If you were glued to the TV like I was during the GOP Debate, or you’ve been on any social media site, you know that Donald Trump had a lot to say on Thursday night. Despite his shamelessly racist remarks and blatantly sexist comments, my favorite Trump quote of the night was his wild string of nonsense regarding political correctness. Trump said, “I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I’ve been challenged by so many people and I don’t frankly have time for total political correctness, and to be honest with you this country doesn’t have time either.” Well, Mr. Trump, I don’t know what your watch says but mine says we have PLENTY of time for political correctness. In fact, we have all the time in the world for political correctness. However, for people like Mr. Trump, whose schedule is jam-packed with making sure racism and sexism are alive and well, I’ve taken time out of my busy day to come up with a few quick, easy tips for staying politically correct.
Come up with a few replacement words in your vocabulary.
Do you remember the Orbit gum commercial that played during every commercial break in 2007? The commercial was called “Dirty Mouth Test 37” and it featured some of the best fake euphemisms I’ve ever heard. From “Who are you calling a cootie queen, you lint-licker!” to “You son of a biscuit-eating bulldog,” this commercial is a gold mine for offensive word replacers. Whenever you’re about to speak, pretend you’re in this commercial—problem solved.
Try to slow down a little.
In this fast paced world, where there is LITERALLY no time to waste, it’s very easy to forget to think through what we’re saying. Take a few extra seconds to say to yourself, “Is what I’m about to say hurting someone? Has my privilege blinded me from recognizing what is and isn’t okay to say? Could what I’m saying right now categorize me as an asshole?” If the answer to any of those questions yes, pick some new words! Worried about the loss of time spent thinking through the words spewing out of your mouth? Don’t worry; the time you lose in these few seconds will be more than made up for when you don’t have to spend hours getting into fights on Facebook.
Care about people and recognize that your feelings aren’t the only ones that matter.
I know, I know. It’s a crazy concept but if you could recognize that you are not the only person who exists, you might actually be able to see how your words hurt others.
In short, it's really NOT that hard to be politically correct. It involves a little bit of creativity and the assumption that other people’s feelings matter. Hope reading this didn't take up to much of your time! Unless, of course, you're Donald Trump.
