Article published In: Metaphor and the Social World
Vol. 14:1 (2024) ► pp.154–162
Forum
Should offensive metaphors be censored?
Published online: 18 December 2023
https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.00041.gib
https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.00041.gib
Abstract
This article offers my personal assessment of the recent efforts to censor certain metaphors in higher education
within the United States. Many universities have created extensive speech codes that censor various metaphorical words and phrases
for their potential harm, especially for possibly being offensive to different individuals and marginalized communities. I discuss
some of the problems with these efforts and offer a brief defense of the importance of metaphors, good or bad, in our public
conversations.
Keywords: censorship, free speech, literal paraphrases, offensive metaphors, speech codes
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.New speech codes
- 3.Why some metaphors should be censored?
- 4.Public reactions to speech codes
- 5.Why censoring metaphor may not work
- 6.Should we paraphrase offensive metaphors?
- 7.What should we do?
- Notes
References
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