Wifey B: The so called PC. Not using derogatory terms to refer to Gays, Blacks, Jews, Irish, Chinese, Women, and others? Is that what you anti-PC'ers are against? Should you be able to insult anyone and call anyone any name you wish? Is that acceptable in your minds?
My idea of PC is to show respect to all people and I'm 100% in favor of it.
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
"Love thy neighbor as thyself."
Are those radical new PC slogans? I thought they were hundreds, even thousands of years old.
Anyone notice that the persons most against PC are those attacking others most rudely and bullying oftentimes?
And PC isn't just about language. It's about respect and decency. It's about equality. And things are not fixed until we truly live in a world where we believe and live as "all persons are created equally." Oh and I do have no problem rewording that from the Declaration of Independence as I believe our founders put in today's world would do the same. Different times.
However, as we argue as if these things are new, think back to it.
If I use a term or phrase that is offensive to other groups of people, even if not my intent, then I want to be educated as to it's hurtfulness and I want to cease using it. Words do hurt. Why? Because often they are accompanied by a deeper attitude and because often they are reminders of attitudes, prejudice, bigotry, and hatred. Sometimes it's so very subtle. I knew a very large man, gentle and friendly, who his friends often would use phrases like "you big dummy" toward. He didn't want to make them uncomfortable so he didn't tell them how hurtful it was, how all his life he'd fought a belief by many that to be that large, he must be dumb. It even went back to grade school where he wasn't as smart as others his size. He wasn't because he was years younger than them. I was stereotyped by my father. That hurt but I survived and overcame it.
Our language is powerful and a tool for good or bad. We can use it to influence. We can use it to uplift others or to put them down. However, they aren't just words and thinking words can never hurt us is foolish and short sighted. They do hurt and the words we accept reflect far more. The language we use is a far deeper reflection on our society and values.
Now, none of this has anything to do with the museum. The vandalism was wrong. Changing the word was a decision reached by the museum and it's easy to argue either way. However, to use their decision as a crusade against all political correctness and elimination of offensive language is ludicrous. Language evolves as society should but often seems not to progress.
I personally don't like the term PC because it's an abbreviation for Politically Correct. There should be nothing political about polite language. It should be Respectfully Considerate or something of that nature. It's not politics. It's human kindness and decency. I'd be all for letting PC go back to just representing Personal Computer. However, I'm all for not using offensive terms in referring to groups of people.
