One thing that was not mentioned by Wallis Bolz about the "Word" is its
POWER!

The power to shock people. The power to anger people. The power to make people
mad. The power to shame people. The powers to alienate people. The power to
exclude people. The power to control people. The power to close peoples
minds to your message. The power to opinionate people against you, because
all they know or care to know about you is that you use "the Word." The power
to show that you do not care about other peoples sensitivities.

>From my point of view, I am trying to communicate with people and want the
most number of people to hear, read what I have to say. So to me, it is
counter productive to use the "Word" and similar language when I know that it
is going to close their minds to my ideas. Or worse, to not even read it,
after I have taken the time and energy to post it. Potential readers, not
reading my message just because they know from past experiences that I am a
user of language that is going to offend them is not what I want.

Why would I want to write in a manner that causes people to tell their
friends, spouses or children not to open messages from so and so because he
uses the "Word." or not to sign on to Tweeters or another list to which I
post. Why? To show I have the "Power" and I am childish enough to use it
with disregard to the feelings of others on the list? Why do I want to
antagonize the people with whom I am making the effort to communicate? It
just doe not make sense to me! Further, Ithat the one person on the list, who
has the knowledge that I want, may not share it with me because of the opinion
that they formed of me, because I used the "Word." Why, would I want to risk
losing out on their knowledge, my learning and sharing with others, just to
prove that I have the "Power" to use the "Word." Why???

Least, my readers misunderstand, I like the "Word," but to use it for its
POWER cheapens the word. It is too important of a word in the English
language to be cheapened just to give me power.

Now since this list is caller Tweeters and not Linguistics, I will go back to
reading about birds of the Northwest and B.C. and only post in the future when
I have something to say about birds.

Great birding and find that next lifer!

John (One of Birders2)
John + Irma LeVine =2, We are birders, too.

Birders2 at aol.com -- Los Angeles, CA

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I wonder what natural beauties we shall have, aside from the mountains and
the sky, a hundred years from now!"

Musing of George H. Lowery Jr. in his book LOUISIANA BIRDS, 1955, pg. 355 on
having had the opportunity to see Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in his youth.