Part of the social movements is concerned with the oppressive sense of words and seeking solutions to the problem. Examples: replace the term “seminar” with “ovulary”, and “clarification” with “darkening”. The objective is to show how society oppresses women and blacks by valuing masculine and white characteristics in the lexicon of the Portuguese language.
But “seminary” comes from the Latin “seminarium” (“nursery of plants”), which in turn comes from “semen” (seed). Therefore, the meaning is of meeting to disseminate and debate ideas (analogy with germinating knowledge). In the same way, “clarifying” is not about race but about luminosity: making it clear in order to see better.
Even if the sexist and racist etymology were correct, the current use of these words does not have a prejudiced meaning. Furthermore, requiring people to always reflect on the origin of words before using them is nonsense. This would require mental exhaustion and cause a waste of time that would make communication and actions in the social world impossible.
The current political obsession with the lexicon is based on the notion that words have power and that it is possible to change the world with words. Words can, in fact, inform, debate, criticize and, something fundamental in the political world, conquer audiences, establish partnerships that expand the scope of ideas and make demands viable.
Is inventing words for no reason and producing strangeness in the interlocutor a good political strategy? Is not. It is elitist academicism disconnected from the social and linguistic reality of the majority of the population. It generates ridicule on the part of opponents and makes understanding difficult. The struggle of any social movement needs to make sense beyond the movement itself. Less paranoia with words and more seminars, more clarification on the problems that actually affect minorities is perhaps a less narcissistic and more efficient discursive strategy.
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