Banning bitch and ho: If words are outlawed, only outlaws will have words

[Wilson Gray]

Given that these words have been banned in the past, it's possible
that they may be banned in the future. But I hope not. Surely, dozens
of protestestors aren't enough. Unfortunately, one never knows, do
one?

-Wilson

On 8/8/07, Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at umr.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at UMR.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Banning bitch and ho: If words are outlawed, only outlaws
>               will have words
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Of course there's no way to ban words in everyday speech, but there *is* =
> a way to get them off recordings of the media giants.  Frankly, I think =
> the Civil Rights organizations have more important fish to fry, but if =
> they wish to make this a priority issue, I wouldn't rule out their =
> chance of having at least some success.
> =20
> Gerald Cohen
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Dennis Baron
> Sent: Wed 8/8/2007 1:50 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Banning bitch and ho: If words are outlawed, only outlaws will =
> have words
>
>
>
> There's a new post on the
>
> Web of Language:
>
> Banning bitch and ho: If words are outlawed, only outlaws will have=20
> words
>
> Eighteen members of New York's City Council have sponsored a=20
> resolution to ban the use of bitch and ho as "hateful language [that]=20
> creates for all women a paradigm of shame and indignity.".... It=20
> joins an earlier resolution for a moratorium "on the use of the 'N'=20
> word in New York City."...
>
> There's a growing national movement to ban these three words.  On=20
> August 7, the Rev. Al Sharpton staged "day of outrage" demonstrations=20
> in 20 U.S. cities, drawing "dozens of protestors" according to Black=20
> PR Wire.  As part of his "Decency Initiative," Sharpton, who wants to=20
> rid the music industry of bitch, ho, and the n-word, has also been=20
> championing a bill that would withdraw New York State's employee=20
> pension funds - as much as $3 billion - from media giants like=20
> Viacom, Vivendi and Time Warner whose music perpetuates the banned=20
> words...
>
> to find out why banning words isn't likely to succeed, go to
>
> the Web of Language
>
> www.uiuc.edu/goto/weboflanguage
>
>
> Dennis Baron
> Professor of English and Linguistics
> Department of English
> University of Illinois
> 608 S. Wright St.
> Urbana, IL 61801
>
> office: 217-244-0568
> fax: 217-333-4321
>
> www.uiuc.edu/goto/debaron
>
> read the Web of Language:
> www.uiuc.edu/goto/weboflanguage
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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