A Powerful Drug

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." - Rudyard Kipling

Let's talk about words--want to?

Doing what I do, words are important to me and always have been. I used to love that I could spell well because it made writing easier and got me at least one easy A in school. Along with the rest of my memory, remembering how to spell has kind of gone to the wayside, but I can often spot errors other people make.

I can't edit my own work, but I can sooo easily pick out what editors have missed in manuscripts. I made every mistake known to womanhood as a mother, but right away spot what another parent should be doing with a recalcitrant child. I have made judgment mistakes in driving, but am generally unwilling to forgive the ones others make.

I think that might be a personality flaw. Or maybe a character one.

However, I started this to talk about words, because, while I love words, there are ones I dislike and wish the wrath of God to swoosh down and take them from our ... well, no, not our vocabulary, because it's sometimes groups of words that cause the trouble.

Here's a partial list of onces I don't like. I hope you'll share yours, too.

• "Do you know who I am?" said with great pompousity and a heated glare. (Correct answer: "Do I care?")

• She's only a bartender. He's only an average student. It's only trade school. It's only from Walmart, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, etc.

• All of any demographic are violent, stupid, unskilled, dirty, narrowminded, entitled, hateful, mean, so let's just hate every one of them.

• I'm not a racist, but ...; I'm not sexist, but ...; I'm not asking for special favors, but ...; I don't mind helping those who deserve it, but ...; She has such a pretty face, but ...

• "I know how you feel."(It must be admitted that I say this a lot, when what I mean is, I think I know how you feel, but I'm not you.)

  
  

In the interest of fair play, here are a few of my favorite word uses or combinations. Tell me yours, too. Mine have all been stolen ... er ... borrowed from other people, for which I thank them.

• good trouble

• she persisted

• "the surly bonds of earth..."

• hot damn

• you made my day

• no worries

• "I never saw a Purple Cow,

  I never hope to see one,

  But I can tell you, anyhow,

  I’d rather see than be one!" - Gelett Burgess

Making those partial lists wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, because there are too many glitches in how I feel about words. Snowflake, fairy, and some others are good words when they are used as intended, but when they're used for the purpose of hurting or denigrating others, the original meanings are lost.

Words are so very valuable. The reason we urge toddlers to "use your words," is that they are the bedrock of how we communicate. We need to teach them the right words and the right way of using them.

We need to stop hurting each other with this most powerful of drugs, don't we?

Have a good week. Use your words. Be nice to somebody.

P.S. In case you haven't seen it yet, PATCHES OF RED is available for preorder. It's Book 2 in the Harper Loch Series.