“So who's more adult- somebody who works like mad to avoid a problem or somebody who works like mad to solve it?” - Janet Kagan
In today's society, too many people are concerned about what people are saying, vs what they are doing.
As George Carlin once said:
"Political correctness is America's newest form of intolerance. It’s especially pernicious because It comes disguised as tolerance. It presents itself as fairness yet attempts to restrict and control people’s language with strict codes and rigid rules. I’m not sure it’s the right way to fight discrimination. I am not sure silencing people or forcing them to alter their speech, is the right way to solve problems that go much deeper than speech."
The words we use currently to describe one another are terrible. Whomever decides how words change first does so by making the existing word something full of shame? For example, the word "cripple" has been changed from "cripple" to "physically challenged." This is nothing but an obvious attempt at making said group feel better about themselves and their condition. Society thinks that they might as well change the word used to describe a targeted group and use it in attempt to mask the truth momentarily. The same is true another phrase used to describe "cripples," that being "differently-abled." We're all differently-abled! No person on this planet has all the abilities in the world. Tom Brady can't sing as well as Beyoncè, just as Beyoncè can't play football as well as Tom Brady can. You can do things that I can't do, and I can do things that you can't do. This is true for everyone on the planet. We are all differently abled. Cripples do not need some honorable term to make them appear better in the eyes of someone else.
There are many other words that have changed over time in addition to "cripple." One of them being the words used for ugly people. Now, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Not everyone will find everyone else attractive and guess what, that is okay! What matters is that you find yourself beautiful. Who cares if not everyone else will find you attractive? Do you find everyone attractive? The answer is probably no, and that doesn't make you a bad person. Sure, it isn't nice to be called ugly, but would you rather be told that you have "severe appearance deficits?" I doubt it. Once again, it's just nicer words strung together to make people feel better about themselves.
I'd talk about Donald Trump, someone known for his kind words about people, but he's just one of the thousands of politicians throughout the years that people have been fascinated with every word that a politician speaks. Either what he says is no less offensive when you take his words and make them politically correct -- as you'll see later.
Going back to George Carlin, the following phrase: "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king" becomes "In the land of the visually impaired, the partially sighted person is fully empowered." This just goes to show that this PC language is useless.
My fellow University of New Hampshire students will remember UNH's "Bias Free Language Guide" -- for those who did not get a chance to look at it you can find it here. Many other UNH students and I would agree in saying that this guideline won't help "build a better campus climate." In order to build a better campus climate, the school should focus on the actions of students, not what they say.
To put it simply, political correctness does nothing but beat around the bush. They're just words at the end of the day! There is no need to create more "pc" words to replace other words just so that people can feel better about saying it. Yes, there are some words that should be avoided like racist slang words but words that don't actually severely offend anyone should be avoided. Why should I call someone "of larger body size" when I can just call them fat? It means the same thing and it's not like someone doesn't realize they are heavier than other people. Would calling someone "of larger body size" or my personal favorite "horizontally challenged," make them forget that they're more than overweight? No. Why can't I call an insane person, insane instead of "reality challenged." It doesn't change the fact that the individual is clinically insane. Also, reality is challenging, so in a way, aren't we all 'reality challenged?" I'd go into each politically correct term, yet there are so many of them and most of them are quite ridiculous, so I'll simply link a few sites.
Wiktionary
These words have never bothered us in the past. If they did, those words would have not been assigned to whatever they are describing. Something happened along the way where people started to become more sensitive. In my opinion, if you prefer the PC language and are offended by words that aren't PC, then you aren't ready to be an adult and aren't prepared to be a functioning member of society. There are bigger problems in the world than what we as humans are saying. Actions matter more.
It doesn't matter what people call you. Whether you're fat, short, ugly, gay or any other non-pc term, you're still an amazing individual. Nothing can change that. Do not let words dictate how you or anyone else sees you. You are not some pile of words, but a complex, loving individual with a family, friends, hobbies, abilities, talents, interests and dislikes -- just like every other individual out there. So please, don't settle for the politically correct terms, and don't judge people for not using them. Instead, judge someone for how they act. At the end of the day it's not what you say but how you say it.
Take something Trump said for example.
"“Laziness is a trait in the blacks. ... Black guys counting my money! I hate it.”
Politically correct that quote would be:
“Laziness is a trait in African Americans. ... African American guys counting my money! I hate it.”
Now, in both instances the quote is terrible and offensive. Did being politically correct soften the racism? No.
Once again, it's not what you say but how you say it and certain words shouldn't offend people more than others. They're just words and as always, actions speak louder than words. Now go out there and continue being an amazing individual who won't give in to the pressures of using politically correct language nor let words define who you are.
