My titled question has become a pressing issue
even in word games. For example, the
New York Times
features a daily puzzle called Spelling Bee and one day in
September2022 it featured this puzzle format:
Spelling Bee Answers
In this puzzle you have to thinks of words of four letters
or more that contain the center letter which in this case
was N. The problematic issue occurred because the word ‘chink’
(that has meant a fissure or rift) for over 700 years was
not accepted undoubtedly because it is also a racial slur.
I was curious as to what people felt about this word’s
exclusion and posted this question on Facebook. Not surprisingly
opinions varied dramatically. Many people felt that the
word is virulently racist and even though it also has another
meaning, that it was proper for the puzzle’s creator
to have it excluded. On the other hand, many people felt
that is was wrong not to include a genuine word and pointed
out that it there are several words that could offend people
such as ‘faggot’ (meaning a bundle of sticks),
‘frog’ (a derogatory word for someone French),
‘spade’ (a derogatory word for blacks) and ‘cracker’
(a racist epithet aimed at poor rural Whites. Should all
these words be nixed? What about the word ‘oreo’?
It often appears as the answer in crossword puzzles but
it is also a term used mockingly to refer to black people
who have adopted white middle class values. Should oreo
therefore be expunged, notwithstanding that this cookie
is beloved to many people?
A Chinese-American stated that he had been slandered by
the epithet in the past and found it highly offensive but
someone else countered that when it is clearly being used
in its original sense that no offense should be taken.
Another person averred that by pretending that a word that
goes back to the Middle Ages doesn’t exist amounts
to pandering to racists and granting them power they don’t
deserve to wield.
This is not the first time that what is sometimes called
politically-correct language has caused a furor in word
games. In the 2019 New York Times crossword puzzle of Jan
1st, the clue for 2 Down “Pitch to the head”
(6 letters) the correct answer was ‘beaner.’
The word ‘beaner,’ albeit more commonly called
‘beanball’ refers to a pitch where the intention
of the pitcher it to hit the head (known colloquially as
‘bean’) of the hitter. However, the term ‘beaner’
is used more often as a derogatory term for Mexicans or
those of Mexican descent (supposedly because of their propensity
for eating beans). As a result crossword puzzle editor Will
Shortz received many complaints that he had allowed a racist
term to appear. Due to this kerfuffle, Shortz quickly issued
this apology on the newspaper’s website: “I’m
very sorry for the distraction about BEANER (2D) in today’s
fine puzzle by Gary Cee.” He added that neither he
nor digital puzzle editor Joel Fagliano had ever heard the
slur before. Shortz lives in New York and I believe that
the slur is used more often in the southwest of the USA
near the Mexican border.
Let me be clear. I am in favour of being sensitive when
we communicate or play word games. After all, it wasn’t
that long ago that words like ‘cretin’ and even
‘moron’ were used in polite society without
problems. Given a choice I’d rather be oversensitive
than not sensitive enough. Increasingly, ethnic verbs such
as ‘to welsh’ (to avoid payment); ‘to
gyp’ (to cheat) and ‘to jew’ (to bargain)
are also avoided and rightfully so. I also think it proper
that by and large in Canada we use the term ‘First
Nations’ as opposed to ‘Indians’ to reference
our indigenous populations. And in the aforementioned word
‘chink,’ the word is used much more often in
its pejorative sense as opposed to its meaning as a fissure.
However, I’d like to believe that people who are playing
word games are aware that it also has the latter sense.
And where does it end? I would never use the word niggardly
even though it means miserly and bears no etymological connection
to the N-word. There are several other synonyms I could
employ. However, if I disagree vehemently with someone’s
opinion, should I avoid stating that I find their argument
‘fatuous,’ if they happen to be even moderately
overweight?
The mind boggles.
