She Was Good

I've been practicing Mandarin Chinese whenever I can. This morning, I told my dog she was 乖乖 "guai guai"—well-behaved. Not 好 ("hao"). Not "good."

Because in Mandarin, 好 means something different. It means high quality. Doing well. Being okay.

Even though my dog is high quality (to me), I wanted to say she's well-behaved. The distinction matters.

English doesn't always make these distinctions so easily.

We use "good" for everything: good quality, good at something, good for you. A good time to meet. A good look. Morally good.

All the same word. All different meanings.

Which creates a problem.

Because when we stop paying attention to which good we mean, we stop paying attention to what matters most.

—-

Renee Good was a mother. She cared about the students and children in her community. She showed up when it mattered.

When ICE agents confronted her during what appeared to be an act of nonviolent civil disobedience, they shot her.

They killed a woman named Good.

Now there are armed agents patrolling streets. Going door to door. Asking neighbors, "Do you know any Asian people here?" Demanding papers.

This is happening in neighborhoods where my family lives. Where my friends live.

Is this high quality work? Is this skillful? Is this appropriate?

Is this morally virtuous?

The agents might say they're doing good work. Following orders. Keeping people safe.

But good has many meanings.

And when we conflate them—when we pretend that following procedure is the same as doing right—we lose something essential.

The work being done right now is neither 乖乖 nor 好.

It is not well-behaved. It is not of good quality.

And it certainly isn't Good.

Maybe it's time we started paying attention to which one we mean.