blog post, What’s Hiding in Your Writing? and still have made the same point. (Note: I have now re-titled that blog, which also now links to this post.)
I would not have picked up on my error if a reader hadn’t sent me a very thoughtful note, further reinforcing my very own bottom line of last week: It often takes an outside perspective to help discover an unconscious bias.
But this is what I’ve come to love most about this community: we aren’t here wanting or expecting to be perfect communicators. We show up here to learn together, and to foster a trusted community of practice that allows us all to be better communicators in the process.
In that spirit, here are a few more euphemisms to consider swapping out of your vocabulary, with credit to IndieSpace for their terrific article on the topic:
Crazy: Many people use phrases like “That’s so crazy!” or “They were acting insane.” These words can be stigmatizing for people who experience mental illness. Many individuals have shared their reluctance, fear, and anxiety in seeking mental health support because they may be labeled by friends, colleagues, or loved ones as crazy or insane.
Tone Deaf: This is similar to blind spot; such terms are used to describe negative actions through someone else’s disability.
Lame: This word is often used to describe something or a situation that is bad, frustrating, or dull. However, many don’t know (or remember) that the definition of this word is to have a body part, often a limb, so injured that it impairs freedom of movement. There are better word choices than those which use a historical reference which can be harmful to your audience.
Bottom line: Just because a phrase is commonly used, does not mean it is inclusive to all members of our community. Let’s think, speak, and write with intention, knowing that the more inclusive our practices, the better we all become.
This post is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.
