Words can break bones. We know this even as children, when we go home crying because someone teased you for wearing glasses, or they didn't like your backpack. Then, as we get older, we're upset when someone calls us ugly, or asks us out as a cruel joke.
As we mature, so too do our sensitivities. All over the internet, people take up arms against body shaming, the dismissal of mental health issues, and ostracising others for things that make them them. But.
Most of us, myself included, tend not to think about the specific words that we use unless it is directly offensive (fag, nigger, dyke, chink...)
What we don't pay attention to, however, are those terms which are not ours to use. When we say that we're 'depressed' because our favourite character died, we're saying that depression is fleeting and superficial, that it can be cured by ice cream and Netflix.
When we say that we have 'such OCD' about something, we undermine the truth of the condition, its debilitating effects, they way it stops its victims from living their lives.
When we say that someone 'had a fit' over something, we don't stop to think about people with epilepsy and the limitations placed on them because of it. Imagine not being able to drive a car in case you have a seizure at the wheel. Or being asked out and freaking out your date when you fall to the floor, writhing.
These are just a few example of our carelessness with our language. I know that there are many people out there who would say that this is pretentious and petty, but it is not enough to rally against those who insult others, even if they don't mean to (Tumblr I'm looking at you). Before pointing a finger at other people, we should first take a look at ourselves, and check if we could better ourselves in the same way.
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