Words are like arrows and can never be taken back.

Loose lips sink ships.

There are so many quotations that have been hammered into our minds since we were kids because of which most of us understand something called the power of words.

Words are magical in nature as they can sway us to perform the noblest acts or plummet mankind to commit such heinous crimes that are far more barbaric and ferocious than any act known in the animal kingdom.

Words begin with thoughts which if not checked, become opinions and then translate into deeds that are either destructive or productive in their intent. We are what we think and since this is one faculty that we do not share with our lowly cousins, doesn't it make it our duty to continuously evolve, to seek and embrace new ideas and to hold dialogues where disagreements and discrimination prevail?

Throughout history people have fought discrimination of various kinds and as they won their places as equals, certain words that were used to describe them became derogative in their usage. Words like nigga, chinky, jap, paki, sudra, oreo, banana, potato, fag, dyke, midget are considered to be hate words and do not reflect well on the person who uses them.

Yet, ironically these very communities have accepted these words as their own and given them communal power. It is perfectly okay for gays to use the words fag or dyke between themselves in humor, or for that matter blacks calling themselves nigga or my sister calling me a potato-brown from the outside but white from the inside. The interesting exchange between Daniel Woodburn and Roger Ebert on the derogatory connotations of 'midget' is remarkable, ending with Daniel crowning Roger <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050501/COMMENTARY/50429001">"You my midga"</a>.</span>

And we laugh it off, but if this same language were used by a person who did not belong to our community or against a minority, our response would be different.

To target a certain section of society in humor which one does not belong to is akin to walking on a tight rope and requires special skills and finesse which many seem to lack.

For example the movie <i>Harold and Kumar go to White Castle</i> was a well-rounded movie in its humor despite the lackluster storyline. The script writers made fun of all the races and I found it quite enjoyable, especially the ending. They made fun of the prejudices that plague our society but it was done without any deliberate malicious intent and that clearly came across to the audience.

This brings me to dark comedy where one finds enjoyment in the sufferings of another and trivializes their existence for they own amusement. That can be described as being thrown in a Roman arcade like the defenseless Christians in front of hungry lions for superficial amusement. There is absolutely nothing tasteful about comedies or satire pieces which promote snuff or other means of violence in the name of fun.

It is nothing more than verbal propaganda, spilling one's anger and hatred against certain group of people. It is akin to a bully mercilessly teasing his victim to tears and saying, "Well it was all done in fun, grow up, no harm done."

This kind of genre is for only certain kind of people and most healthy, sensible adults would shy away from its crude, raw and senseless appeal towards humor.

Words are no more than deeds and actions waiting to happen. To say something one does not mean is to have a loose tongue and once it's been said it sets a chain of reactions that may come back to haunt the speaker. They do reflect the mind of the speaker and most of the times the impression created by those words cannot be undone.