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MORE THAN STICKS AND STONES
06/14/01
One of the most popular sayings in American society is: "actions speak louder than words." Another common saying is: "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." [Editor's Note: This statement is profoundly untrue, as was discovered by an unnamed bully in my 6th grade class who was walloped upside the head with an unabridged dictionary after one-too-many comments on the size of my posterior...Words hurt indeed. Especially when they're leather-bound.] While it is important to focus on our actions, I wonder if these common sayings also provide an excuse for us to say whatever we want without realizing that words have immense power as well. This can be problematic because we can say words with an intent that we may think is clear, while someone else may take them in a completely different way. This is probably most apparent with the words we write, and when readers misunderstand things that I have written in this column, I become increasingly aware. However, words have power whenever they are used, and it is more than just semantics; it is in the way words can affect us in the deepest of ways. In the age of electronic communication, words become our primary way of interacting and affecting others, so a look at the power of words seems pretty timely. Yea, I know, pretty simple and trite idea, but bear with me, sometimes it is in the simplest things that we find the most wisdom. Next
Karma Chavez graduated from Hastings College in May 2000 with degrees in religion and communication, and is in her first year of graduate school in communication studies at the University of Alabama. Contact: ilove4n6@yahoo.com
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