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cyrnel · 02-09-2006, 01:44 PM

It starts with respect, or the lack thereof. I would find it hurtful to have people conversing about my status without including me in the conversation, whatever the terminology. Retarded, disabled, challenged, it doesn't matter. Sure, it might be worse (or not) if they're intentionally abusive, but the overriding concern would be that some level of respect is shown. I don't care if you're a doctor, counselor, family, or curious onlooker. Include the patient, client, relative, or whatever their role to you. You may talk in the nicest tones, be fully up-to-date with your pc vocabulary, but the moment you drop "he's developmentally disabled" I'm on the short bus. The note above about using "a person with ..." is the best alternative I've seen here but is still third person. Putting aside name-calling and taught pc worries, the meaning and respect behind the words is what's important, and what eventually ends up changing their meanings through misuse.

Try it on yourself. Put yourself in the position of being helpless in one way or another and having people around you talking about your status using your own best Sunday vocabulary. PC is second. Treating it as a solution unto itself is a backwards approach.

Edit: I deleted something I shouldn't have. My theory is that PC is how people stop feeling guilty about the lack of respect they've shown or felt earlier in life, or that which they know exists in casual society. Many times we don't confront these attitudes/prejudices until someone close is affected. Maybe we just want to call out how different the actual situation is from the stereotypes. Connotations shift with time so perhaps "new and improved" is useful. Most of all, PC makes family and friends comfortable, with a side effect of reminding people to be polite. The patient has larger worries.

02-09-2006, 01:44 PM	#28 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	It starts with respect, or the lack thereof. I would find it hurtful to have people conversing about my status without including me in the conversation, whatever the terminology. Retarded, disabled, challenged, it doesn't matter. Sure, it might be worse (or not) if they're intentionally abusive, but the overriding concern would be that some level of respect is shown. I don't care if you're a doctor, counselor, family, or curious onlooker. Include the patient, client, relative, or whatever their role to you. You may talk in the nicest tones, be fully up-to-date with your pc vocabulary, but the moment you drop "he's developmentally disabled" I'm on the short bus. The note above about using "a person with ..." is the best alternative I've seen here but is still third person. Putting aside name-calling and taught pc worries, the meaning and respect behind the words is what's important, and what eventually ends up changing their meanings through misuse. Try it on yourself. Put yourself in the position of being helpless in one way or another and having people around you talking about your status using your own best Sunday vocabulary. PC is second. Treating it as a solution unto itself is a backwards approach. Edit: I deleted something I shouldn't have. My theory is that PC is how people stop feeling guilty about the lack of respect they've shown or felt earlier in life, or that which they know exists in casual society. Many times we don't confront these attitudes/prejudices until someone close is affected. Maybe we just want to call out how different the actual situation is from the stereotypes. Connotations shift with time so perhaps "new and improved" is useful. Most of all, PC makes family and friends comfortable, with a side effect of reminding people to be polite. The patient has larger worries. __________________ There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195 Last edited by cyrnel; 02-09-2006 at 01:57 PM..