Post Articles Language and Power

After watching/reading articles on boys being forced into a masculine persona where a boy's upbringing makes him afraid to share feelings, a different view on the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the German pilot who crashed his plane, and the power of the social media Yik-Yak, I felt the ones that most resonated with me was the one on boys and Yik-Yak.
I tend to disagree with the author that we are doing boys of the world an injustice by giving them a stereotypical "man." The article portrayed boys as constantly hearing the words, "Be a man." While at one point in a young boy's life, he probably will hear these words, the article makes it seem as if this is the only phrase a boy will hear in his early life. Also, it is not a bad thing to act like a man would. Depending on the context, acting like a man could be acting like a gentlemen, or standing up for principles that you hold dear. I feel a common misconception is that people find the phrase "Be a man" to be sexist. I disagree because the phrase is used to inspire young boys, not single out women. Every kid dreams about the day when he is all grown up and is an adult. From personal experience, whenever I was told to be a man it made me feel grown up and more responsible, which is not a bad thing.
Shifting topics, I found the Yik-Yak article to be extremely interesting. The power of language is truly shown in this article as specific examples of language being used were shown. The effects of simple posts on a social media website were truly eye opening. I feel the creators of the app are very intelligent and will be able to succeed in making the app less intimidating. I agree that something should be done to halt the degrading posts this app contains, and I feel confident that a solution will be reached as the problem is being taken very seriously.
The key to using language is to use it responsibly. Language is a very powerful tool. As the cliche saying goes, "The pen is mightier than the sword." If this mighty weapon is not taken seriously and with responsibility, then the world will be in serious trouble.

Language and Power; Language and Freedom

Language is a very powerful weapon that can be yielded for a variety of purposes. With strong, enforcing language, one can achieve great power. A person is rarely a figure of power without possessing strong skill with language. Look at history as an example: Hitler would not have gained his power without his intense dialect. Jim Valvano, the legendary coach of NCST, was able to use his knowledge of language to inspire millions to never ever give up when faced with adversity. Through his words, he gained power in that his legacy will live on forever. The relationship between language and freedom is similar. With strong language, one will gain and sustain freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. used anti violent protests and speeches to gain freedoms for the African American community. Language can be used to restrict one's freedom as well. In American History, there have been sedition acts passed that prohibit the people from speaking ill of the government. While this language is not spoken, it is being written, which is when language is most powerful. Language is a crucial tool for many projects, and it is certainly one that can build up, or destroy, one's power and freedom immensely.