TO THE EDITOR:
In response to Lauren Refinetti’s response (“Words create meaning: Replace ‘freshman’ label,” Dec. 1) to Saffa Khan’s column (“Why I’m not a ‘first-year’ student,” Nov. 30): You never say or even imply this, but you, like most, probably think that the call for the use of the term “fourth-year” instead of “senior” is “irrational,” but you are thinking too narrowly. The impact of geriatric terms comes not from the sheer offensiveness of one word but in the combined effect. As our culture continues to discuss the workings of “senior citizens” and “senior associate project managers,” we are perpetuating a limited view of what people in those positions should look like. What little girl dreams of growing up to be an old lady?
The words we use impact our archetypal definitions of those terms, and thus create limitations on what we believe we are capable of doing.
If we continue to discuss our lives with superannuated terms serving as the age neutral, we will keep perpetuating the climate of inequality.
No, changing the way we speak alone will not fix the global problem of discrimination and mistreatment of the elderly based on age, but yes, we can make a difference in our community just by changing one word — senior.
Ethan Butler
Freshman
Economics
