The English language is constantly changing. Words that, at one time, would have been commonplace are now considered offensive and derogatory. We try our best not to use these words, so we don’t offend people. It is clear that the use of the r-word is derogatory and offensive. It is a word that has a great impact on us all, even if we are not directly affected by it.

“That word can be very offensive to some people, and honestly we should just get rid of it, not even use it”, says Lacey Milcherska, a sophomore. Many other students at Penn have a similar view of the word.

One organization at Penn is on its way to end the use of this derogatory term: Spread the Word to End the Word. Penn Junior Noah Imel leads this group. The club meets at 7:30 A.M. every black Friday in room 202.

The r-word is quickly becoming an outdated term, and through the efforts of Spread the Word to End the Word, maybe one day it will be completely eliminated from our vocab.

If you want anymore information on the r-word, visit
http://www.r-word.org/. There are currently 570,041 pledges to not say the r-word. You could be one of them.

Make your voice heard.

By Kevin McNulty

Kevin McNulty teaches English and Mass Media Studies at Penn High School. He advises the Penn News Network and manages the PNN Studio and news room. For more information, navigate your browser to www.massmediastudies.net.