50/100 Words
Sacred and Forbidden
Thrifty Words 100 #16 and 50 #37: Taboo
Taboo. The word itself has come to mean many things. It is a perfume. It is a television show. It means forbidden, unacceptable, sacred.
I grew up knowing taboo first in the sacred sense. In Polynesian society, sacred items, food, and people could be considered tabu. These items were to be left alone. It was forbidden to touch them, approach them, and in some instances even to talk about them.
As I got older and well, wilder, I came to know the concept of taboo as unacceptable. Mom said smoking was taboo, kissing boys or girls before a certain age was taboo. It seemed most of my behavior was, in her mind taboo. I wasn’t the easiest child to raise.
This week, I got to thinking about the word taboo when I issued our second essay contest challenge: racism in feminism. 4 days into the contest, which is for a prize of $10.00, and not a single essay has been entered.
I think it is because I chose 2 topics that may be too deep or too sacred for people to talk about. White people feel uncomfortable talking about racism (get over it, folks, this is a discussion we must have). Male people feel uncomfortable talking about feminism (get over it, dudes, this is a discussion we must have). Combine the two and all you hear is crickets.
