Language fuels and shapes our everyday lives. The reason behind this is because it helps us express thoughts and emotions. However there are certain words that seem to have no purpose other than to be offensive. The "insert letter here" words. We all know the ones, the f-word, n-word, etc.

I can’t help but wonder what the big deal is with these words anyway? If they’re so bad why do we let them exist in the first place? Now, I understand that as citizens of the United States we have the right to freedom of speech, meaning we can’t exactly prohibit people using these words, but there are ways to make them go away without banning them.

New slang terms are made up on a daily basis. Even here at Danville High School, it’s hard to go a day without hearing the word "yeet" or "rudy" in a hallway. Those words aren’t offensive to anyone. Well, possibly someone named Rudy might not like having his name called so many times, but for the most part they aren’t. What makes these words so popular, like many other words, are the reactions they get out of people. If we quit letting the words have power over us they would no longer be controversial or offensive.

The "N-Word" is probably the most publicized and common controversial word of them all. There are several arguments about whether it is in fact acceptable to say or not. Some are on the basis of the word’s ending, the context that they are used in, and, most importantly, who it is that says it. Recently, in Advanced Placement English Language and Composition class, we discussed the controversy at length.

"Why is it such a big deal?" seemed to be the question that kept reoccurring in the discussion. The word is attached to such a dark section of the United State’s history: slavery. Slavery is in no way justifiable by any means, I won’t argue with that, but none of us are slaves or ever have been, so why every time the word is even questioned does someone take offense to it?

Some people use the argument that their ancestors were slaves and that’s why it is such a big deal when the word is used. My great great grandfather died on his way to the US because his appendix burst, but I don’t get offended anytime someone mentions appendices and I don’t have a passionate hatred of them because of what my great great grandfather’s appendix did to him. How could I possibly justify blaming an entire group of appendices based on one individual or percentage of them that burst over 100 years ago? Would it be fair of me to hold that against all appendices forever? Of course it wouldn’t, that’s absolutely absurd!

I know that appendices and races of people are completely different things but the idea is still the same. If we just stop making a big deal out of things, conversations would be a lot easier to have and the words that are tagged as "bad" will fade away entirely because their point of existence will be diminished.