Words I don't acknowledge, and never use (except here!)

Dodgy words: I find that I become more and more frustrated and angry at the use of certain words by the religious or anti-women communities when putting across their ridiculous ideas. The following is a short list of a few classics; I have intentionally missed out some, and no doubt many more elude me at the time of writing. I challenge the veracity of these words and their relevance in a modern world. I refuse to use these words myself in conversation or writing; and in verbal discussion, if spoken to me I will make a point of not understanding, and endeavour to insist that an alternative word is used instead.

Basically, these words are old and outdated. They were formulated in a time when our understanding of the world was less complete and contained many inaccurate connections between cause and effect, and the difference between right and wrong, for example. As a result, the words have unwanted negative connotations which make their everyday usage somewhat suspect. I submit that if we insisted that their users re-frame their argument using alternative language, the argument would become less convincing and the users of it, more skeptical. This can only be a good thing.

Slut

I have previously explained elsewhere in this blog about the completely unfair use of this heinous word. As there is no male equivalent, it is obviously constructed from a unbalanced viewpoint and makes women out to be less virtuous if they are promiscuous. Evolutionary psychology may have shown that men being more sexually promiscuous is the norm, and that may be why the word developed. ( I will talk about why I think we need to take conclusions from Evolutionary Psychology with a “pinch of salt” as it were, later in another post).

But simply stating that males have a more privileged existence doesn't make it right. Why should we continue the same old attitudes that got us through the dark ages, now that we don't have to? I think women have just as much right to sleep around as men do and should not be looked down on for it. Each person should be judged on their own merits; sexual promiscuity has little bearing on this.

Sin (religious)

I think sin is a word which only relates to religion, and the religious. They use it in the sense of transgression of a moral principle I.e. “wrongdoing”, but if you look at what they actually consider wrongdoing to be, several of the items (such as worshipping other gods, not making graven images, working on Saturday/Sunday, and “coveting” anything) have no clear connection to damaging behaviour that may actually cause harm to society. Coveting things is how capitalism works. As a Liberal, I believe that we should, as far as possible so that no harm is done, allow people to do what they choose; the fulfilment gained from which is shown to reduce instances of other, actually harmful behaviour. In an open and frank world which the modern one is approaching, ridiculous behaviours are exposed for what they are and there is less point in “banning” them. The desire to control people's lives is something that only religion and repressive dictators or communist sates aim to do.

Also, the idea of “original sin” is purely despicable. St. Augustine was a hateful, cruel person for devising it I think. It only serves to burden children with the responsibility of becoming Catholics and so continue the Catholic line. Nepotism and “jobs for the boys” in the most disgusting of old men's clubs, I say.

Joy (Christian sense; synonym Rapture) and Rapture (being carried off to meet Christ)

Sometimes I think that the “joy” Christians espouse is a thinly-veiled revelling in their misplaced righteousness and fortune as the sole survivors of a non-existent Rapture. Whilst everyone else suffers for eternity in hell. Oh yes, don't forget that. Rapture is a hideous fantasy, but a completely selfish one as well. I just use the term happiness or delight instead of joy. Would you be truly happy knowing billions of other people had just died? What a fallacy.

Vice (religious overtones)

This is very similar to Sin as I described above, but I wanted to separate it because of the way it is still used by some Governments to discriminate against women. One of the typical examples is shown here. It is often used to justify outlawing of a completely harmless action or behaviour. The “Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” the Saudi morality police in other words. How progressive.

Islamophobia

I'm not going to say much here, but just that I think it would be useful for Islam to be more open to valid criticism. See here. You can't have Islamophobia without Infidelophobia!