PERSONAL COST

Comments

6 responses to “PERSONAL COST”

1. 

   11/12/2024

   Susan

   Oh, Heather, you are so right about language and its misuse today. It makes me think of Josef Pieper’s book Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power. A slim volume that packs a punch. And you say it with such a loving heart, and one that aches for your brothers and sisters. Thank you.
   As for your mother and her euphemisms, it makes me wonder what she called diarrhea! My father used to call Kaopectate liquid adhesive.

   Reply
   1. 

      11/15/2024

      HEATHER KING

      Liquid adhesive–love it, Susan! I think they called diarrhea “the runs”….constipation was being “bound up”…I once visited my mother in her later years and she referred to the laptop I’d left lying on my bed as “that machinery.” How I miss her! The Pieper book sounds exacty on point, thank you, will look for it–

      Reply
2. 

   11/12/2024

   Elizabeth

   You may be the bravest woman I know. You just put it all out there and let the proverbial chips fall where they may. Thanks for your honesty and for being real.
   There are so many things in this video that hit home, I know I’m going to miss something. For instance, the lack of humor these days. You can’t crack a joke in my family without somebody being offended that you’d tell a joke when the world is in so much trouble. And I’m not talking off-color humor or demeaning remarks. Just plain wit. The problem of calling things what they are not–you pulled out the best examples–“reproductive rights”, “inclusion”, “gender affirmation”. We need more voices like yours sounding the alarm. My memory is terrible, so I can’t remember which Catholic apologist said this recently, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Where are all the grandmothers?” That’s my age group. I’m a 69-year-old Catholic grandmother who is tired of walking on eggshells. You just gave me a boost of courage to call things by their right names. No more euphemisms. No more making nice. I’m rambling now, but thanks. I needed this.

   Reply
   1. 

      11/15/2024

      HEATHER KING

      Thanks sso much for the encouragement, Elizabeth…I’ve been reflecting more deeply since I dashed off that video and may write a column expounding a bit further on the subject…as for the humor–exactly! Can we bring it back?! Growing up in a family of 8 in the 60s, things got called by their accurate names and then some and we somehow all survived and no-one is a racist or misogynist or anything-phobe and we all have a huge ability to laugh at OURSELVES…to me the suppression and policing of language leads to outbursts of violence, at the very least psychologically, in other areas…

      Reply
3. 

   11/13/2024

   Susan Manus

   Great post. We need more voices speaking truth.
   Hee hee, your story about your mother’s euphemisms reminded me of something that happened between a friend and me many years ago. She had gone through breast cancer, and thankfully was declared cancer free, they but they always say until you’ve passed five years it’s possible for the cancer to return. Once about a year after she was declared cancer free I emailed her and she didn’t reply for a while. When she did she said she was sorry for the late reply but “she was dealing with the C.” I was so saddened to think the cancer had returned (calling it “C” as if she couldn’t bring herself to write out the whole word.) I immediately called her, and when she didn’t answer left a heartfelt voice mail telling her I was praying and praying for her recovery and to have peace. She later called back, thanked me for my well wishes but was a little puzzled at my strong response. I referred to what she said about “dealing with the C” and asked if her cancer had returned. She said no, and was surprised that I didn’t know what she meant. She thought it was a common euphemism to say you are “dealing with the C or the D” if you had constipation or diarrhea! I had never heard that before but I guess it was so commonly used in her family she thought everyone said that. So we had a good laugh, and then I said, “Colleen, I am so glad to hear you are constipated!”

   Reply
   1. 

      11/15/2024

      HEATHER KING

      H ha oh that’s an excellent story–“the C”–we could freak out all our friends and have them thinking we’re on death’s doorstep…glad your friend’s malady was milder than cancer, and bless you. Susan!

      Reply