b872dbe384
* This commit adds the excerpt front matter element, to show an abbreviated version of the definition in social previews. This also includes the documentation updates to support this change. * This commit adds @olvb's suggestion to use 'set' to define the alert & preview combo, to avoid repetitive code * This commit updates the preview text to only include the flag if it's "avoid" – if the flag is "warning" or there is no flag, it will not appear at the beginning of the preview text. Co-authored-by: Kathryn Grayson Nanz <kathryn@Kathryns-MacBook-Air.local> Co-authored-by: Oscar <ovlb@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Kathryn <>
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| title | slug | flag | defined | excerpt | speech | reading | alt_words | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbaric | barbaric |
|
true | something which is obscenely cruel; primitive; unsophisticated. | adjective |
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something which is obscenely cruel; primitive; unsophisticated
Issues
Barbarian originates from the Greek word bárbaros meaning "babbler", to denote the "unintelligible sounds" ("bar bar bar") made by foreign speakers. Similar words exist in many other languages, for the identical purpose labeling a "strange"/"foreign" person/culture.
In modern day usage, you can notice this rhetoric being employed almost always for the purpose of demonizing "foreign" (more often than not from the global south) cultures - cultures that need to be civilized; cultures that need to be colonized to rescue them from themselves. A perfect lingual weapon for warmongers and racists alike. Equally repulsive sibling of "savage".
Impact
When you use words, that are in vogue primarily inside circles of bigots, with racist etymologies, it's a wilful act of violence, ignorance and an indication to the vilified and minoritised communities that their history of wounds and abuses are inconsequential to our words.
Usage Tip
Avoid words that have obscene etymologies. There is almost always a better alternative: an inclusive and a less hurtful one.