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Originally Posted by JinnKai
If we evaluated everything we said to see if it could be offensive to someone, we'd never speak. Likewise, we'd never make social progress. After all, making social progress MEANS saying something that people will disagree with, even get mad at. Even further, we'd be a useless society so involved in being "politically correct" that we couldn't say or notice anything without being inconsiderate or sex/age/race/class-ist.
On the other hand, if everyone took accountability for their own fucking emotions, we would be a more intelligent society, one in which people didn't get upset because X person said Y comment to me and thus it means that I am A B and C. One that wasn't effected so drastically by the media, one that wasn't so afraid of everything from SARS to Terrorists, and one that had much less violent emotional reactions. Domestic violence, revenge killings, or oh-no.. terrorist attacks, maybe?
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I work with people who evaluate everything they say to see if it "may" be offensive to someone. These people speak publicly in front of very diverse audiences and have to choose their words and phrases very carefully AND do it in "realtime." In other words, they don't always get the chance to write out or rehearse these speeches.
I've watched them give these impromptu speeches numerous times on extremely touchy subjects such as racism, classism and sexism. Sometimes, they have to side with the "unpopular" choice (such as commenting that a particular sign hung up on campus is NOT sexist or racist). They don't offend anyone as far as I can tell when they make these speeches. They're very, very good at it. You might say it's easy for them.
So why isn't it just as easy for everyone else?
On the other hand I agree that people should lighten up on the whole P.C. thing ... nothing pisses me off more than watching a demonstration or art exhibit get shut down simply because it's not politically correct.
In an ideal world, people WOULD be more responsible for their own RE-ACTIONS as well as their own ACTIONS. But that's just not the case. You can choose to be annoyed by it ... or just move on.
The cliché "sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never harm me" is a good one to live by, but so is "THINK before you speak."