could we improve society by modifying our language?

[brianmanahan]

for example, remove negative and/or violent words from the vocabulary altogether?

 

[lxskllr]

Every school should teach a different language. That way no one will know what anyone is saying, so it'll be harder to piss people off.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Watch Demolition Man, it will joy-joy your boggle!

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Remove slang and 'modern' language until everyone involved proves they know how to communicate using standard English.

 

[Ruptga]

Hmm let's see, do people create language or does language create people?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Every school should teach a different language. That way no one will know what anyone is saying, so it'll be harder to piss people off.

Helvete, er det det verste ideen jeg har hørt.

 

[brianmanahan]

Hmm let's see, do people create language or does language create people?

i think both

without language, people are animals

 

[Kaido]

for example, remove negative and/or violent words from the vocabulary altogether?

Human nature has been the same forever. People are nuts.

 

[brianmanahan]

Human nature has been the same forever. People are nuts.

but maybe we can change!

 

[sandorski]

It's not the Words, it's how people use the Words. So, no. There are always some exceptions to be considered, but you won't magically remove violence by removing words about violence.

 

[sandorski]

but maybe we can change!

That's what Saddam told Satan and we all know how that turned out.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It's not the Words, it's how people use the Words. So, no. There are always some exceptions to be considered, but you won't magically remove violence by removing words about violence.

Especially in light of the fact that the violence existed long before the words. People were bashing each others brains in with rocks without even knowing "bash", "brains" or "rocks".

 

[Paladin3]

Instead of trying to limit the use of harsh words, since no two people will agree on exactly which words those are, we should concentrate more on the messages and ideas being conveyed. Ugly ideas are often expressed using ugly words and need to condemn those ideas because they are ugly in and of themselves, not because someone cursed or used a "trigger" word.

 

[Kaido]

but maybe we can change!

Individuals can change, and therein lies the problem: you can't control everybody. If you could, then you would remove free agency, which is the most valuable gift we have - the ability to make our own choices.

Could we improve society by modifying our language? Maybe. But I think there are times when we need negative language...we need to vent frustration, or express a problem, or chastise a child so they don't run into traffic. In places where better language is encouraged & enforced, behavior is typically better...like in a public school with a classroom full of people vs. a back alley with a group of gang members. If you haven't read it yet, "Lord of the Flies" is a pretty interesting take on the general concept...basically a group of boys get stranded & have to self-govern without any outside enforcement. Kind of a "what if" type of novel.

 

[Kaido]

Instead of trying to limit the use of harsh words, since no two people will agree on exactly which words those are, we should concentrate more on the messages and ideas being conveyed. Ugly ideas are often expressed using ugly words and need to condemn those ideas because they are ugly in and of themselves, not because someone cursed or used a "trigger" word.

imo proper communication should be taught in schools because it is a learnable skill. I would take a discussion over an argument any day because arguing is people trying to say "I'm right and you should join my perspective", whereas a discussion forces you to not only look at the other person's point of view, but also the merits of that perspective, and then trying to work out a solution. I was really impressed with former CIA counterterrorism agent Amaryllis Fox's recent remarks about communication in relation to terrorism:

http://theantimedia.org/former-cia-really-causing-terrorism/

A good snippet:

“An Al-Qaeda fighter made a point once during debriefing,” she recounted. “He said all these movies that America makes — like Independence Day, and the Hunger Games, and Star Wars — they’re all about a small scrappy band of rebels who will do anything in their power with the limited resources available to them to expel an outside, technological advanced invader. ‘And what you don’t realize,’ he said, ‘is that to us, to the rest of the world, you are the empire, and we are Luke and Han. You are the aliens and we are Will Smith.’”

However, she also challenged the Al-Qaeda fighter’s take, arguing that on both sides of conflict, those fighting on the ground often provide the same reasons for doing so:

“But the truth is that when you talk to people who are really fighting on the ground, on both sides, and ask them why they’re there, they answer with hopes for their children, specific policies that they think are cruel or unfair,” she says.

“And while it may be easier to dismiss your enemy as evil, hearing them out on policy concerns is actually an amazing thing, because as long as your enemy is a subhuman psychopath that’s gonna attack you no matter what you do, this never ends. But if your enemy is a policy, however complicated — that we can work with.”

I've met people from around the world both online & IRL and generally speaking, people are pretty chill. There are always nutjobs & psychopaths out there, but mostly, people want to live peaceful, enjoyable lives. And that applies whether it's a global question of terrorism & war or a local question between two people having an argument about something. I mean, look at how Hitler rose to power...Germany got stomped in WWI, their economy tanked, and this dude comes out saying how things could be awesome again, how they were an awesome people, and he rallied people together. That initial perspective wasn't evil...people were living in hardship & all of a sudden someone was touting strong national pride & the promise of greatness. Of course, then things went off the rails, but that's fodder for a different discussion. But yeah, I think rather than changing the language, we should change the way we communicate...too many people only know how to reactively argue without making an effort to understand the opposite perspective & have a proper, adult discussion instead of a childish verbal fight. I mean, just go look at the comments on Youtube

 

[Sonikku]

Galactic basic should be taught in all schools all over the word to bring us all closer together.

 

[Ruptga]

Especially in light of the fact that the violence existed long before the words. People were bashing each others brains in with rocks without even knowing "bash", "brains" or "rocks".

Exactly. Language is descriptive; yes its structure does influence our ways of thinking, but if there's a concept or experience that we don't have a word for but commonly experience then we will just make up (or steal) a word for it. See: moobs, getting T-boned, karma

 

[Red Squirrel]

We should have everyone speak assembly like it was 1999. (1999 era instruction set would probably be easier to learn)