paraphrasing juliet
If you are a Shakespeare fan or ever attended English class in 7th grade you may remember the title line from Juliet to Romeo.
What she really said was, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”.
What she really meant was a name doesn’t change who you are. It has no value and doesn’t really mean anything. But does it?
sticks and stones may break my bones..
Names can never hurt me- a simple line and sentiment but one that I think is untrue. In 1839 “the pen is mightier than the sword” was first used by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton. This statement indicated that our words could and did create more effect and held more power than any act of violence when it came to social or political change. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_pen_is_mightier_than_the_sword
Abraham Lincoln in 1864 delivered the Gettysburg address, Martin Luther King moved hundreds of thousands with his infamous speech, “I have a dream” in 1963.
All through history we have examples of words meaning something special. So how can we think that when we use them in anger or disregard that they don’t mean anything.
words have power
Words have the power to heal as well as harm. What’s in a name? If that name is given in anger then it delivers pain. I remember a movie quote that said, “it’s easier to believe the bad stuff”. When a person is constantly berated, demeaned there is no greater form of abuse.
We as individuals have the ability to elevate a persons’ self worth and status in life or we can tear it down.
So begs the question-
When did it become acceptable to refer to a woman as ‘bitch’
The meaning of BITCH is the female of the dog or some other carnivorous mammals according to Merriam Webster. (Ok, I like meat so I guess in that sense I would qualify?)
I once knew someone who thought it “cute” to continually refer to me as such. Finally, getting tired of the misnomer I mentioned that I was highly suggestible and the continuing use of this title could (and would) result in this becoming reality.
We hear it in songs, in the movies and not as a term of affection. How can it be? Everyone knows what comes to mind when this term is used. Add the adjectives of stupid, dumb and you are back to what we said earlier. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but in this case names can definitely hurt me.
do you mean it?
Love you, hate you, kidding. Well which is it? This has become a popular phrase with the millennials. Not their finest moment in my humble opinion. It strikes really close to being a “mean girl” kind of thing.
our own worst enemy
Oddly enough we can cause as much harm to ourselves as those individuals out there with the limited vocabulary and narrow view. How many times do you berate yourself when you look in the mirror? Make a mistake? Self awareness is all well and good but cut yourself a break!
When I catch myself doing this I immediately try to backtrack in my thoughts and think of something good and positive. Or at least remedy the mistake. When I hear my friends or colleagues berate themselves I try to stop them by saying, “no one is allowed to talk about my friend that way”. If you wouldn’t accept it from someone else then don’t accept it from you, about you.
Encourage those around you to do the same. Because what’s in a name can mean the difference on your outlook for the day or the foreseeable future. We need to be kind to ourselves as well as others. Understand the power of words and know that using the bad ones may be easier to believe but we can change that. 
Sassaleeyours…