For survivors of violence, words can hurt

Words have meaning and convey powerful messages. Words matter. Images spring from words and meet each of us individually in that space defined by our life experiences. Some words used frequently bother me.

A whole host of euphemisms have crept into our common, everyday language and we rarely stop to reflect on the meaning of these phrases, or the origin of a phrase that may have been better suited for a different time and a different place.

The expressions 'silver bullet,” 'pull the trigger,” 'shoot from the hip” and 'under the gun” are used in everyday language across our campus, and commonly even by those in leadership positions. I hear these and similar terms at least once a week, if not once a day. It always makes me cringe.

I cannot help but reflect on the pain and suffering inflicted on so many in our country and around the world by violence involving guns and bullets.

For survivors and the families of victims of violence that involved guns and bullets, I would think these euphemisms would be particularly poignant. For those of us who were on the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007, we experienced the very worst of 'pull the trigger,” 'shoot from the hip” and 'under the gun.”

There are numerous gun and bullet euphemisms in our language:

' Shoot from the hip

' Silver bullet

' Pull the trigger

' Shoot down in flames

' Shoot the breeze

' Shoot yourself in the foot

' Shooting fish in a barrel

' Shot across the bow

' Shot in the dark

' Shotgun marriage

' Point and shoot

' Bite the bullet

' Dodge the bullet

' Smoking gun

' Crossfire

' Straight shooter

' Best shot

' Parting shot

' Blown away

' Under the gun

' Hair trigger

' Sweating bullets

From our own Virginia Tech, and now to Paris, France, and San Bernardino, California, guns and bullets have become the face for violence in our global society.

And yet, we invoke the most insensitive euphemisms of all in our everyday language - and no one seems to notice. We approach a new initiative with the phrase - 'let's pull the trigger and get it started,” or we face the reality of a difficult situation and couch it in the phrase 'there is no silver bullet to fix it,” or we say 'we are under the gun” to meet a deadline.

I watched a basketball game on TV the other week, and the announcer stated 'he really dodged a bullet” referring to a poorly executed defensive position. In present context, these phrases are simply inappropriate and insensitive to a world trying to cope with ever-increasing gun and bullet violence.

Words matter. Words have meaning. Let's think before we speak.

' Paul M. Winistorfer is a Cedar Rapids native and Dean of the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia tech.