A pejorative is a word expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something; it expresses criticism, hostility, or disregard. We've all probably used them at one point or another, either intentionally or inadvertently. This post is not to cast judgement, since we're all guilty, but simply to point out some things I've noticed with the use of this grammatical form.
A few notes to begin with. The literary process of "semantic drift" known as pejoration occurs when a historically inoffensive or benign word becomes a pejorative. Think "gay" in the early twentieth century (happy, care-free) to how it may have been used in the late twentieth century ("That's so gay").
On the flip-side, when a term begins as pejorative and eventually is adopted in a non-pejorative sense, this is called melioration or amelioration. I suppose "queer" may be an example of both pejoration and a kind of reclamation. "Blue-collar" may be another example, perhaps.
Some terms seem to hop the fence between the two. In a socio-political context, a conservative might use the term "liberal" as a pejorative in the vacuum left by classical liberalism being overshadowed and largely superseded by the term "Leftist." Whereas classical liberalism (left leaning political persuasions, but open to and respectful of other viewpoints) may have been a categorical term (rather than a pejorative) at one point but has now been replaced by "Leftism" which is not so much used as pejorative but as an attempt to categorize left-learning individuals militantly intolerant of other viewpoints. When conservatives call someone a leftist, it's usually for purposes of political classification; if a conservative refers to someone as a "liberal," it's typically pejorative (wishy-washy, soft, etc), since they do not mean it in the classical sense.
The entomology of the word pejorative is interesting. It is derived from a Late Latin past participle stem of peiorare, meaning "to make worse", (from peior "worse").
I read a lot in the on-line Catholic publishing and media world, and I notice it more often than not. How often have you come across these terms, for instance, or maybe used them yourself?:
"Woke"
"Jabbed"
"Normie"
"Rad-Trad"
"Prude"
"Nazi"
"Karen"
"Globalist"
"White Nationalist"
"Terrorist"
"Papist"
I'm not innocent here either. And they can be used on both sides of the political or ideological divide. Granted, some of these terms can be used categorically, but more often then not they are intentionally chosen in language to convey a point.
What is that point? (and, you may be asking, what is your point in writing about all this?)
Well, for one, pejoratives are an attempt at control--you are intentionally trying to "make worse" (to draw from the past participle) those to whom the term is directed. If an environmentalist calls a woman with nine children a "breeder," the intention is to "make (the woman feel) worse" about the outcome of perceived "over-population." It's raising oneself up by way of putting someone else down.
Or, to borrow the words of Saul Alinksy, the godfather of leftist social mobilizing, in his manifesto Rules for Radicals (1971), "He who controls the language, controls the masses."
Leftists control the media, the universities, the corporations, the arts. With a few exceptions, there seem to be very few funny conservative comedians. Perhaps there is a second point here, which is that our use of pejoratives stem from a deeper insecurity. We are not on the "wrong side of history" but we feel like we are losing the war.
You can see this, on one hand, when rational debates on issues like abortion often degenerate into ad hominem attacks (from the pro-abortion side) when conservative figures clearly have the upper hand with science, reason, and theology and those on the other side of the debate have...their emotions.
But in other spheres, we've felt compelled to adopt the tactics of the left (they are winning, after all), and that includes weaponizing language for our own purposes. But beneath that is, I think, the insecurity of knowing that they can't be beat at their own game. And yet we fail to rise above the confines of the rulebook they have written for everyone.
So, those who use pejorative language may be grasping for an elusive control, and have an innate insecurity about their ability to exercise that control to exact outcomes. This leads to the third point, which is a breeding ground for tribalism. Even though pejoratives in discourse "make worse" situations as a, collective, they often make one feel better because this use of language instills a sense of belonging. If he's a Chad, I'm in contrast a sensitive, enlightened cosmopolitan. If she's "woke," I'm a red-pilled, God-fearing Patriot. It's human nature to find refuge among "our people," but as the on-line world has taken up more and more of our mental and physical space, we delineate and retreat into categories that make us feel secure, insulated, and sure about.
On the one hand this is something that has always taken place throughout history. But it also puts us in a situation in which we become like Jews amidst Samaritans--something our Lord tried to rectify by his example in passing straight through the territory of "the other" (Jn 4:4). He does this because he was always in complete control (jn 19:11), was absolutely secure in who he was and where he came from (Jn 14:4), and had no place to lay his head on this earth (Mt 8:20). And this is the Lord we seek to imitate, who told us not to be conformed to this world (Rom 12:2).
This is where I think it's good to read the writings of the saints, because you rarely hear the saints using pejoratives to denigrate their "enemies." This is because they
a) have supreme confidence in God, and that the war is already won;
b) are acutely aware of their own low standing;
c) are secure in their sense of self and their eternal standing; and
d) have committed to put charity above all things.
They always took the 'lower place' of contempt, not in cheap wins of debate, but in having the last word which speaks through charity. "But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, `Friend, move up to a better place. ' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk 14:10).
The saints found a "third way" of spiritual discourse--from Augustine to Aquinas to Mother Teresa, their use of language was for the purpose of conveying eternal Truth to a world blind to it, of "raising up" humanity beyond race and creed, of not losing sight that the war is not between each other but against powers and principalities. They took seriously the words of our Lord in scripture: "Anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell" (Mt 5:22).
The next time you (or I) catch yourself tempted to use pejorative terms as a weapon against our perceived enemies, ask yourself if your Raca will escape the judgement, and if those you wish to denigrate with your choice of words are indeed your brother, or not.
There is a way to use language to win a debate or make a point without using pejoratives, but it entails a deep sense of security, of being able to stand outside the circle, and in many ways giving up some control. That's not always easy, so it's no wonder why we often resort to cheaper, second-rate goods.
No comments:
Post a Comment