AriLevin

Period:5
Date:10/28/15
IstheWordFeminismLoaded?
Intheenglishlanguagetherearemanywordsthatareloadedwhichmeanstheyhavea
strongpositiveornegativeconnotations.Thewordfeminismisveryuniquebecauseitisloaded
intwoways,meaningthatitisoneofthefewwordsthatcancarrybothapositiveandnegative
connotations.Oneofthewaysithasapositiveconnotationisthatfeministsaresometimes
thoughttobepeoplethatareveryprogressiveandforwardthemovementofsociety.Astrong
negativeconnotationithasisthatfeministsareallmenhaters.Theseconnotationsareveryfar
apartandwhatmakesthiswordsodistinctfrommostwordsintheEnglishdictionarywhose
connotationsleantowardeitherpositiveornegative.
Intheessay
WordswithBuiltinJudgments,
Hayakawasays,Themeaningsofwordsalso
changesfromspeakertospeaker,fromhearertohearer,andfromdecadetotodecade(230).I
thoughtthatthewordfeminismisaperfectexampleforHayakawaspoint.Insomeplaces
aroundtheworldandeventheUnitedStatesfeminismisdespised.Amaninfloridacouldspeak
thewordandhearthewordwithalotdifferentmeaningthansayawomaninSanFrancisco
whichhasmanyfeministactivists.Thisisbecausethebackgroundsofplacesreflectonthe
meaningsoftheword.
Alsothewordhasachangedalotsinceadecadeago.Tenyearsagotheword
feminism/feministwasrarelyspokenandwasmostlylookeddownuponwhenitwasused.
Whilestillmanypeoplelookdownonit,thereisahugefeministmovementtodayandmore

widelyaccepted.Inthepasttherehavebeenmajorfeministwaves.Onefrom1835to1920.Back
thenfeministactivistswerefightingforrightslikebeingabletovote.Thatismuchdifferentthan
whatfeministsfightfortoday.Todaythefeministmovementfightsforthingslikeequalityinthe
workplaceandequalityinpolitics.ThisrelatestowhatHayakawasaysaboutthewordnegro.
Thewordnegroatthattimewasusedwithdignityandpride.Justasthemeaningoftheword
feminismhaschanged,thewordnegrohaschangedaswell.Butunlikethewordfeminism,negro
isnotreallyusedanymore.
SIHayakawaalsodisplayshisviewsofloadedwords.HayakawastatesthatSuchwords
maybecalledloadedthatis,theiraffectiveconnotationsmaystronglyshapepeople'sthoughts.
WhatHayakawaissayinghereisthatloadedwordshaveahugeimpactonwhatwethink.Just
likethewordfeminismwheresomepeoplemaygaspafterhearingitandsomepeoplewont
thinkanythingofit.
ThroughmylifeIhavefiguredoutthatsomepeopleareverysensitiveabouthowthe
wordfeminismorfeministareused.IencounteredthisfirsthandwhenItweetedApparently
therearemalefeminists.Howwhippeddoyouhavetobe?Whippedinthiscasemeaningbeing
completelycontrolledbyyourgirlfriendorboyfriend.Itweetedthiscompletelyasajokebut
manygirlsdidnottakeitasajoke.IreceivedalotofhateveryquicklyandIrealizedhow
serioussomepeopleareaboutusingthisword.Ithendeletedthetweetsoonafter.Ilearnedthat
youhavetobeverycarefulwhentalkingaboutaboutfeminismbecauseyoucanveryeasily
offendsomebodyevenifyouarejustjoking.JustlikeHayakawasays,thisloadedwords
affectiveconnotationhasstronglyshapedthesepeoplesthoughts.

Thewordfeminismissodifferentandspecialthatitcausesandwillacausearuckusin
society.Peoplesopinionsonitwillalwaysbechanging.Asofnowthewordhasapositiveand
negativeconnotation.Butinthefuturecoulditjusthaveone?