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On the Offensive
I'm not a racist, but… You look good, for your age… She was asking for it… You're crazy… That's so gay… Have you ever wondered why certain language has the power to offend? It is often difficult to recognize the veiled racism, sexism, ageism (and other –isms) that hide in our everyday discourse. This book sheds light on the derogatory phrases, insults, slurs, stereotypes, tropes and more that make up linguistic discrimination. Each chapter addresses a different area of race and ethnicity; gender identity; sexuality; religion; health and disability; physical appearance; and age. Drawing on hot button topics and real-life case studies, and delving into the history of offensive terms, a vivid picture of modern discrimination in language emerges. By identifying offensive language, both overt and hidden, past and present, we uncover vast amounts about our own attitudes, beliefs and values and reveal exactly how and why words can offend.
326 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2020
9 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Karen Stollznow
28 books107 followersDr. Karen Stollznow is a linguist, author, and broadcaster whose work bridges scholarship and public engagement. Her books include Beyond Words: How We Learn, Use, and Lose Language; Bitch: The Journey of a Word; On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present; Missed Conceptions: How We Make Sense of Infertility; God Bless America; Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic; and Haunting America. She is also the author of the short fiction collection Fisher’s Ghost and Other Stories.
She co-hosts the award-winning science podcast Monster Talk, contributes regularly to Psychology Today, Cambridge Core, and The Conversation, and has spent many years investigating anomalous claims through the lens of skepticism and science.
Karen holds a PhD in Linguistics and has taught at universities in both the United States and Australia. She previously worked as a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Karen now lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and their son.
She co-hosts the award-winning science podcast Monster Talk, contributes regularly to Psychology Today, Cambridge Core, and The Conversation, and has spent many years investigating anomalous claims through the lens of skepticism and science.
Karen holds a PhD in Linguistics and has taught at universities in both the United States and Australia. She previously worked as a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Karen now lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and their son.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 13 reviews
October 7, 2020
On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present by Karen Stollznow is one of those books that offers so much potential yet, while not failing, also does not particularly succeed. I came to this book with such high hopes and was let down from the Introduction on.
I almost put the book down half way through the introduction. I get the idea of showing the many cliches and common phrases we use without always being fully aware. But enough is enough. I get it, quit beating me over the head and get on with the project at hand.
The rest of the book was better, but only by comparison to something that almost made me put the book down. A wealth of information (thus the rating not being a negative one) and periodically some good analysis and commentary to contextualize things. But all in all, it reads like an extended brain dump of research that never made it to the next step, the actual writing of an interesting history of where we have been, where we are, and where we may go from here. My eyes kept glazing over. The writing is accessible, it isn't a difficult read, but don't pick this up if you're not fully awake because it will put you to sleep otherwise.
I recommend this as a work to keep handy for reference and to read pertinent chapters when you're looking into those ideas. But as a book to read from cover to cover, well, if you insist. You'll learn a few new things, you'll perhaps see new connections, but you'll need a lot of coffee if you're reading more than a few pages at a time.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
I almost put the book down half way through the introduction. I get the idea of showing the many cliches and common phrases we use without always being fully aware. But enough is enough. I get it, quit beating me over the head and get on with the project at hand.
The rest of the book was better, but only by comparison to something that almost made me put the book down. A wealth of information (thus the rating not being a negative one) and periodically some good analysis and commentary to contextualize things. But all in all, it reads like an extended brain dump of research that never made it to the next step, the actual writing of an interesting history of where we have been, where we are, and where we may go from here. My eyes kept glazing over. The writing is accessible, it isn't a difficult read, but don't pick this up if you're not fully awake because it will put you to sleep otherwise.
I recommend this as a work to keep handy for reference and to read pertinent chapters when you're looking into those ideas. But as a book to read from cover to cover, well, if you insist. You'll learn a few new things, you'll perhaps see new connections, but you'll need a lot of coffee if you're reading more than a few pages at a time.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
November 5, 2020
This is the kind of book that could make the world a better place.
It is a catalogue of all the hurtful things we humans can say to other humans and hurt them deeply. Against their race, their appearance, their sexual orientation, their age and more, we humans have invented a lot of mean phrases that are the bases of so much hurt and abuse. This book navigates all of these and shades a light on how we should approach each person in order to be mindful of their feelings.
While this is a very necessary book, it is not an easy read. I appreciate it only mentions one extreme case that was based on verbal abuse for each kind of discrimination, it keeps a balance on realizing words are so easy to slip but their effect can be tremendous.
