Words Matter
I recently took part in the 3 Minute Thesis competition, and while preparing I attended several training sessions organised by the University. In these training sessions I noticed something that made me feel quite uncomfortable, and I would like to take a moment to insist on 2 points:
- Words matter. Words hurt. Be mindful.
I like to think that researchers who study a specific medical condition, a specific population, a specific group of people, know what words they shouldn’t use when talking with them (if they don’t want to offend the entire community). Unfortunately, it seems that many researchers tend to forget about this sensitivity when addressing other people. Why bother about the words, if no one from that population is here?
First of all, how can you be positive that no one in the audience is from that population? If you study a condition that doesn’t show up on the middle of someone’s face, you really can’t make an assumption about what they do or don’t have. The best way forward is then to assume that there might be someone in the crowd personally touched by what you study, and this person deserves your mindfulness.
Secondly, even if you are certain that nobody in the audience belongs to your population of interest, you still have responsibility towards them. By using inappropriate terms you implicitly convey the message that these terms are OK to use. If you, an expert in the field, use these terms, then why shouldn’t the people you’re addressing? As researchers we also have a duty of respect towards the people at the centre of our work, and spreading respect is part of the job. If you use mindful terms, then the people listening to you will use these mindful terms too.
·2. Non-medicalising words matter
During the trainings I felt that there was a tendency to use waterfalls of medicalised terms, insisting on deficits and impairments, and while sometimes these terms are appropriate and necessary, other times, they just aren’t. In these moments when they are not, I try my best not to use them. The feedback I got was that by not using a deficit-orientated vocabulary, my work seemed to be less valuable. Apparently, saying “my goal is to cure the devastating disease that is autism” means that my work is more important than if I say “Autism is a different functioning of the brain, and I want to understand how the autistic mind works”. I don’t believe this is right though, do you?
Using mindful terms, being respectful of the community at the centre of our work, and dropping unnecessarily medicalised words, doesn’t hinder the value, importance, and relevance of our work. We are still working towards the goal of gaining a better understanding of processes, and ultimately, helping people.
Reaching the end of the PhD, I’m still learning a lot about how to talk about my work, and I still make mistakes by the thousands.
But that’s OK.
It’s a long journey we are on. But along the way, let’s remember our words matter, so let’s be mindful.
Sincerely,
Bérengère
