In 2010, sports commentator Don Cherry uttered the colourful words “left-wing Pinkos” at Toronto City Hall.  In 2017,  then MP Gerry Ritz referred to the Environment Minister as “a climate Barbie”.  Just recently, MP Maxime Bernier labelled 16-year old Greta Thunberg, “mentally unstable”.

The words in bold italics are insulting.

And yet, the words which caused insult are not “foul” in the traditional sense.

What I am suggesting is that although the language referred to in the initial paragraph is toxic, abusive and shameful, it’s not “bad language” in the historical sense.

It seems to me that the words which cause insult today in Canada are not the typical four-letter swear words (or the derivatives thereof) that my mother’s generation would never dare to utter – at least not in public.

Nowadays, it seems that four-letter obscenities roll off the tongue of virtually every teenager and every millennial.  In fact, four-letter swear words combined with religious slurs are quite trendy. If they are not used in casual conversation, then there must be a parent within earshot or perhaps the teen is unaware that sprinkling four-letter expletives into everyday conversation is socially accepted.

I’ve noticed that the “old” bad words are not a cause of surprise or worry in our society.

We barely bat an eyelash when they’re spoken.

The “new” type of bad words, on the other hand, can turn heads.

So, what are some of these new bad words?   And, how can we avoid them?

I cannot claim to have encyclopedic knowledge on this topic, but it seems to me that the new category of unacceptable language has subtle racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory undertones.

I have heard three particularly hurtful expressions recently, so I’d like to bring them to your attention:

(1) “Look Like A Mom”, “Mom hair”, “Mom Jeans”, “Mom Face”,  “Yo Momma Jokes”: These words may look innocent enough, but they carry stereotypical and unflattering undercurrents. Using the word  “mom” in this way has come to mean a thirtysomething, outdated, tired, frumpy woman who wears sweatpants (or unfashionable jeans) and rarely wears makeup or combs her hair.  Why are we using the word “mom” in such a derogatory way?

(2) “Crazy nut case” or “It’s so crazy” “The crazy ex-” “That’s insane!”:  The words associated with “crazy” are trendy, and they may seem harmless because the words have taken on so many shades of meaning.  But words in this category are disrespectful to those who struggle with serious mental health issues in our society.  Try to use other adjectives to say what you really mean. You can use “ignorant” or “ridiculous” or “amazing” or some other adjective to accurately describe the circumstance.

(3) “Indian Summer”:   I’ve heard many people use this phrase recently to describe what is typically a beautiful time of the year in provinces like Ontario and Quebec (mid-September to mid-October). The inference, however, is that all indigenous people are late and that an “Indian summer” is a summer that is delayed or unpunctual.  As an alternative, we can use “late summer” or “second summer”.

Thank you for reading this entry.

I really enjoy sharing my thoughts about the English language with you.

If you hear any other words that you think may be hurtful or harmful, please feel free to contact me.

Let’s focus on words that dignify, not disparage.