READING REACTION #1 When words get in the way

Its unfortunate that by using everyday words we can insult someone of difference i.e. ethnicity, man, woman, young, old. The list gos on. We have become such a culture of who offended who. There are so many rules on what we can say or do in the presence of whom. I did not feel the old man in the story meant any disrespect by using the term "boy". But the again I'm not African American either.I'm afraid we do have deep historical wounds with our language. Maybe that's why our language is beginning to change with this generation.