Are we the only ones who cringe when we hear the word “savage?”
We are not the politically correct police, but now that Gen Z is using it to mean “amazing,” “cold-blooded” or “wild”- sometimes in a positive light – it makes explaining our “cringiness” even more complicated.
Many at Barbier grew up learning through all forms of media that ‘savages’ were only referred to as indigenous people. Most can easily imagine what that does to a young person’s identity. You also don’t have to spend much time searching to find out that even the United States Declaration of Independence used the words “merciless indian savages” to dehumanize entire races of people.
By the 1980’s, mainstream US society realized it’s not polite to use the word. As a whole generation passed, this word resurfaced without any historical significance, but it sounds cool to the youth. To our point, one of our team told us that he was in a car with a very open minded and socially aware millennial friend. He was too old to use the word like a Gen Zer and too young to know its historical ties with genocide. They two were talking about a music group, and he said, “Man, their music is so savage.” He then looked at the other, almost apologetically as he has indigenous roots and asked our team member if that word is not cool to use.
The next twenty minutes was spent by our team member, and what all people of color face, being the spokesperson for his entire race. Peggy McINtosh in her essay “White Privilege” details this fact and many others. But to Gen Z youth, they do not understand the cultural significance of this term that haunts so many. With so many other words to describe amazing like awesome, incredible, stunning, wonderful, marvelous or a newer slang varietal, sick, in our opinion just doesn’t leave room for the word savage.
Barbier’s proofreading, copywriting and translation services will help you ensure that you will not unintentionally use the wrong word to make your point.
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