Last Updated on: 23rd April 2014, 03:23 pm
You know the old saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names, or words, will never hurt me?” If that’s true, then why is there all this political correctness bullshit? It’s always bothered me, because it doesn’t solve anything.
Let’s think about this. Back in the old days, the actual technical terms, with no bad intent, for someone with a developmental disability were idiot, imbecile and moron. Then those words got stigmatized, so instead of dealing with the attitude, they changed the word. I think the next one was mentally retarded. And when you think about that word, there is nothing offensive about it. Mentally slower. That’s all it means. It’s the most honest word we’ve had so far. But that wasn’t good because people started calling them retards. So let’s change the word again. How about handicapped? Delayed? Nope, same problem. How about challenged? Special? Well let me ask you this. Ever heard the sentence, “You’re special, in the olympic sort of way.” Or, “He has…challenges.” to describe someone who someone thinks of as stupid? What’s happening, boys and girls? Different words, same stigma. And now the words’ meaning doesn’t even come close to what it’s being used to describe. AT least retarded and delayed were honest words.
And, ever notice that an asshole can still be an asshole even if he uses the “right words”? Changing the words doesn’t change the problem. And the funny part is, while it gives assholes the means to veil their attitudes in polite words, it makes the honest good people become too afraid to so much as speak to people who are different than them in any way, for fear they’ll use the wrong word to offend them. Nothing is funnier than watching someone go, “So, have you been v-b-v-um, uh, that way since birth?” Or, “Can I say see and look and watch?” All political correctness does is make it very obvious who is different, and put up barriers.
I’m not saying we should use the old words. It’s too late for them. But I’m saying stop making new words. Put the brakes on PC and let’s start changing the attitudes! If we don’t, we won’t be able to say anything because anything could have a bad connotation.
