Last week, someone wrote racist comments under a story on the Ottawa Citizen’s online edition, about the death of Inuk artist Annie Pootoogook. Charles Bordeleau, Ottawa’s Chief of Police, called the comments “inappropriate.”
“I can tell you that the comments are inappropriate. They don’t reflect the values of the members of the Ottawa Police Service, they don’t reflect the values of this organization, and they certainly don’t reflect my values,” he said in an interview with the Ottawa Morning CBC radio program.
That’s the standard response when we’re confronted with expressions of racism or sexism, or any other sentiment that goes against the values we claim to espouse: “That’s inappropriate.”
But is it? What does “inappropriate” actually mean?
According to the Oxford dictionary: “not appropriate, not suitable.”
Which takes us to “appropriate”: suitable or proper
Is that what the Police Chief meant — that racist comments are not suited to the occasion?
Why not say they’re “objectionable,” “offensive” or “wrong”?
A living language
Every so often, we notice that words have changed meaning. Sometimes it’s through appropriation, like “gay” or “tweet.” The Internet — or more accurately, marketing people at companies that transact primarily via the Internet — is responsible for most of the recent examples, from “spam” to “friend” to “cloud.”
Words not only shift meaning. They also drop out of the common vocabulary. Often, we stop using words because they feel old-fashioned, like “thither.” Sometimes, we stop using words because they seem associated with ideas that we no longer agree with. No one calls anyone a “blackguard” or a “handmaid” anymore.
A living language changes over time, for many reasons.
Inappropriate is a weasel word
I think the impetus behind calling objectionable ideas or statements “inappropriate” is weaselism. That is, the urge to weasel out of responsibility for your own convictions.
To avoid confrontation, we’ll tell someone their actions or words are “inappropriate,” instead of “racist” or “sexist” or just plain wrong, of stirring up evil.
Saying “inappropriate” gives you a way out, too, if for whatever reason the argument goes against you. It gives you an escape route.
It’s a form of cowardice.
It’s weak. It’s inappropriate in itself as a response to racism — not suited to the need. Like a cardboard goalie mask.
I’m not going to use “inappropriate” inappropriately anymore. If I object to a statement or an action, I’m going to say so, and say why.
What about you?