Nope. Not true. The point of the language movement is not to shame or blame. In fact, that would fly in the face of the whole point of changing our language in diabetes.
People living with diabetes report that they feel shamed and blamed by health care professionals, family, friends, the media, and society in general. This shows up everywhere (clinic visits, home, school, parties, street corners, etc.). It doesn’t feel good, and more important, it doesn’t help someone manage their diabetes or live well with it.
So here we are several years into the work of moving away from negative, judgmental words and messages and moving toward acceptance and messages that impart hope.
It turns out that there are many language movements going on right now, and that can get confusing. People can start to feel like they aren’t allowed to say anything and they are worried about getting in trouble. Or they might just feel like throwing in the towel and saying forget it. Or they may even be getting angry and annoyed about it.
The real goal is to become aware of our own words and messages as well as those around us – spoken and written. Do they impart judgment and shame, or hope and acceptance? Then start making small changes that align with the person-centered and empowering suggestions in the language guidance resources that have been published.
If you are stumbling on words for a while, that’s ok. That just means you are aware of the problem and working to change it. Thanks for that! Please don’t be afraid of getting in trouble, though. It’s like when we check a glucose and it’s high. It’s just information we use to make a decision. We don’t want people to be afraid to check due to fear of getting in trouble.
The only trouble with the language movement is if it stops moving…forward.