Language Snobbery/ Swearing.

I was always raised to look on those who swore with disgust and judgement. I'm not kidding. Your mom may have been that way with smokers or drunks but for me it was always those who used "bad" language. I obeyed because I was a child and even when I grew older and lost my forced- upon- me distaste for cursing, I still felt obliged to agree with my my mom's rants. However, recently, I have come to realise that judging and disliking people because they swear is absolutely ridiculous.

You see the thing about swearing is that you are just using different words to communicate a message to another human being and yet someone decided that certain words were "bad" words and they became forbidden, or moreover, kept for "lower class" and less dignified individuals. Why?  The issues I personally would have with cursing is the emotion and tone of voice that fuels it. I agree that it is certainly not pleasant to hear people utter "Fuck" when they are angry, directed at you or others but don't you think that its the way they're saying it, their facial expression and body language is what affects you and not the words they used? 

People say swearing gives off a certain "impression". They rarely elaborate because they probably realise how stupid that is. Being told you're giving off an "impression" is basically you being blamed for other people judging you. You shouldn't be worried about giving off the right impression to people when they first meet you, you should be yourself, say what you feel is right in your own natural way and if they don't like that then what are you supposed to do? Not be yourself? Say something you don't want to say? Fuck that!

You see, language is a state of mind. Your mind has adapted to these things called words which are essentially organised noises that you've been trained to comprehend so you can convey your feelings. Do you see how futile the "bad word" debate is now? There are a lot more important things to worry about then what words people use, the meaning behind them being one of them as well as the fact that so many people are afraid to speak any words when the truth needs to be heard.

However, I would like to make clear that I don't think its right to swear just to appear cool or tough. Like I've said before, it is not the choice of words you use that show people who you are, its the feeling and meaning behind those words. Use whatever "noises" you want to convey best what's inside you to the outside world. 

Aside from swearing, I also feel this way when it comes to general language usage. I believe there is a huge language snobbery existing in the world. In English class you're always told to pick the longest and poshest words when you write but I've always thought that once again its the content of what you write that matters, it should be about the story. Some people use the flounciest and most complicated vocabulary in novels but what they don't realise is that many readers cannot understand their message then. So while I do understand many's appreciation for words and how some words are more effective at portraying a thought better than others, I still feel we need to bring it back to the basics and realise that maybe you should spend a little more time thinking about what you want to convey to the world, in the most genuine way possible, instead of looking up a thesaurus for the most intelligent, praise attracting words.

Love,

Rachel! =)

Makeup VS Intelligence?

I'm telling you, there's brain power required in putting on mascara...

It has come to my attention recently that a debate took place where the motion lay that "Women who wear makeup are less intelligent than women who don't". It struck me as a very interesting argument and so I thought I'd share my opinion. Male readers, don't fret if you feel like this post does not apply to you. You're opinion on this is equally valuable!

Firstly I would like to re define the sentence.

1. I don't think it should be limited to just women's intelligence. It is becoming much more popular for guys to wear makeup too.

2. I'm going to investigate what they mean by intelligence. I mean, it such a broad word, isn't it?

3. I'm also going to look at the fact that the declaration does not go into why a person might be wearing the makeup.

So, lets begin!

The main issue I have with the accusation is that you don't know why the person is wearing makeup. We don't all wear it for the same reason, to impress people. Some of us like to wear it because its a collection obsession, just like match cards and stamps, there is so much makeup that it genuinely becomes a hobby to collect it. As well as this, I know that I'm obsessed with colours, and makeup is all about that. There are thousands of different lipstick, blush and eye shadow shades to have fun with. And that's just it, Makeup is an art. Its  a method of expression and creativity only on our faces instead of a paper canvas.However I am well aware that people have taken to wearing makeup for insecurity reasons. Many don't feel pretty without it on and may not even leave the house barefaced! This is where the claim can be justified.

What is intelligence? I think most people agree that there is not only one type. Yes, if you're a student you're encircled by the thought that "book smart" intelligence is the only one and I think in this world we live in, Knowledge as an intelligence is ranked far too highly. Its a type of intelligence to know loads of stuff whether it be the names of presidents, the location of different countries or tonnes of historical facts, however it is not the be all and end all. There are many other types. Sensitivity is a type of intelligence, I count that as being able to feel the emotions of other individuals easily. There's an intelligence in being able to come up with ideas and engage in deep thoughts and think philosophically. Common sense is intelligence (one which I possess little of, I was packing ingredients for a dish to be made in school once, the recipe required salt so I brought in the whole bottle. I mean it didn't give me a measurement...?)

And there are various others which I have not mentioned. Intelligence is a very complex matter which is simplified much too often to the point where it has lost its detail. There is one type of intelligence, however, that I have not mentioned. I believe it is an intelligence to look past the images you see in magazines and on billboards of super glamorous models, and see instead a fake idealism, photo shop and a corrupt business.

To be able to hold your own and stand your ground. To be so connected with yourself that you can't be fooled,even slightly by the media, into changing yourself. That is an intelligence. And so going back to what I said earlier about many wearing make up to cover insecurities, I think this is the only justification that people who wear makeup are less intelligent. They have become sucked into the media and have lost the art of questioning it. That is an intelligence lost. But it is one type, and one type alone.

Overall, I completely disagree with the statement. To me, even the idea that wearing make up affected other types of intelligence is ridiculous. The action of putting lipstick on will not cause you to forget your history dates or drop 10 IQ points. I feel that where most people debating this are coming from is from a very stereotypical place. However stereotypes do not belong in the world of truth so saying that every one who wears make up is a barbie doll is false. I love make up because its so fun to mess around with and everyone has their different reasons for wearing it. Don't judge a book by its cover!

What do you think? Do you think people who wear makeup are less intelligent than those who don't?

Love,

Rachel!=)