Throughout the 19th century, news reports and medical journal articles almost always use the plant’s formal name, cannabis. Numerous accounts say that “marijuana” came into popular usage in the U.S. in the early 20th century because anti-cannabis factions wanted to underscore the drug’s “Mexican-ness.” It was meant to play off of anti-immigrant sentiments.
This is an interesting read. English isn’t my native language, and while I’m quite proficient, I lack a lot of cultural context, particularly when it comes to American English. My partner is American, and through/with them I’ve learned a lot of problematic phrases and expressions. It’s baffling just how much language is used to dehumanise, other, and discriminate against people.
That’s not to say it doesn’t happen in my native tongue, it definitely does, but I guess it’s more baffling when it’s something that’s unfamiliar to you.
Marijuana obviously sounds like it’s rooted in Spanish, but I never thought much about it. If you’d asked me, I’d just wager a guess that it’s the Spanish term for it. I hate how oftentimes when I start poking at these preconceived notions, an uglier reality reveals itself. It’s never as benign as I initially believe.
Interesting! What are some other examples of common American English terms inconspicuously being used to dehumanize people?
Gypped is the most common one I still hear even used by people who consider themselves progressive.
When you get outside progressive circles boy is there a long list. But I used that example because it’s good evidence of how ingrained they are in American culture and language. Many people are using them without any idea of the context.
It’s baffling just how much language is used to dehumanise, other, and discriminate against people.
Yeah, such language sucks, of course, but since right now that connotation of marijuana, for example, seems to be lost - why the hell worry about it. There are worse things which are not in the language, but in the way “protected group” works in the heads of some homo sapiens specimens.
I’ve recently had my comment deleted for answering “Armenian Genocide was bad, but not even close to the Holocaust” with “Holocaust was bad, but not even close to the Armenian Genocide” and in the next sentence clarifying that for me they are on the same level, but people for whom one of these statements is acceptable are not people.
