The old man in me has a knee jerk reaction to the word "unhoused", but I think it has a legitimate purpose.
Language has always evolved words from helpful terminology to dehumanizing slurs. Then new terminology is created in response to that. When I was a kid people used the word "bum" to dehumanize, and "homeless" was a response to that. Now people use "homeless" as if they were a different species, something not worthy of human dignity. So we use "unhoused".
it will get turned into "homeless" soon enough, in implication/tone. I don't mind it as a term, but I don't think it's really important one way or another
The old man in me has a knee jerk reaction to the word "unhoused", but I think it has a legitimate purpose.
Language has always evolved words from helpful terminology to dehumanizing slurs. Then new terminology is created in response to that. When I was a kid people used the word "bum" to dehumanize, and "homeless" was a response to that. Now people use "homeless" as if they were a different species, something not worthy of human dignity. So we use "unhoused".
it will get turned into "homeless" soon enough, in implication/tone. I don't mind it as a term, but I don't think it's really important one way or another
and why do people entertain the idea that this euphemism treadmill is a useful construct?