I am always open to constructive criticism in regards to my writing. So when one of my classmates approached me regarding my Odyssey articles, I was happy to have open ears. I was flattered that he had actually read my articles enough to notice a trend through them. He expressed that he liked my articles, but felt I was holding back. I knew what he was talking about immediately.
I tend to write my articles as to not offend any specific group of people. For example, when I wrote my article regarding Greek Life, I sent it to a friend in a sorority. I was only very comfortable posting the Greek Life article because she and her sisters lauded it. Now, I am unsure what I would have changed if they had not given good reviews of the article, but the point is that their opinions mattered so much in my article. I didn’t think so at the time, but my classmate has convinced me that maybe their opinions matter too much to me.
Although part of the goal of Odyssey itself is to cater to what a college-aged audience wants to hear, another huge goal is to allow a forum where writers can express their own opinions, whether or not they cater to college ideals. When I first started writing for the Odyssey I gushed to my friends about how I could write about anything I wanted to, and that was why I enjoyed it so much. Since then, I have written on topics that interest me, but have held back in the details.
This is more of a reflection of our politically correct world than anything else. Certain words, phrases and even ideas seem to be deemed “off limits” because of their potential offensiveness. I agree that everyone should use caution when walking the line of politically correctness, but this caution has overflowed into too many aspects of our lives. We are constantly aware of the words we use and their connotation to the point that we are hindering our own thoughts and expression.
Too often have I found myself in a conversation where a person feels the need to whisper the world “Islamic” or “black,” or where a person even attempts to avoid using any word regarding religion or race. News flash: race and religion labels are not offensive, and should not be avoided in conversation; strictly offensive terminology and ideas should be avoided.
The line between offensive terminology and “politically correct” terminology can be very thin. However, constant awareness of the need to follow the rules of language that society has created for us, hinders our own creativity. Yes, understand the importance of politically correctness, but do not let it control your conversations and ideas.
As aforementioned, I am guilty of allowing the fear of offending a group of people alter my writing, even if just slightly. I think I was somewhat aware of this beforehand, but having it brought to my attention by a classmate really showed me how much politically correctness hinders my creativity. It would be unrealistic to say that every conversation I have and every article I write will from this point forward be politically correct but not be bound by that, but awareness is a step in the right direction.
