Society expects politeness to the point of ridiculousness. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Don’t belittle something. We can argue forever on the crudity of toilet paper versus bathroom tissue but they are the same thing. The difference is the tone. An honest tone, or a politically correct tone.
Euphemisms make English sound dry, and flaky. It sounds like a lie, like something is being covered up, which in essence, it is. Don’t worry Walmart; my delicate maiden ears can handle toilet paper. We must protect innocent minds right? Ignorance is bliss. Why can’t we tell it like it is?
Don’t censor Huckleberry Finn, that’s the way that things were and by covering up history we never prevent it from happening again. If children don’t know how Black people were treated before the Civil Rights Movement how will they be able to prevent that happening to another race? Some things are horrible, yes, but that doesn’t mean we should turn away.
The world is beautiful, but it is also very ugly. How will we ever understand it, however, if we don’t look at both aspects? Nothing is ever just black and white. There is no truly good and there is no truly evil. Even Hitler, perhaps the foulest creature to ever walk this Earth, gained some sympathy from me about his past. I could not forgive the man he was, but I felt some sorrow for his plight.
He had a hard childhood, filled with pitfalls that led him to the angry man he was. I understand the process, and look to troubled families of today. Could not one of those children become something so awful? It makes all the difference doesn’t it? How can a problem be prevented without first understanding it?
So be honest about things and don’t try to cover something up because ignorance is perhaps the most dangerous state of all.
No comments:
Post a Comment