(nytimes.com) In February, the New York City Council attracted national attention when it approved a symbolic resolution banning the use of the racial slur called the N-word.
Now, a new proposal is before the Council, this one to adopt a “symbolic moratorium†on the use of the words “bitch†and “ho,†on the grounds that both words are insulting, hateful and degrading to women.
The one-line resolution is preceded by 11 “whereas†clauses explaining the intent of the legislation.
The resolution states that “words, when misused, can lay foundations to legitimize the illegitimate and codify the unthinkable, including, for example, the concept that it is acceptable to refer to women as animals or, worse, that women are these words used to describe them.†It also traces the etymological origins of the two epithets.
The resolution also refers to a much-publicized statement in April by Benjamin Chavis and Russell Simmons, the founders of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, who called for the broadcasting and recording industries to end the use of the two slurs, as well as the N-word.
Councilwoman Darlene Mealy, a Brooklyn Democrat, introduced the new resolution. She has gotten 22 co-sponsors to sign on. (more…)
What is it with Democrats and all of these symbolic resolutions?
