A problem that I’ve been noticing is people misusing words to refer to different ideas, or misconceptions. As an educated person, this bothers me. One of these misused words is “vagina,” which people use to refer to all of the female genitalia (external parts), when in fact it is only an internal organ. Vagina is the “muscular tube that connects the cervix of the womb to the vulva” (Encarta). The word is often misused in place of “vulva,” which refers to all of the female genitalia. Sometimes I’m confused as to what people actually mean when they use the word "vagina." I think this relates to the "mystery" around women and female sexuality.
Another word that people (including the guest speaker) fail to understand is “schizophrenia.” Everyone seems to think schizophrenia means multiple personalities (dissociative identity disorder). Schizophrenia is “a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness” and it usually “manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking” (Wikipedia). There seems to be a widespread misunderstanding when it comes to mental disorders.
I wish people would not have all these misconceptions, it just makes them look ignorant. I don’t mean to sound picky, but you don’t have to be an expert to know what certain words mean.
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