I ran across this editorial (more of a rant really) and wondered what all of you thought about our society's vigilant efforts to make all language politically correct. Are we on the right path? Have we inflated its purpose to the extreme? Or has the whole concept of PC been ridiculous from the get-go? I'd love to hear what you think!

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A RED, FRAGRANT FLOWER BY ANY OTHER NAME

Im madder than kids stuck in summer school because well, folks, society assumes were all idiots. It assumes they can dress up hamburger by calling it filet mignon.

Ive heard two phrases in the last couple days that made my ears hurt. An airline commercial was yakking on about a travel experience instead of a flight, while a financial advisor on a talk show was gabbing about negative cash flow instead of what we amateurs call it: losing money.

Folks, when did it become necessary to replace perfectly serviceable words with a few that dress the situation up without adding a damn thing? When did rain become a precipitation event, which I heard on the news a couple of weeks back? 
 
Naturally, Im going to answer my own question! It started off as politically sensitive job descriptions in the 1980s custodial engineer instead of janitor, flight attendant instead of stewardess, and the comedic domestic goddess instead of housewife. These were created to give added dignity and psychological upgrades to professions that were not exactly Ph.D. level but were important to the smooth functioning of our society.

Along with that, we got the gender non-specific firefighters instead of firemen and waitstaff instead of waiters and waitresses. I dont have a problem with manholes being called utility holes or police snipers who prefer sharpshooters. Real estate agents stopped selling houses (which were mere structures) and are now selling homes (the place where dreams and families are made).

I get all of that.

I honor the wishes of people who prefer African-American to the names I once knew (black or Afro-American), or men and women who would rather be called Latino instead of Hispanic. All of that makes sense. What I dont get is who decided that everything should come wrapped in high-falutin verbiage? Again, let me answer my own question. I blame two groups. First, the sociologists and psychologists who decided that no one should have their feelings hurt, or that something should be made to sound less bad than it really is. Were told that its damaging to say that someone is uneducated, so now they simply lack a formal education. People dont die, they pass away. The homeless live outside the circle of architecture. (No, Im not kidding.) Second, I blame the attorneys and insurance agents (sorry, insurance product portfolio professionals) who insisted that every statement have qualifiers to avoid potential lawsuits. Apparently, someone who is caught on video holding up a store is still an alleged robber. How long, I wonder, before robber becomes unauthorized borrower? Were no longer speaking in words. Were spouting dictionary definitions.

The caution in our language is helping to kill us slowly. Instead of learning to communicate, were learning to obfuscate. Instead of doing what we did in the 1960s, were expressing the way it may be or the way someone wishes it could be, so they dont sue us or suffer psychological impairment.

I liked it better when it was telling it like it is.

-- Edited by garougal at 13:53, 2007-08-17