The Power of Careful Wording
This article was originally posted to Medium on June 24, 2022 (https://medium.com/@non-monetized_together/the-power-of-careful-wording-30816dadd31f?source=friends_link&sk=6002f671b9fec2c4c0558d12efd25596)
#wording #phrasing #communication #writing #comparison
Introduction
How important is it for a writer to word their message carefully? In this article, I’ll attempt to answer this question by rewriting my most popular article, but this time using wording that makes my points look much more unconvincing.
Other than that, this reworked version will make the same points as the original. The only difference is that I will write in a writing style that will make the content look worse. The point of this article is to show that poor word choice can single-handedly make a statement seem a lot more unreasonable and can sometimes get the wrong message across to readers.
For a comparison, here’s the original article: https://medium.com/illumination/6-simple-strategies-for-becoming-unprejudiced-e0243c2a7bfa. As noted in the disclaimer at the bottom of that link, I would not publish this sort of article these days. These sort of posts make me look too much like an authority figure in charge of my readers’ minds.
Without further ado, here’s what poor wording looks like…
6 Simple Strategies for Becoming Unprejudiced
Do people not want to be around you? These tips could fix that for you.
1. Question Your Culture
Sometimes I hear people defend someone’s actions by pointing out that they are a product of their environment. I don’t care how much this explains, how is it OK to defend their impressionable minds? They do realize that they’ll never be able to help fix society’s issues if they aren’t critical, right?
Image from JessBaileyDesign/Pixabay
2. Don’t View People Simply
If you don’t know someone well, you have no right to form opinions about them. Same goes for if you have known them for a while but somehow don’t know much about them yet. Acknowledge the good side of everybody.
3. Don’t Describe Groups as If They Are Individuals
Have you ever met people who didn’t treat you well? Well, before judging them, think about the groups they identify with, and remember that there are other people who have that same identification and who would be opposed to what they did. With some exceptions, groups have all sorts of people, so don’t be inconsiderate of that.
4. Always Try to Help People, No Matter Who They Are
If you avoid toxic people and try to help everybody, you will be able to acknowledge their life problems and understand that we all have them. Make sure that abusers quit their behaviour. If you help people, you can appreciate them and get to know them well.
5. Show Decent Respect
For many people, the reason why they have trouble with others is because they don’t show respect.
6. Don’t Call People Out as Hypocrites
If you call someone a hypocrite, that means you are not even bothering to consider that maybe they just forgot something, or that they changed their mind, or that they lost motivation. Let them know that something is wrong and that they need to do something about it.
Conclusion
Image from pixelcreatures/Pixabay
Not sure why I have to add one of these, only geeks care about conclusions … oh right, I’m finished providing examples of poor phrasing.
Anyways, good luck on phrasing your writing properly! Words can be powerful if used correctly. If used carelessly? Then that’s a waste.