How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #1
There was a law against using abusive language. Can you imagine such a law among people for whom making a spectacle of yourself through speech is everything? (1.2)
First off, there's nothing worse than censorship. But there's an even deeper problem here—the British were completely unwilling to communicate with and understand the people they ruled.
Quote #2
When West Indians went to England, the police there had to get a glossary of bad West Indian words so they could understand whether they were hearing abusive language or not. (2.2)
What's the point of this? It's not like the cuss words would offend them if they couldn't understand what was being said. Something a little more insidious is going on here, if you ask us.
Quote #3
She told these girls over and over again to stop behaving as if they were monkeys just out of trees. No one ever dreamed that the word for any of this was racism. (2.3)
It's hard to define something when you don't have the right language for it. We already know that words can be used as a tool of oppression, but it turns out that a lack of words can be used for the same effect.