Who comes up with these euphemisms?
Posted: 6/7/2010 by Genevieve Frederick
I am told that the words “poor, starving, and homeless” are inappropriate and offensive. The correct terms are “economically challenged, food insecurity, without shelter”.
Who comes up with these euphemisms? Straightforward and honest language is my preferred form of speaking and writing and I refuse to use the less offensive phrases and compromise. Admittedly, I use the word “unfortunate” to soften “poverty and poor”, I think that comes from personal early experiences.
People will say that using “poor” to a person’s given situation will damage that person’s dignity. Let me say if you are “poor” no other words are going to make you feel dignified.
It’s hard to look homelessness in the eye, hard to think about or see hungry people and their pets with no place to go. But this is a reality of our times and we can help by making a difference in the life of just one person and one pet.
FUZE
Mary Mariano
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/56332/alyce_rocco.html
I lived on the streets; I had no home to go home to at night or anytime at all. I was homeless. I had shelter if I could tolerate conditions at my town's very overcrowded Winter Shelter or sent by bus to a year-round shelter that striped me of dignity due to being treated as if I was a criminal.I found street shelter to stay out of rain and cold. Not ideal places to sleep, but better than nothing.I have been poor my entire adult life in terms of finding work that bought a roof over my head with something left over for a few luxuries such as food and clothing. Okay, I am overstating, but close to the truth.To call me "economically challenged" feels like a terrible insult as if I do not know how to budget or lacked ability to obtain and hold jobs which was far from the truth of my life. The term makes me angry. Food insecurity? No one needs to go hungry in my town; many "soup kitchens", government sponsored food banks and Food Finders which obtains food from restaurants, bakeries and anyone else with food earmarked for the trash but edible.That term makes little sense, hungry is much better. I am with you on straight forward, honest communication. People get sillier all the time with renaming things that were correctly named.