I remember, a little bit ago, how we would laugh over the politically correct terms we were to use instead of what were common--and we would make jokes. Of course, one of the jokes was that the politically correct term for 'short' was 'vertically challenged.' 'Bald' men were 'follicle-ly challenged.' And so on. Now, I'm not, by any means, trying to say we should go back to the days when 'those words' were used commonly--and we all know what 'those words' were--but it is getting a bit ridiculous.
I recently read an article that had a list of 'correct' words as opposed to the 'incorrect' ones. To say I was appalled, is putting it mildly. Really now, just WHAT is wrong with some of these 'incorrect' words? And here is part of the list:
WRONG word/term---CORRECT word/term
- disabled person, crippled---person with a disability
- confined to a wheelchair---person who has a mobility impairment
- quadriplegic/paraplegic---person who is paralyzed
- stroke victim/suffered from stroke---person who has had a stroke
- epilectic---person who has epilepsy
- mute---person without speech
I don't know, but this seems a bit over the top. It is getting to the point where you are afraid to wish someone a good day, for fear they'll sue you after having the lousiest day of their life! Other than saying 'hello,' if you are unfamiliar with a person, you have to watch every word you utter so closely, that conversation is difficult, at best. That place north of the Arctic Circle that I continually threaten to move to, is starting to sound more and more welcoming every day.
Oh, no, no, no- "disability" is not the PC term these days, I forget what "they" are calling it now-"differently abled" or "impaired" or something. The whole point of PC-ness is to eliminate any negativity, which is why "dis-anything" is a no-no. We all should feel good about ourselves, no matter what's wrong with us-that's the point of PC-ness. I say that ironically, because no matter what you want to call it, I'm deaf. "Hearing impaired" implies that I have difficulty hearing, while the reality is I just can't hear, period. PC-ness really irritates me.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble with PC terms is that they're such a mouthful-which is why some people would prefer to say "cripple" instead of "person with a mobility impairment".
Yep! And that's just ONE of the many reasons why I do not talk to strangers for FEAR of saying something totally un-politically correct!
ReplyDeletePolitical correctness and all the rules therein makes me want to stick a fork in my eye.
ReplyDeleteYes, ladies, I agree on all points. The worst part of all of this--as Meleah said--is the worrying when you have to talk to people you don't know. You never know when you will 'offend' and whether the person will possibly sue! It is really getting crazy.
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