By an Anonymous Author

Extra! Extra!

Think Twice Before You Participate or Post… Part Two: The Use of Words

Hey students, it’s me again. While the way you look/act in a post can be hurtful, the words you use in a post can be very upsetting as well. Whether it’s a caption on Instagram or a chat in Snapchat, the words you choose to write can change your future with just one screenshot. It doesn’t matter if you’re the one that wrote it or not; if you’re in the post, you can be held responsible. Even if you are just sending a SnapChat and think it’s going to go away forever after the person you sent it to clicks out of it, you are sadly mistaken. Someone can take a picture of what you sent with another device without you knowing or find another way to screenshot the image. Who knows what that person will do with the picture now; you always need to be aware of the affect your words can have on someone, whether you mean what you’re saying or not.

In order to fully understand the use of words, the first thing you need to do is make sure you’re properly educated on certain terms. Specifically, racial and homophobic slurs. Racial slurs are insults directed to one person or a group of people just because they have a certain ethnicity or race. Homophobic slurs are insults specifically directed to members of the LGBTQ+ community. Using these types of slurs dehumanize not just the people the comment is directed to, but all members of their community.

Did you know that if you use these words, you not only can be brought before the Judiciary Board at school, but you can also possibly be expelled from school. And these are the types of behaviors that are reported to colleges in the application process, which is NOT a good look. Plus, you will be offending LOTS of people in our very own community.

The world we live in right now is facing a ton of hardships. There is inequality at all levels.  By utilizing a slur, you are contributing to the problem. Acceptance of all human beings is key.  Everyone is different. Different is good, not bad. We can never rid the world of hatred unless we start with ourselves.

If you are uncertain of the true meaning of a word, DON’T use it. You may not realize all of the connotations of a particular word. That goes back to my prior advice:  educate yourself! You also may think that you are just sending a post to a particular friend group.  Let’s recall some knowledge that I dropped in part 1 of my series on social media. Friends can share things with others, and deleting something does not make it disappear. A mistake you make in high school can follow you into adulthood. Don’t let this happen to you.

I hope that my posts have been helpful! I have learned a lot along the way, too! Always, always: think twice before you post!