Getting rid of negative words and phrases.

Hi Pose, I'm spying on your discussions now! This is a serious discussion, I know, but it reminds me of something funny that I spoke about on the lot once about a misunderstanding of a certain expression and of the little embarassment it cost me when I used it for something and discovered it meant something quite different. It is unfortunate that certain words can and have been misused. Although a word may be, strictly speaking, ok to use, if it might be offensive to someone else, even though unintentionally, it is better not to use it. Of course, I think often people don't know the "new" definition (like me) and use them. That's when those who are more informed can a)cut the person some slack and b)gently and kindly bring them up to date on the meaning

Well, let's see here... children should hear positive words, but this is not always the case. They should be told that they are good children, they are smart children, they can do anything that they put their minds to... but what happens if that child is not a positive child? Or, what happens if that child is well... misbehaving?

Let's take this ludicrous idea seriously for a moment, what would happen. Well of course, not quite so positive words would soon come to cause offence and be regarded as negative. You would turn us into a world of sycophantic panderers that still gave offence to people who would have become thin skinned, fragile and neurotic. The greatest manners is not to never give offence but never to take it. all the best urban

There are many hurtful words and phrases in our language. Some words are not used nowadays but they were used a lot in the past. I don't like hearing "Boys don't cry". I think that it is fine for boys and men to cry when something really upsets them. My toddler son is disabled and that is a correct word. Some people say 'handicapped' and that is now outdated. Some words to the disabled can be very hurtful. I believe that all people must talk to disabled people in a respectful way.

hello Pose, I agree with you. There are a lot of words now that have different or maybe a negative meaning especially if they are heard by the younger people. Kids nowadays have better understanding of the things around them, and some times words would just affect their emotional growth. Words are very powerful, it can make or break a person. So choosing, positive and encouraging words are more important for the better growth of a person.

I agree with you that there is a lot of negative words and phrases that we should get rid of to help finally clear our consciousness of some of the nasty thoughts that people spread when they can't think of anything better to say. One thing I think we should really start working on is people saying "That's gay" whenever something bad or inconvenient happens to them. By allowing kids to believe that the word "gay" means lame, bad, or not very cool we are subliminally teaching kids that homosexuals aren't cool or shouldn't be accepted. I honestly think that this is something that needs some serious improvement. Great post friend

Hello my friend, there is one phrase that sends a shiver down my back and it's one you have mentioned, for me it has had a profound affect on me not just from my childhood but throughout my adulthood, that is Boys don't cry. I had that drummed in to me from an early age and how wrong that mantra was. If I could cry I could have purged a lot of unwanted angst and hell from my life and I could have moved on so much easier, instead of carrying around so much baggage. My healing would have been quicker and I could have enjoyed life a lot more. I actually feel jealous if that makes sense of those that can cry, real tears. Men should be able to cry and not feel weak or vulnerable through shedding tears. It is not weak for a man to cry in fact a man should be admired if he can come to terms with his emotional state and feel free to cry. If only...

No, it is an absurd idea; what will you call someone that doesn't win a race? A near winner? all the best urban

Becoming aware of negative words and curing the habit of using them is an excellent goal and one that deserves attention from all of us. What a pleasent world it would be it we could get rid of these.

You are absolutely right Pose.......Very often the inadverdent use of negative vocabulary can lead to more negative impact than we had bargained for......We may have often use them during some casual conversation,but they can lead to far fetched repercussions ....Negative words or references often lead to pessimism and gloom and by giving more care in our choice of words and sticking to positive thinking ,it is possible to convey what we intend to and also prompt the person to reialise his mistake and to amend it.......

It is absolutely true that nowadays, we don't think at all before we say anything. I should actually say that we don't follow the proverb "think before you speak" at all. When we are angry on something or someone, we release our anger on someone else by shouting and saying something bad that would really hurt them. And this is completely wrong. Not only this, people are also using bad words and vulgure language everywhere and infront of everyone. When small children hear those words or sentences, they may learn it and so use them later on in any situation. So, we should see that we don't use such vulgure words. At present, there are so many children who know all the bad words. We should really keep this in mind that when we think of speaking anything, we should first think what are we going to tell someone, is that bad or good or would effect anybody's mind.

I definitely agree that people should stop saying harsh words and phrases carelessly. I too, am easily hurt if people say harsh things to me- but I kind of got used to it and at one time adapted it; thus hurting others. I think people should really think before speaking- especially when they're angry; because words that are spoken cannot be taken back. Words can make or break relationships so all of us should really choose the right ones...

I agree. We should live life positively as much as we could. I believe that even if these words are universally accepted but they are being absorbed by the respective people negatively. Everybody has the right to live life positively.

yea i definitely agree with u on getting rid of the negative words and phrases.

I definitely agree with that.You're very on point. I have always felt that some very common words should be used very sparingly. Take for example the word "sad". When I person says that's so depressing, they usually mean the connotation of it which could be "pathetic, pitiful, sad, etc." But the denotation of it is "showing or expressing sorrow or unhappiness". See the difference. That's just one small example but on a whole when a child hears you say that they grow up thinking of just the superficial meaning and start to say that themselves. I know this from experience. We really aught to watch what we say more.