Words are very powerful and sometimes the words we use offend people. Free speech is highly valued, but what happens when your freedom becomes offensive or disrespectful to someone else? There are so many different types of people and different things that offend every person. Nowadays when we are more inclined to say what we want, we increasingly see the words that are said offended. It's hard to understand why certain words might be offensive to someone when it might not seem that way to you. We need to ask ourselves: why do we care what others say and should praise everything that is made public just so people don't get offended? In the article "You Can't Say It," author Diane Ravitch talks about how certain words are deleted from books or not shown in movies because they might offend certain groups. In the article, Ravitch argues that although it may seem like we live in a world where anything goes, the truth is that this is not true. Diane does some research and gathers a list of over five hundred words that are routinely deleted from textbooks and tests. Some of the words include cowboy, brotherhood, yacht and primitive. Personally I think the censorship of words nowadays is a bit extreme. I understand that some groups might be offended by such words, but why shouldn't everyone else get the original words the author is trying to write because of this. By removing any words that might offend someone, are we subconsciously trying to make everyone the same? Ravitch writes, “The great irony of sensitivity review: It has evolved into a bureaucratic system that removes all evidence of diversity.” Sensitivity review was originally supposed to encourage diversity. In the end, it's actually making everyone identical and causing wrong equality. For example, if we're trying to chronicle a horrible historical period but can only use "politically correct" words, it's much harder to bring feeling and sympathy to the story. I firmly believe that I can say anything I want to say. I think if you don't say what you want, then you have no personality and you can't stand up for what you believe. If words are so effective, how much power can a word actually have??