The beauty of this book lies in the fact that it doesn't offer easy answers or recipes, but it goes deeper, to the root, to the specific need of a certain group of people to make the reader understand what is best to be said. It emphasizes the fact that many words have a certain history and many should not be used any more, highlighting the values on which one should base every interaction.
I also appreciate the conclusion that wraps up emphatically and beautifully the necessity of measuring our words when dealing with other fellow people. I highly recommend this book and hope at least parts of it will be studied in schools and trainings. A true tool to make this world a better place for us all.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
It is a catalogue of all the hurtful things we humans can say to other humans and hurt them deeply. Against their race, their appearance, their sexual orientation, their age and more, we humans have invented a lot of mean phrases that are the bases of so much hurt and abuse. This book navigates all of these and shades a light on how we should approach each person in order to be mindful of their feelings.
While this is a very necessary book, it is not an easy read. I appreciate it only mentions one extreme case that was based on verbal abuse for each kind of discrimination, it keeps a balance on realizing words are so easy to slip but their effect can be tremendous.
The beauty of this book lies in the fact that it doesn't offer easy answers or recipes, but it goes deeper, to the root, to the specific need of a certain group of people to make the reader understand what is best to be said. It emphasizes the fact that many words have a certain history and many should not be used any more, highlighting the values on which one should base every interaction.
I also appreciate the conclusion that wraps up emphatically and beautifully the necessity of measuring our words when dealing with other fellow people. I highly recommend this book and hope at least parts of it will be studied in schools and trainings. A true tool to make this world a better place for us all.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
November 14, 2020
I have just finished reading this book. Wow! I have learned so much and have a different perspective on the way I talk about groups of people. This is a really good read. It's not the kind of book you read from cover to cover, but I didn't expect it to be. Will recommend to my friends, family and colleagues.
September 21, 2020
I appreciated this insightful look at how language can divide and even attempt to defile identity. I also love the possibility this text opens for thinking critically about what is said in terms of empowerment and the work we all do in finding the best ways to value one another. Truly informative.
October 25, 2020
This was a truly disappointing read. I think discussions of language and its role in prejudice and discrimination is both important and interesting, but it's hard to think of a worse way to convey that. Stollznow essentially just lists offensive words with smatterings of contexts and the occasional fun fact. There's little here that adds anything to conversations about language-- the people who will be excited to read it will learn almost nothing new, and the people with the most to learn will just gather longer lists of shitty ways to talk about other people.
September 20, 2020
The author really did her homework on this one. Very well researched and well presented. A good read. I think this could be a good pick for a book club. Would be interesting to get different views on what was read. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.
June 17, 2021
On The Offensive is a thought-provoking and insightful examination of words and the evolution of their meanings, and is especially timely and important now as diverse individuals and groups become more open about their own values and identity.
Karen Stollznow’s Introduction: You Can’t Say Anything These Days expresses how I frequently feel, but we owe it to ourselves and society to respect the values and identities of others and to employ the “…terminology that is preferred by stakeholders, that is, the people to whom the terms refer.”
It’s definitely worth the time read and ponder.
Karen Stollznow’s Introduction: You Can’t Say Anything These Days expresses how I frequently feel, but we owe it to ourselves and society to respect the values and identities of others and to employ the “…terminology that is preferred by stakeholders, that is, the people to whom the terms refer.”
It’s definitely worth the time read and ponder.
December 15, 2020
A comprehensive and interesting look at offensive language in anglophone societies. As with any study of offensive language, really this aims at the language of inequality as it reflects society’s inequalities and it does some with impressive breadth and depth.
Perhaps the best thing I could say about this book, which is also astonishingly current, is that Johnson, Trump, Piers Morgan and all like them would hate it. Higher praise, I know not.
Perhaps the best thing I could say about this book, which is also astonishingly current, is that Johnson, Trump, Piers Morgan and all like them would hate it. Higher praise, I know not.
November 14, 2020
I was worried this book would be too academic, but it was very accessible and easy to read. The topic isn't easy though, and a bit depressing at times. Overall, I read a lot of things I didn't know and think I'll be more careful about what I say. I work in HR so this will be a book I delve into again and again.
September 5, 2021
Well intentioned but ultimately misses the mark. More like a how to list of all the offensive terms you can throw at someone as opposed to a study of offensive language and how language is built and structured around a society's prejudice. There are a couple of interesting sections, but they are almost entirely off topic. A missed opportunity.
September 17, 2020
A very deep dive into potentially offensive language. I really appreciated all the thought and research that went into this book.
September 27, 2023
This book should be on every writer's shelf. A reference book to help writers realize what words are offensive and what aren't and use them accordingly.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 13 reviews