Refugees don’t benefit from being given a different name: in recent years it has become common practice to refer to them as “refugees” instead of refugees. This must be a mistake: they are looking for protection and help, not a new name. The mood for or against refugees does not depend on one word; and a refugee crisis remains a crisis, even if it is called a refugee crisis. In 2015, the “We Can Do It” year, the Society for the German Language proclaimed the word “refugee” to be the word of the year. There was then criticism that this “ling” word tended to have a derogatory meaning – such as intruder, coward or meanie. That’s why the word “refugees” was created as an alternative, which also has the supposed advantage of gendering migration. In fact: “refugee” is masculine, “refugee” can be used male and female.
When escape becomes a curse – opinion
