C’est le ton qui fait la panique

This episode dissects how our language fuels the prejudices we may have toward other cultures, those rites, and traditions we know little about.

Sometimes, through ignorance or a lack of curiosity, we judge, accuse, or stigmatize others simply because they are different, because they are foreign, or because we don't know their culture well. This attitude, often unconscious, feeds on prejudices that are themselves conveyed through our speech.

So why does our language tend to be negative and pejorative when it comes to cultures we know little about? How can we develop a language that is more open, more curious, and more respectful of our cultural differences?

To discuss this, Christian Malele, journalist and lecturer-researcher at the University of Information and Communication Sciences (UNISIC).