Political correctness
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Political correctness (or PC for short) means using words or behavior which will not offend any groups of people. It is often seen as important for everyone to be treated equally, fairly and with dignity. Some words have been used for many years in ways which may have been unkind to some people. Sometimes these words have now been replaced by other words that are not offensive. Such words are described as politically correct.
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[change] History
This term has been used since the early 1990s.
[change] Examples
Politically correct words or terms are used to show differences between people or groups in a non-offensive way. This difference may be because of race, gender, beliefs, religion, sexual orientation, or because they have a mental or physical disability, or any difference from what is considered the norm.
[change] Political correctness with gender
Throughout the 20th century women have been fighting to have the same rights as men. In PC language this is seen in changes to job titles such as "lineman", "postman", and "chairman" which are now called "lineworker", "letter carrier" and "chairperson" or "chair".
[change] Political correctness in sexual orientation
People who prefer sexual partners of their own gender are called "gay" (for males) and "gay" or "lesbian" (for females. "Homosexual" is mainly a medical term).
[change] Political correctness in medicine
People who are mentally disabled are now rarely described as "mentally retarded" but may be said to have "special needs".
People who are blind or deaf may be referred to as "visually impaired" and "hearing-impaired". People who cannot speak are never "dumb" but "mute" or "without speech".
[change] Criticism
Some of the new politically correct words are often criticized for being rather ridiculous. Some examples of these are the terms ending in challenged. For example, someone who is very short might be described as "vertically challenged". People also say that things that are obviously bad are called by something else which hides the fact that they are bad. For example, young people who are in trouble with the law, instead of being called "juvenile delinquents" became "children at risk". Some PC terms may be ambiguous i.e. have two possible meanings. "Hearing impaired" can also mean someone who is only partly deaf (hard of hearing).
Words alone cannot be good or bad. It is the way in which they are used that determines whether people feel they are good or bad. If one person's attitude towards another person is unkind, then new politically correct terms will also start to sound offensive. The important thing is to treat everyone with respect. This is apparently what PC tries to do.
