Really? Insults, teasing, gossip, and verbal abuse
can inflict deeper and more enduring pain than guns and knives.
Ask anyone who as a kid was fat, skinny, short,
tall, flat-chested, big-busted, acne-faced, uncoordinated, slow-witted, or
exceptionally smart. In schoolrooms and playgrounds across the country, weight,
height, looks, and intelligence are the subject of more taunting and ridicule
than race or religion.
And it doesn’t get better. Unkind words, tasteless
jokes, criticism, and ridicule don’t lose their sting when we become adults.
There’s nothing new about this. But if we trivialize
how damaging words can be, especially to youngsters, the ethical significance
of verbal assaults can be lost. When we say words can’t hurt anyone, we negate
the feelings of those who are genuinely hurt.
Instead of minimizing the importance of words, we
should encourage parents and teachers to demand a higher level of respect and
greater sensitivity precisely because words can be so powerful.
Yes, we should try to fortify our children’s sense
of self-worth so they can bear insults and sarcasm better. And we should urge
them not to take what others say too seriously. But it’s just as important to
teach them that words have the power of grenades and must be used carefully.
About the author: Michael Josephson is one of the
nation’s most sought-after and quoted ethicists. Founder and president of
Josephson Institute and its CHARACTER COUNTS! project, he has conducted
programs for more than 100,000 leaders in government, business, education,
sports, law enforcement, journalism, law, and the military. Mr. Josephson is
also an award-winning radio commentator.
This article was published by the Josephson
Institute.
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