Friday, May 24, 2013

Political Correctness

I don't believe in Political Correctness, but I do believe in respecting your fellow person. I'm sorry, should I have written "fellow man"? Does "person" offend your anti-PC senses? Bite me. I'm not PC, but I am inclusive. I try to be respectful. I try to understand other people's perspective.

Language evolves as our society and culture evolves. Some people are nostalgic for those archaic words that have "suddenly" because offensive. News flash: it wasn't sudden. It was after years of that word being steeped in racism and/or sexism that it began to carry that context with it. If you want to use that word anyway, then you should be aware of the connotations that your words carry.

The reason that certain people can use certain words is that those words carry different connotations when used by different people. Sure, I can see why that kind of double standard can be frustrating. That's life, though. You can bitch about it or you can accept it. Sorry, you can't change it.

If someone is offended by the words you use you have two choices. You can blow them off as too sensitive and ignore their feelings or you can try to understand where they're coming from and try to be more empathetic and less offensive in your language. As long as you understand that intentionally being offensive will only reflect on your own lack of regard for others, go ahead. If you're okay with sounding ignorant and disrespectful, then be as racist and sexist as you want. But if you want people to show you the respect that you think you deserve, then you might want to think about what you're saying.

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Okay, enough vaguery. Let's take an example. I'll skip over the obvious and look at the word "colored". Honestly, it makes me cringe when my boyfriend talks about laundry and says something like "I'm doing coloreds." I know it's stupid, but I can't help my reaction.

I have that kind of reaction, silly as it is, because the word carries a strong negative context. There was a point in time when it wasn't anything. It was normal. But that was during a period of oppression of the very people to whom the word referred. When you say "colored" you sound like you're out of a Civil Rights documentary - and not the part where the modern historians reflect on the past. No, you sound like the oppressive white people.

On that note, let's look at the other side of the coin and reflect on the word "white" (at least as it refers to humans). It hasn't changed in forever. White people (as a whole) have never been specifically targeted for oppression. There has been no period of time that has steeped that word in some negative context. "Whitey" might be a bit controversial in a sort of Black Panther kind of way, but it's generally not a big deal. It's used more as a joke than as an offense.

Ok, I'll come back to the obvious and briefly mention the n-word. Everyone has heard some white person bitch about the double standard that says that black people can use the n-word but white people can't. I've heard (and thought about) a few explanations. One of them is that black people have earned the right to use the word. "Fuck you, we earned it." Another is that black people have intentionally evolved the word to take the sting out of it. The one I come back to is what I mentioned before: words carry with them a different context when they're used by different people and around different people. Words aren't just words. Words have meaning. If you're white you can't use that word because when you say it you bring only your experience and your history. You have no idea what experiences lie on the other side of that word.

And seriously? Why is it that big of a deal? Why do you want to use that word? The only reason I can think of that you would want to use that word is hate. And that word carries nothing but hate. So if you are full of hate, go for it. But don't expect me to maintain any semblance of respect for you if you do.

Ugh.