guided by words

Although advocates for politically correct language have become a center for ridicule, their ideology does have legitimate roots. Language and thought processes strongly affect each other in a process known as linguistic determinism. Or in simpler terms, that the language we speak affects the way we think.

Psychologists have long studied the effects of language on behavior and they have realized surprising results. Alongside culture, language indeed does have a significant impact on our thought processes. Some cultures, which don't have the word for specific colors, have a much harder time distinguishing those colors from others. Among people who live in the same culture, differing only by language, they still display differences in thought. Certain languages tend to produce happier people, while other languages may tend to produce more hardworking people. 

Now of course, it's near impossible and unethical to completely isolate all other factors in a scientific study except language so the exactness to which language impacts thinking cannot truly be determined. However, the studies conducted does give a hint on the impact of language. 

So perhaps with the advent of politically correct language, we are headed towards a right direction. We may be headed towards a society where our words display our acceptance of each other and the power of linguistic determinism also guides our inner beliefs towards those ideals. For those who claim that usage of politically correct language only masks our problems, hold steady, because with time, our beliefs will likely follow the words we speak. 

Certainly, the effects of small linguistic changes do not appear to be immediately noticeable. Changing "superman" to encompass all "superperson[s]" doesn't seem to be empowering any women, but the additive effects of all language have an impact that is undeniable. When my sister and I used to watch cartoons, I remember her complaining that the characters she identified with, women, were never the group leaders. The female characters were always sidekicks, friends or even in superhero movies, just a member of the group. So she became accustomed to seeing women guided by men, to see in textbooks all the Einstein's, William's, James's in search of a rare female who did something great and she told me one day while crying that "girls can't do anything as well as a boy". 

People are biologically wired to learn, whether through media, other people, or the words we use. Generally, we tend to live up the ideals our culture and society expresses. So with a search for language that is all encompassing and empowering to people of all kind, hopefully one day every young kid can see that he or she too can aspire to be great. 

beyond ourselves

At the end of our wants is nothing. Our desire to go faster means to blacken our skies with muck and smog. To get rich is to pollute our minds with greed for money. With the advent of technology and consumerism, we are driven to move faster and receive instantaneous gratification. Everything is just one click away, within a few minutes car ride, or lavished with extravagant packaging only meant eventually become waste. To beat our competition is to provide faster service or to sparkle our products with prettier looks.

As our minds become more habituated to faster and better services, we fail to regard the rest of the world. The world becomes our trash dump as we pour out or waste product for the sake of selfish satisfaction. Slowly, mother nature starts to bear the marks of our demeanor. Her face wrinkles as we tear down her forests and replace them with landfills. Her eyes are clotted with the plastics of our toys and the careless pollutants we endlessly pour out into the sea. Her tears become dried in water contamination and she carries a fever of global warming.

And everyday, we still deny it. We still cast away our trashes hoping that these problems will be taken care of by another. We shove away our responsibilities to indulge ourselves like gluttons. We always want to consume, faster and better. And as we become filthy rich, we toss away the filth to clutter the world. Slowly, we "endure death without thinking about it", killing nature by turning away from our problems. At the end of that day, we are still hungry, and our insatious appetite has only grown larger. Sitting in our luxurious, marble tiled homes that starkly contrast the landfills where death covers the grounds, we realize that we might've "gained the whole world, but [we lost our] souls" (Matthew 16:26).

Yes, despite what I proclaim, it's all rhetoric. Sure it is possible to scare each other into action by stating that global warming will make the earth uninhabitable for us. Or perhaps suggest that donating to charity by telling a story about some pitiful animals losing their homes. These things might work, but it will only be temporary because at its roots rhetoric is still selfish-it appeals to our own sense, and our own logic and our own selfish desires. We will care about the environment so long our one wellbeing is threatened, or endlessly donate in front of our peers to look good or to feel good about ourselves. Everything is still about ourselves, to consume, to fulfill our own desires, and to be convinced by logic that is sound to us.

No, to save our world, we inherently must be selfless. We must look outwards beyond our own desire to give ourselves up in service of the world. We cannot be convinced into saving the environment by things rhetoric, pity videos, or anything that isn't our own created will. By finding ourselves first, we can then give ourselves up. Only when we realize the conversation isn't about us, everything else that exists in the world becomes a lot more significant and we can make the choice to live selflessly. And maybe then the day will come when nature will recover her youth and the rivers and trees will rejoice in harmony of all that is living. 

making a mark

Everyone was staring at me. Marble tiles lined up the floors of the hallway and large window panes showcased the school's baseball field. I stood underneath the doorway to our homeroom and I looked up to see a wooden sign holding foreign characters. Inside the room, students wore white shirts and black pants as their school uniforms. The males all wore dark red ties that clung tightly to their neck collars. A perfectly evenly spread of uniformed students neatly added to the clean wood desks and blackboards. In my Abercrombie shirt and jeans, I was a smudge in the sea of perfectly dressed students. 

My exchange trip to Japan unveiled a contrasting set of beliefs. Each individual in Japan conforms to the values held by society, and generally follow a predetermined path towards a respectable job. In Japan, stability is valued, and a diversion from cultural values is uncommon. Clothing in Japan generally falls under the categories of traditional clothing, uniforms, or business attire. Even the uniforms are quite similar to the suits worn by businessmen. Japanese titles have no regard to marital status, but are added to show respect. Japan doesn't reveal much in its appearances. 

The term for I in Japanese can be either watashi or boku. Boku is only used for males while watashi refers to a male or a female. Contrary to English, the language in japan reveals more about males than females. In fact, it is customary for women to remain courteous and modest in both appearance and language. 

Perhaps to be marked an unmarked is all a matter of relativity. In specific cultures, women may be more marked while the opposite is true in others. Japan is a culture of homogeneity where secrecy and conformity are valued, while America believes strongly in diversity and the constant challenging of societal standards. Extending further beyond humans, genders are marked differently from one species of animals to another. Male peacock feather bold colorful tails in order to impress females, and male lions also carry manes for the same purpose. On the other hand, female black widows strike up bold red patterns while males are less colorful and much smaller.

Even in terms of the Japanese student, who to each other are completely unmarked,  are marked to the eyes of a foreigner. Markings are merely a matter of relativity, to distinguish an individual from another. Where women are marked in one culture, they remain unmarked in other. The "freedom to be unmarked"(Tannen) comes with the changing of culture. To be marked is to step out of the norm and reveal some quality about the individual; anyone who is not in the norm, becomes marked. Yet the norm is a ground of constant change and motion. When I went to Japan, everyone recognized me as a transfer student in my strange and messy clothing. Those same students in that classroom came to be exchange students a few months later. This time, I was no longer the one who was marked.