Teen Forums - Teen Chat, Teen Help, Teen Advice & Support

Here is a list of words I believe should not exist in the way that they do today:

Emo
Slut
Whore
Gay
Faggot
Loser
Pussy
Cool
Fat
Skinny
etc.

The reasons that kids don't get help when they're depressed:
"Does doing X make me emo?"
"I heard that guy cuts. He's so emo."

The reason that homosexuals feel ashamed:
"You X! You are so gay!"
"That's gay, man. I don't want to do that."

The way our language adds to eating disorders:
"I don't date fat girls."
"Do I look fat in this?"
"You're so skinny! I wish I was that skinny!"

The reasons that some kids do drugs when they're young:
"Don't be a pussy, dude. It will be fine."
"You want to be cool, right?"
"You know that you're a loser if you don't try this, right."

The reason that kids don't speak up when they have questions about sexuality:
"Did you hear X lost their V-card? What a slut!"

I pity anyone that's scared to be themselves. I've been through it. I didn't tell anyone I wanted to kill myself for two whole years, and waited another year of people convincing me before I got help. I've never accepted my body. I was always called gay just because I'm not the most masculine guy on the planet, but who is at age 12? We are constantly digging our whole deeper and deeper. Stigmas are destroying the lives of youth that can't be themselves. There will always be people who are homophobic for one reason or another, but I know that most people that use gay as an insult aren't actually homophobic, and what they don't realize is that whenever they say it, they are adding to the stigma. People need to realize that their words hurt. I am constantly hurt by words that were supposed to have different meaning. Stigmas are a terrible thing, and the world would be so much happier if they all would disappear. But, stigmas are just like cliques. Bad people are more dangerous, and to get by in high school you have to do bad things. Maybe that isn't exactly true, but people get tough when they feel unloved, because they want to do what they will believe will make them popular. This is just one part of why adolescence is the most difficult time in a person's life. Fuck stigma, and fuck cliques.

I totally agree with you. The newer generations are slowly ruining the modern language.

Michael~

They should exist. The words themselves have useful meaning, whether you take offense at them or not is your own choice. Words are only offensive if you make them. Otherwise they're just letters.
Also, I pull my trousers and pants right down to my ankles when I go to the toilet.

^ I believe he means they shouldn't exist in the context that they're often related to. Its not just the word itself and such, its the way its said in a negative manner, thats why they can hurt... if that makes sense?

Seriously? Those words have BAD meanings to them and their just other words that they know they can use to be rude and hateful, oh and ignorant to people. Yes, they have others meaning also but people tend to use them, as I said, in a hurtful way which isn't right.

But I definitely agree with the OP. Yeah, those words have other meanings to them and should ONLY and always be used what the original meaning is. Not to ruin some one else's self-esteem. Being a teen is hard because you have to deal with a lot of BS to come. People should be able to feel like they can be themselves without being insulted about it. Like Homosexual people, they shouldn't have to be put down because they like the same gender. It isn't our right to judge anyone, plain and simple.

But the post made some sense there and your right.

I agree a lot with the OP. These words when used as they are today can tear a person down quickly. Imagine what it would be like if they became non-existant - we'd most likely see a different side of youth.

"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love."
- Washington Irving

If these words were non-existant people would create or find other words to put people down, or there would by physical violence.
Douchebags will always find a way to be douchebags, you've gotta deal with it.
I hate when I go for a poo and water splashes on my arse.

Also, you're missing the point. Even if they're meant maliciously, if you don't care they're not offensive so I recommend you either stop caring or maneth upeth otherwise they're getting pretty much what they want by calling you that, a reaction.

Words are beautiful. Words are awful. Words offer intrinsic meaning, insite, and beauty. Any word, despite the meaning, is beautiful because it has come together and has populated people's minds. I will never call for any kind of eradication or percieved eradication of a word, despite its evil use, connotation, or any sort.

Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will break my spirit. We need to teach not the elimination, because nothing truly ever leaves, but incentive people not to overtly use said word. Because every word has its day.

"A toothache, or a violent passion, is not necessarily diminished by our knowledge of its causes, its character, its importance or insignificance".- T.S. Eliot

I agree with the OP to a degree. But I also agree with Roadless. Words are amazing things. Language is amazing. While it can be used to hurt others, I don't think it's those words in particular that are the cause of this. The cause of this, rather, is the tendency of humans to put one another down and degrade each other. The best way to go would be to reduce the usage of such degradations rather than eliminating certain words that lend their use to such phrases. If you eliminate them, other words can be used in the same manner.

For example, "did you hear X lost her V-card? what a slut!" It doesn't make it any less offensive if I use a more eloquent word in that situation. I could say, "Did you hear that X lost her V-card? What a cocotte!" Or "What a sporting lady!". Those are just as offensive but we can't just eliminate sporting and lady along with slut.

My point is it's not the words that should be under attack for making kids feel a certain way. It should be usage of language as a weapon that should be under attack. We should strive to minimize this rather than crudely eliminating words from a language.