eh...let me pull out my P.C. notebook and right that in. I have to say that is the first time I'd ever heard that word. I always knew a cleft lip to be just that.

Holy Crip she's a Crapple

-Peter Griffin

Please waste ink else where . . .

Did she refer to a PERSON as a 'harelip' or did she say they HAD a harelip. I think there is a big difference.

If the former is the case, I see a big difference in saying someone is retarded and calling someone a retard.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source

hare·lip –noun 1. a congenitally deformed lip, usually the upper one, in which there is a vertical fissure causing it to resemble the cleft lip of a hare.
2. the deformity itself.

Also called cleft lip.

In the 16th century, it was a French Doctor who, when discussing a patient with a cleft, first coined the phrase that would be translated, "Lip of the Hare". In English it was more comfortably shortened to "HareLip". It was an unfortunate pairing of similes. The good doctor was only reflecting that the lip was split, as is the lip of a Hare (and every other rodent). But unfortunately for those who were born with a cleft, the hare had also long been associated with witchcraft!

It was believed throughout the dark ages and even to relatively recent times that a witch would often take the shape of a hare. And if a hare were to frighten a pregnant woman, she would give birth to a child bearing the mark.

In the 17th century the hysteria surrounding witchcraft rose to a new and frightening level. And it was during that time that the hare had become a symbol of Satan himself. A woman bearing a child with the mark of the hare, or a harelip, at that time, was thought to have had to have had relations with Satan. And thus, the cleft-affected child born of a woman, say, in Salem Massachusetts during the mid 17th century, in the midst of witchcraft hysteria would have condemned his mother to a violent end. That baby would have constituted "irrefutable evidence" of his mother's unnatural liaison with Satan.

Fast forward now to the 20th Century. Many people still use the term, "HareLip" when they mean to say, "Cleft Lip". Do they associate our children with Satanism and witchcraft? No, surely they don't. But it is nonetheless a term that has persevered in our language, long after a more accurate, more appropriate term has been coined.

At the very least, the term, "HareLip" likens our children to a common field rodent. It is not a soft, fluffy bunny. It is just a rodent. At the very most it harkens back to a darker past. A past that would never have happened were it not for massive hysteria on the part of a superstitious and almost militantly religious population. A past that condemned our children as the Devil's Seed, and condemned their mothers to death.

taken from widesmiles.org

In the 16th century, it was a French Doctor who, when discussing a patient with a cleft, first coined the phrase that would be translated, "Lip of the Hare". In English it was more comfortably shortened to "HareLip". It was an unfortunate pairing of similes. The good doctor was only reflecting that the lip was split, as is the lip of a Hare (and every other rodent). But unfortunately for those who were born with a cleft, the hare had also long been associated with witchcraft!

It was believed throughout the dark ages and even to relatively recent times that a witch would often take the shape of a hare. And if a hare were to frighten a pregnant woman, she would give birth to a child bearing the mark.

In the 17th century the hysteria surrounding witchcraft rose to a new and frightening level. And it was during that time that the hare had become a symbol of Satan himself. A woman bearing a child with the mark of the hare, or a harelip, at that time, was thought to have had to have had relations with Satan. And thus, the cleft-affected child born of a woman, say, in Salem Massachusetts during the mid 17th century, in the midst of witchcraft hysteria would have condemned his mother to a violent end. That baby would have constituted "irrefutable evidence" of his mother's unnatural liaison with Satan.

Fast forward now to the 20th Century. Many people still use the term, "HareLip" when they mean to say, "Cleft Lip". Do they associate our children with Satanism and witchcraft? No, surely they don't. But it is nonetheless a term that has persevered in our language, long after a more accurate, more appropriate term has been coined.

At the very least, the term, "HareLip" likens our children to a common field rodent. It is not a soft, fluffy bunny. It is just a rodent. At the very most it harkens back to a darker past. A past that would never have happened were it not for massive hysteria on the part of a superstitious and almost militantly religious population. A past that condemned our children as the Devil's Seed, and condemned their mothers to death.

Dictionary.com needs to get their act together as well. Whether a person is called a "harelip" or has a "harelip" is of little significance...either is a deprecating description. Clearly, Mizell did not use this term out of malice or hatred, just ignorance of the negativity of the word.

"...Clearly, Mizell did not use this term out of malice or hatred, just ignorance of the negativity of the word."

And as we all know, not using PC speech is grounds for having your first amendment rights revoked.

Satire aside, 20 years ago it was acceptable to call someone "Black." Now if you don't refer to them as "African American" it's not considered PC.

Frankly, I don't like the term "Caucasian." Does that mean anybody caught using it is a racist? Does it mean they're using it out of ignorance? Doubtful.

I really get sick of these politically-correct -- holier-than-thou critics always trying to tell people that since what's being done isn't "PC" that it's somehow immoral or wrong. Whatever happened to the idea of "tolerance" from the PC community? You folks can dish it out, but taking it is an entirely different matter.

"It is time that these unfortunate labels born from ignorance find their way out of the vocabularies of supposedly educated people, Southern or not."

Nice parting shot by Mr. "holier-than-thou" Brown. Not only does he denounce, Ms. Mizell's article, but characterizes all southerners as ignorant, and possibly discriminatory of folks with handicaps and deformities in one tight-phrase.

I don't know about you, but I think there's a pot calling for a black kettle around here.

I believe the argument is against stereotypes of any kind here, and is referring back to the irony stemming from the ignorance of ANY persons choosing to use or refrain from editing such slurs. It is not a condemnation of Southerners, but a comment suggesting that even educated people, from wherever, can be ignorant of certain things. The 'Southern' aspect would seem to refer back to the 'Tobacco Road" review itself.

"It is not a soft, fluffy bunny. It is just a rodent."

Buggs Rodent?

Easter Rodent?

Pleeze!

"It is not a condemnation of Southerners, but a comment suggesting that even educated people, from wherever, can be ignorant of certain things."

Sorry bumblehawk but I'm not buying it. The LTE could just have easily said: "African or not" yet that would have easily been seen as offensive. There is a long history of Southern-folk being portrayed as dumber than average. I mean, it's the exact same argument you used above with regard to witches.

It's amazing! When the PC crowd is caught red-handed doing what they condemn there's a mentality that it they can get away with it because they subscribe to "tolerance." You know what, no matter what you say I think Mr. Brown was taking a shot at Southerners. However, I'll be the bigger man and not require him to apologize.

One thing is quite obvious on this thread. No one, including the author of the LTE seems to have read any works by Erskine Caldwell, William Faulkner, Mark Twain, or any other southern writer.

This has little to do with "PC", but rather with human events, struggle, and mostly literature.

Mr. Brown's criticism is a valid one; I believe journalists have an obligation to use politically correct language, and I regret "politically correct" has almost become a derogatory term in itself.

In any other circumstances, I would have used "cleft lip," but I was using Erskine Caldwell's description, which appears often throughout the novel. I thought it had been used in the play as well; however, I believe Brown says it's referred to only as a "split lip" in the production.

My apologies to anyone who took offense.