North Carolina has received so much criticism lately, due to the HB2 law. The House Bill 2, or bathroom bill, enforces people to enter bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex, and disables cities from creating protection laws for LGBTQ people. This controversy has the entire United States' attention and has done nothing but harm the state. Big sport associations like the NBA and NCAA has expressed concern for the law and claims they will rethink their connections to the state. Bruce Springsteen and Cirque du Soleil has even gone to the extent of contemplating whether to boycott the state entirely or not. Big corporations, like PayPal, have also dropped their plans of expansion in North Carolina.
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Now I can discuss the debate over the HB2 bill, and examine what The Washington Post and The Charlotte Observer had to say about it.
The House Bill 2, or bathroom-bill, is "an act to provide for single-sex multiple occupancy bathroom and changing facilities in schools and public agencies and to create statewide consistency in regulation of employment and public accommodations." (For the PDF of the bill click here) The bill was drafted and passed so quickly, no other states saw it coming. However, once it was passed as a law, Charlotte, North Carolina became one of the hottest debate topics. Two specific news sources offered their perspective on the issue, only not directly, but in the loaded language.
Jeff Guo, a part of The Washington Post, wrote an article, "The Cunning Trick in North Carolina's Radical New Anti-LGBT Law" about the topic. Right off the bat the title of the article already connotes a criticizing tone of Guo. The cunning trick implies HB2 deceives or tricks people and is hiding something from the public. "Anti-LGBT" also has a very negative connotation to it. Jeff Guo begins the article describing what the HB2 law is with an incredibly negative connotation compared to the neutral denotation as stated earlier above (from the PDF). Guo states the HB2 is "the most extreme anti-LGBT measure in the country -- forcing transgender people into bathrooms that differ from their gender identity and disabling cities from creating laws protecting LGBT people." Guo's description has a negative connotation because it brings into question value assumptions. The law forces people into bathrooms, suggesting that they go in unwillingly, and it disables the protection of the LGBT community. By using this description, Guo is challenging the value assumptions we have in believing everyone should have equal rights and the freedom to identify with whichever gender they feel is appropriate for themselves. For more of Guo's insight, click here.
In contrast, Steve Harrison of The Charlotte Observer offers his insight on HB2 in his own article, "In Tim Moore's Cleveland Country, a different view on HB2." In this article, Harrison also brings into question the value assumptions of people. He mentions a point about safety of children inside bathrooms. Safety is a definite value everyone holds dear, especially with children. But in the sense of how Harrison stated it, he is suggesting violence will occur if LGBT people are allowed into whichever gender bathroom they identify with. He says it would "allow men posing as transgender women to enter women's restrooms or showers." This statement suggests a negative thought in readers minds because most men are stereotypically perceived as a more powerful individual compared to women. Just the thought of having a "violent" man taking advantage of the right will implant an extremely negative image in readers minds. For more of Harrison's thoughts, click here.
Loaded language is utilized to indirectly persuade readers with positive or negative connotations of the issue at hand. By comparing The Washington Post's and The Charlotte Observer's article on the HB2 law, it is evident that writers use loaded language, whether they know it or not.
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