The Slope Gets More Slippery
I remember when they "buried" the N-word. It was a quaint little ceremony headed up I believe by the illustrious Rev. Al Sharpton (back before he was little more than a giant head on a stick). There really wasn't too much serious objection, after all I don't think there are too many people in favor of using the word these days. There was a part of it , though, that was somewhat unsettling. After all, as bad as it is, it really is just a word.
If we ban words do we not give them more power than they deserve? If we cede power to our opposition by the mere muttering of a word or phrase, are we not diminishing ourselves, not only weakening ourselves but exposing where our weaknesses can be easily targeted. Many including myself wrote at the time about the slippery slope created by the banning of words and victim mentality left in its wake.
Now we have hit a new low in victimization. Some brilliant folks have orchestrated a campaign to ban the use of the word "bossy." Somehow it seems they have seen fit (I'm guessing) to have incorporatd this into the alleged "War on Women." I don't know when this term became gender specific, but somehow the use of the word has been twisted into something that holds women back, diminishing their ambition and leadership ability.
We seem to hit new lows these days just by stepping out of bed in the morning. I can't imagine anything more demeaning to women than the idea that their path to success can be diverted merely by the use of a basic adjective that by definition means overly authoritative and domineering. I am so concerned that we are overprotecting our children and not preparing them for the real world.

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On a slightly different topic, how is the "N" word can be revived and used by today's teenagers of color, but not by anyone else.
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I think this is a bit misinterpeted. It is meant for women to say we are not bossy, we are the boss.
Until you walk a mile in our stiletto's----can you ever grasp that even in 2014, inequality runs very very deep, and Yes it is still very much a mans world.
It means a lot for me to tell my daughter she can be anyone she choses to be---and truly mean it.
As for the N word its quite disgusting to hear young boys/men call each other that--like it's a good thing. Regardelss of race, I see it all over FB, twitter, Instagram. Boggles my mind.
BTW, love the Al Sharpton description--right on!
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My take on the linguistics of banning the word is that we are a multi-cultural society and this word is not well translatable. Bullying should be stopped in all languages and actions, so calling for a ban on the word "Bossy" does not solve the underlying issue.
IMO ...but then again, I am Very Bossy.
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On "bossy": Can we please lighten up on political correctness on steroids and run amok?
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