Racially Based Negative Connotations: What's In A Word

Racially Based Negative Connotations: Whats in a Word details author John H. Mannings lifelong struggle to reduce or eliminate the use of racially based negative connotations. Once Manning became aware of these harmful associations he found them everywhere. He heard them in schools churches and at social events. They came out of the mouths of teachers ministers news media police officers politicians co-workers neighbors children and even members of Mannings own family. These racial slurs are embedded so deeply in our vocabulary that they have become a part of our daily language. Although these words and phrases are degrading racial slurs directed mostly toward African Americans blacks use them just as often as do Caucasians. Favorable words such as pure innocent friendly and good are often used in association with the white race while unfavorable words such as evil guilty wicked and bad are used in relation to the black race. Once these negative undertones are learned they are carried from one generation to another. Racially Based Negative Connotations explores the origin of these expressions and seeks to bring understanding to long-held concepts of our everyday language.