I have a big problem with political correctness, in my view it highlights differences more than anything. It also creates stress and tension as people have become afraid to address others in case they get it wrong.
In South Africa most white South Africans have a deep sense of shame due to Apartheid even though most of us did not subscribe to the policy nor were consulted in any way, we were left feeling a profound sense of guilt. Now some have become silly about it, I know someone who takes this to an extreme. She refers to Black People as “Brown people” (and she’s not the only one), now if I were black I would find this highly insulting. I interpret this as saying that there is something wrong with being black so we need to soften the word to make a black person feel more comfortable, why? What about the proud terms such as “Black power”? It’s condescending and says that being black is something to be ashamed of. Sometimes over kindness becomes another form of racism, for instance if a white person does something to annoy another white, the person who is hacked of is more likely to deal with the situation honestly and in a manner most true to their nature however if a black person does something to annoy a white the white is more likely to take a softer stand and pussy foot around the person who has wronged them. The response to the black is less true and honest and therefore in my view through ‘kindness’ racism is being displayed.
This takes me back to an incident a few years ago. I was at a shopping center and really needed to go to the loo. I dashed into a cubicle and when when I exited a lady in a wheelchair started to shout at me. I had used a cubicle with a wheelchair sign on the door. I still don’t know if I’m right or not but in public toilets I took this sign to mean that this particular cubicle has the space and facilities to accommodate a person in a wheelchair not that it is exclusively for their use, unlike a parking space which is wider and closer to an entrance which is for exclusive use. None the less I felt bad and apologized thinking that my interpretation of the sign must be wrong. But this ‘lady’ went on and on raising her voice and humiliating me. I apologized again but still she would not stop, then angry at her attitude and rudeness I eventually told her to f*&k off. Later I felt bad that I had lowered myself to her behavioral level but maybe that was the best way to handle her, I did not treat her like a pitiful creature who should be handled with kid gloves, I responded as I would have to anyone else who had pressed enough buttons and pissed me off.
I am deaf in one ear, if I were to loose the hearing in the other call me deaf, that’s what I would be.
When we feel that we have to dress others up in words which attempt to mask what they are we are saying “you are not ok, I need to airbrush your image”.
We seem to have over sanitized language, rendering it lifeless. We are so scared to offend that we end up offending.
Maybe some think I’m wrong, that’s alright, we are all entitled to an opinion and the world is sometimes more interesting when we disagree. I like things better when we keep it real.