01 / observation

11 Mar 2020

Terminology can help move a debate along, but the problem is just that, if there were negative associations that you were trying to wave away by changing the terminology, the negative associations are just like gnats, and they will settle back down on whatever new term you come up with.

“Terminology can help move a debate along, but the problem is just that, if there were negative associations that you were trying to wave away by changing the terminology, the negative associations are just like gnats, and they will settle back down on whatever new term you come up with.”

Speaker: John McWhorter
Episode: John McWhorter on Linguistics, Music, and Race (Live at Mason)
Publisher: Conversations with Tyler

John McWhorter

What John said.

Terminology can help move a debate along, but the problem is just that, if there were negative associations that you were trying to wave away by changing the terminology, the negative associations are just like gnats, and they will settle back down on whatever new term you come up with.

There are some women, and what’s interesting about the women is that, for a reason I don’t know, they never wind up on the list.