Erasing archaic words from generations-old laws will not erase America’s past. Nevertheless Obama’s tried.
So Obama made the word “Negro” prohibited speech, at least at the government level.
On May 21 of last year, Breitbart reported that President Obama signed legislation blocking the use of the words “negro,” “oriental,” and several others in federal laws. The law was an amendment to a 1976 act “to modernize terms relating to minorities.”
Protecting the World from Being Offended
ADN reported that HR 4238 bans several words now considered offensive, from the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976.
According to The Atlantic,
“[T]wo anti-discrimination subsections of the U.S. Code used outdated language to describe racial groups. … Negro, Puerto Rican, American Indian, Eskimo, Oriental, or Aleut or is a Spanish speaking individual of Spanish descent” will be replaced with “Asian American, Native Hawaiian, a Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Native American, or an Alaska Native.”
Likewise, “Negroes, Spanish-speaking, Orientals, Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts” will be replaced with “Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, African American, Hispanic, Native American, or Alaska Natives.“
And what’s wrong with just being “American?”
Here’s the breakdown of language changes, according to Breitbart:
- Negros are now African-Americans
- American Indians are now Native Americans
- Orientals are now Asian-Americans
- Spanish-speaking individuals from Spain are now Hispanic
One can hardly wait for the NEXT “progressive” list that limits free speech and tells us all what’s appropriate. At least we don’t have to think for ourselves.
Then there is that term “illegal alien.”
As Breitbart noted, the Library of Congress revised its use of “illegal alien” and “alien” after college activists and the American Library Association protested. Now you have to say “noncitizens” and “unauthorized immigration.” No, really!
“Our country is a rich tapestry of cultural backgrounds, and Americans of all backgrounds deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), a cosponsor of the bill.
Reality behind the Subterfuge
In President Obama’s world, being offensive as deemed by progressives is now against linguistic law. But you can bet these subtle language bans aren’t just about not offending minorities.
Once we allow liberals to start categorizing individual language choices as impermissible, legality regarding free speech becomes a slippery slope. Legally protected speech today, may become illegal to even debate tomorrow.
What’s next? Banning books like Huckleberry Finn for using the N-word? Some American schools already did that, according to CBS News.
If America continues to focus on offensive words rather than substantive debate, our country will be fundamentally transformed. That was Obama’s goal, after all. But this transformation is already turning many of our young people into whiny brats who take offense at everything. And these laws don’t prepare them for the real world, but handicap them.
America’s enemies don’t care what offends. Further, changing America’s vernacular will not make minorities feel safer here, especially if they’re illegal aliens. It’s not always possible to prevent people from being offended.
However, Obama always got points for “trying.”
