Words matter.

[tim]

"In the descriptive tradition of the social sciences, past participles are used as simple adjectives and their dynamic nature as verb forms is overlooked. The poor are often described as 'deprived' or 'impoverished,' as if these words connoted inherent characteristics like 'tall' or 'redheaded.' In reality, to say that a group of persons is 'deprived' or 'impoverished' is to say that they have been deprived. Then, changing voice, we can say that someone has deprived them, someone has impoverished them. Only after that dynamic process has occurred does anyone benefit from a declaration, with a scientific imprimatur, that the resulting state of affairs is permanent and unchangeable. It is not the lack of elegant models that leads to policy decisions that further deprive the deprived. Such consequences are usually quite obvious---at least to those about to be deprived. A policy choice is an act of will and intention. We must once in a while admit that the poor have been impoverished intentionally."

-- William Ryan, Equality