Everyone knows — intuitively, at least — that the words we choose to use powerfully influence our moods, attitudes, and behaviors. In these times of extraordinary stress and anxiety, I suggest that the last thing we should be doing is aggravating our fears by using inflammatory, hyperbolic language just for the fun of it.
The giant Asian hornet has captured our attention lately, for good reason. These dudes are definitely bad news, but they are not “murderers.” They’re just doing their genetically predisposed thing, regardless of how harmful and destructive that thing is.
Last I checked, with the possible exception of some distant simian relatives, we humans are the only species that “murders,” meaning we are capable of deliberately killing, either with “malice aforethought” or in the heat of (human) emotion.
Using the nickname “Murder Hornet” — especially in headlines and social media commentary — serves no purpose other than triggering more anxiety and fear on top of what we’re already trying to cope with on a daily basis. And by the way, before choosing to murder a flying insect, please review how to distinguish between the giant Asian hornet and our many types of beneficial pollinator bees.
