33. Reframe

By Kara

The lazy are staunchly averse to “re-” anything.

by Samantha

I often think about the power of words and how they affect a society. It’s a chicken vs. egg scenario — is our vocabulary violent because of how our country came into being, or is our society numb to violence because our rhetoric is filled with violent symbolism?

If we were to change our words, would the physical act of violence became grotesque and abnormal?

BOMB
- Definition 1: bad, failure
- Definition 2: great, success

Example using Definition 1:
The show bombed Thursday night.
[reframe] The show had a poor showing Thursday night.

SHOOT
- Definition 1: anger, disappointment
- Definition 2: proceed

Example using Definition 2:
Can I ask you a question? Shoot.
[reframe] Can I ask you a question? Sure/Of course!/ Yes.

KILLING IT
- Definition: to do something extremely well
- Tenses: killing, kill, killed

Example:
It was Jane’s first spelling bee competition and she killed it.
[reframe] It was Jane’s first spelling bee competition and she excelled.

HIT THAT
- Definition: attracted to someone you want to have sex with
- Synonyms: tap, smash

Example:
Our waiter is so cute; I’d hit that.
[reframe] Our waiter is so cute; I’d sex him up.

The next time you’re talking, pay attention to your words that can seamlessly fit into any description of war, brutality, and abuse. Try to use different words for a week. After that time ask yourself: How do you feel saying violent words again? How do you react hearing others use violent words? Did reframed phrases make violence abnormal?

Related posts:

Trauma can be caused by an overwhelmingly negative experience that can impact a victim’s mental and emotional stability. Physical violence is the main source of trauma, but so can psychological…

Las finanzas personales es un tema que siempre tengo en mente, pues soy de esas personas que trata de ahorrar lo más que se pueda y solo gastar mi dinero en cosas necesarias. Lo normal es que nos…

The new button says “share link to entire story,” and provides users with a link to their whole story to share with friends or other audiences. Brands that are on Instagram can use this to attract…