Remember that childhood rhyme: Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. The truth, we would discover, is that words do hurt people. Vocabulary can be threatening, demeaning, dehumanizing, abusive, and even life-threatening. The words we use make a difference. We know that words like ‘stupid’ offend a particular part of the population. Using those words can either be merely insensitive or purposefully inflammatory. As used in this headline, we mean for it to be inflammatory so that one is more likely to pay attention.

This raises a delicate question, though, about when it is appropriate to censor certain words or types of language from our vocabulary. Just because we may not like a word does not mean that it fails to hold meaning when used in context. Context is often the critical element that determines the intended use of a word. Many words have multiple meanings, for example. How does one know which meaning is intended? By the context of the sentence in which it is used. Remove the context, and the definition becomes ambiguous.

Keyword searches are the enemy of context. One frustrating example popped up yesterday when we discovered that images of the famed B-29 ‘Enola Gay’ were being removed from military websites because a keyword search had flagged the word ‘gay.’ Never mind that the airplane was named after a person, or that to previous generations the word simply meant ‘happy.’ Keyword searches aren’t bothered by context. They are a binary function that simply returns what is requested.

So, how should we respond when government agencies, on orders from the president, begin removing keywords from government documents and websites without considering the context? The New York Times flagged the following examples:

What we see in these examples is that vocabulary is not being removed or changed because it is inappropriate or false, but because doing so removes facts and information that opposes the administration’s agenda. The censorship represents a stupid move by stupid people. And yes, we’re still using the word ‘stupid’ in its most inflammatory sense. Anyone who is offended by the TQ in the LGBTQ+ acronym is lacking in intelligence, understanding, and some degree of humanity. Anyone offended by the term ‘racial injustice’ is demonstrating racism, which is a characteristic based on stupidity. Anyone offended by the term ‘climate crisis’ is as dense as a block of bricks.

We already know that, despite his claims to the contrary, the current president is far from being the most intelligent chief executive the country has ever had. His policies are a nightmare. His economics are a minefield of disaster. His foreign policy is destructive. His domestic policy is life-threatening. Intelligent people figured out the deficiency of his brain power during his first administration. But as more words are added to the ‘do not use’ list, what the administration is hoping to accomplish is pure evil: They want to erase the very concept of things they do not like.

In the warped minds of this White House, if we stop using the word ‘race,’ then they can’t be accused of being racist. If we stop using the T in LGBTQ+, they can’t be accused of being transphobic. If we stop using the phrase ‘climate change,’ then they can deny responsibility for the actions that cause it. Do you see how this works? They’re trying to change the conversation, strip away the words that make them look offensive, in an attempt to hide what they’re trying to destroy.

Here’s a list of all the words the NYTimes found on the do not use list. Notes: Some terms listed with a plus sign represent combinations of words that, when used together, acknowledge transgender people, which is not in keeping with the current federal government’s position that there are only two, immutable sexes. Any term collected above was included on at least one agency’s list, which does not necessarily imply that other agencies are also discouraged from using it.

The list is likely incomplete. Various departments within agencies can add to the list at will. What we notice, though, is a war on our culture, our humanity, science, our sexuality, our mental well-being, and even our sense of community. Failure to use these words makes documents inaccurate. Failure to use these words omits people from the conversation and denies their existence. Failure to use these words is, you guessed it, stupid.

Combatting this despicable act is easy: use the words. Look for excuses to use these words in every letter, email, and social media post into which they can be squeezed. Bring the words up in conversation. Use the words in speeches, lessons, lectures, and sermons. Make sure everyone around you is both hearing and seeing these words. The more they are used, the less effective their absence from government documents.

This list amounts to government censorship without reason. We have an obligation to fight against this kind of censorship. We have to be intentional, indignant, and purposefully offensive when it’s appropriate. We are not dealing with intelligent people here. The words on this list only offend people who are undereducated, misinformed, weak-minded, scared, unintelligent, and desperately seeking attention. There is no reason to placate them on any level.

It’s okay to use words that hurt stupid people. All of them.