Choosing The Right Words

Words can shed light or generate heat.

This week, in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, there’s been a lot of talk about talk and the nature of our civil discourse.

Along with many others, Teaching Tolerance expressed concerns about vitriolic language. Along with many pundits and commentators, we were accused of making a direct causal link between the increasingly nasty rhetoric of our national politics and the shooting.

In fact, we were—and are—worried about the communications environment we all live in. Teaching Tolerance has been advocating on behalf of a healthy discourse, with people listening to and understanding each other, for a long time.

Traumatic events, whether in our personal lives or for the nation, often lead to introspection and self-reflection. The fact that so many people immediately began thinking about the nature of our tone and rhetoric tells us that it’s a topic worth talking about. 

Paraphrasing Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, the problem with our civil discourse isn’t that it led to the shootings in Arizona; the problem is that it doesn’t help us engage very effectively in democracy.

President Obama said as much in his speech at the Arizona memorial service last night, far more effectively than we can. We urge teachers to share the speech with students, in print and on video. Talk with them about the crucial role that free and reasoned speech plays in self-government, and in helping us to bridge the barriers between us.  

Here’s one idea about how to proceed. Take this excerpt from the speech:

"But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized—at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do—it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds."

Words can heal or wound, Obama said. We began this essay by suggesting that they can shed light or generate heat. We can think of other comparisons—do we speak to convince others or to understand them? Do we want speeches that inspire hope or fear?

Ask your students to work together to come up with different pairs of contrasting outcomes. They can use any of these prompts.  

Words can … or …

We speak to others to … or …

We can hear … or …

In what other ways do you plan to use this speech with your students? And how do you plan to encourage a conversation about civil discourse? Tell us by leaving a comment. 

Costello is director of Teaching Tolerance.