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zigfoyer t1_jav20hd wrote

Reply to comment by ReadyClayerOne in Banning Words Won’t Make the World More Just - The Atlantic by vaikrunta

I think the issue isn't language policing in itself, but more that we don't do anything but that. Black-white wealth gap hasn't improved since the 60s, but we have phased out most slurs, at least in polite conversation, and we have better representation in movies and whatnot. Language should be a stepping stone to real change, not the goal in itself.

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john_wb t1_jawo1rj wrote

Changing language is easier than changing society. It allows some people to feel better that they are "making a difference" without having to actually make any effort.

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ReadyClayerOne t1_jazbs7n wrote

To add to the other commenter's point about inclusive language itself being cheap, here's an MLK quote:

>It didn’t cost the nation anything to integrate hotels and motels. It didn’t cost the nation a penny to guarantee the right to vote. Now we are in a period where it will cost the nation billions of dollars to get rid of poverty, to get rid of slums, to make quality integrated education a reality

Change is easy when it doesn't require fundamentally restructuring our institutions or reconfiguring the way we distribute our wealth. We can't even get people to accept the cheap change, let alone the real change.

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