Rhetoric of Fear The Death of the California Dream Health Care in Perspective The Discipline Leave No Child Behind No Daddy, No! Unconditional Equal Justice under the Law Thank God I Am Not A Woman Infallible "Don't ask, don't tell" Thou Shalt Not Kill Irreconcilable Differences My Will Positive Reinforcement Changing My Name After Sixty Years Copyright © 2000-2009 Thomas E. Rosenberg. All right reserved. Essays may be reproduced with written permission. tomr@inaword.org

The elimination of negative words brings clarity to speech Thank God I Am Not A Woman Language is cluttered with negative words that obfuscate the meaning of what we are trying to communicate. Most of the time we use negative words out of habit. We believe that our intent will be understood. When we fail to make ourselves understood, we often dig ourselves into a hole explaining what we really mean. For example, the debate going on within the Jewish community over the definition of "Who is a Jew?" has exacerbated philosophical differences between Jews worldwide. These differences are epitomized by negative language and have a direct bearing on how people relate. Male orthodox Jews begin each morning with a series of prayers, one of which is blatantly sexist. The prayer says: Praised are You, O' Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has Not made me a woman. The prayer has its origins in the definition of obligations. Several thousand years ago women's responsibilities were traditionally related to the home. Because women needed a more flexible schedule, their only time-bound positive commandment was to light the Sabbath candles. Men had many more religious and ceremonial obligations. In defense of the prayer, apologists say that man is simply affirming that he has greater responsibilities and is thankful for them. This is a separate but equal mentality. The prayer has evolved for Conservative and Reform Jew to now state: Praised are You O' Lord . . . who has placed on me the responsibilities of a Jew. The language is positive and avoids, by inference or intent, to place second-class status on another person.