Derogatory labels are offensive words that can be reclaimed by a stigmatized group; however, the process of reclaiming can carry risks. In 2020, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests took place around the world, reminding us about social inequalities and racism. Through these protests, we became particularly attentive to the language and labels we use. On July 29 th , BBC News aired a news report where the N-word was used. Thousands of complaints from viewers followed [i] . After an initial defense of the news report, the BBC director apologized and recognized the distress the N-word had caused...
People like inward-oriented articulation movements (e.g., in BODIKA – Lips → Tongue → Throat) more than outward-oriented articulation movements (e.g., in KODIBA – Throat → Tongue → Lips). This effect has an impact on various judgments and decisions in everyday life - but why is “in” better than “out”?
Due to moral, religious and cultural sensibilities, the topic of abortion still gives rise to controversy in many countries. In this post, I will discuss our research showing how language used in abortion discourse can affect people’s attitudes by changing their attributions of humanity to unborn (Mikołajczak & Bilewicz, 2015).