There have been a few offensive words that I’ve eliminated from my vocabulary that dehumanize certain people. Adding to that subtraction, I’m also going to stop using the word “childish.” I don’t think I’ve ever said it that much, but either way, I want to take a stand against saying such a word.
It’s demeaning to children when you label somebody’s behaviour as “childish,” because you create the association that all negative behaviours are synonomous with being a child. Whether it’s immaturity, abrasiveness, being annoying, or any other behaviours people deem as “childish,” we all know that adults are prone to these behaviours as well.
If the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name, then it is unwise to re-label certain behaviours as “childish.”
It’s an insult to children because I’ve met children who have exuded infinitely more maturity and respectfulness than some adults. Any time I’ve felt annoyed by a child, all it took was one look at how their parents act and/or treat them in order to spot where that shitty behaviour in the child came from.
Children are sponges. They replicate the behaviour of those around them for better or for worse, and in this sick fucking society, it’s usually for the worse. A lot of adults out there are really just damaged oversized children who are unwilling to face the truth about their childhoods, thus creating the possibility of undoing the damage.
The truth that they were robbed of their happiness, autonomy, and most of all freedom of choice. The truth that when they were children, any time they behaved in a way that inconvenienced the adults in their lives, they were labelled as being “childish.” And by accepting that as the truth about themselves, they end up believing that children in general, by their very nature, are just annoying little inconveniences.
Based on their negative views on children, and their use of the term “childish,” it makes it very easy for me to see why people “grow up” believing in the fallacy of “childishness.” And it’s for these reasons, and many more, that I’m going to stop using the word childish in order contribute to stopping the prejiduce society has on children.
Children are the future, else without them, the human race will cease to continue. And if they are the future, and you want to see a better world in the future, stop ascribing negative attributes to children, and comparing other people’s inconvenient behaviours as “childish.”
Your Write to Live 