I really can't stand the fact that we can't say BLACK or WHITE without getting a dirty look from some people. The thing that really makes me laugh though, is when I see people, teachers especially, tip toe around the race of people. The race that people always have trouble saying is black people. I laugh everytime a teacher starts talkinng about culture and race because when it comes to black ethnicity, they pause and get an "oh crap" look on their face and then the say african american. This is what goes on in their minds, "Damn, should I say Black? That might offend people. I'll just say African American to be safe." This happens to all people who are not black. One thing I find funny also is that white people feel guilty about calling an African American "black" because of history. Well, its not really funny but it does have some humor in it.
I do understand the need for some poltical correctness though. Imagine if there wasn't. It would be like living in the time before the civil rights act of 1964. There would be people openly using the word niggar or spic or guck openly, because whether we like it or not racism still exists. I may be exaggerating the amount of use of racial slurrs, but I might not be. I know plenty of people who are racist which really pisses me off. It is in this situations that political correctness is useful. I think its best applied to people who are in office and those that are racist.
I know I am jumping around from subject to subject but I get really irritated when this topic comes up. I feel its a good thing in certain situations and in others, people go to far. It's like our freedom of speech has been severely restricted. That is why I loved the Chapelle Show so much. For my generation, he was the one who bent and broke the boundaries of what was considered politically correct. When he was hosting his show, he once said that white people say that all black people look the same and he shot back that he thought that white people all look the same. This is funny but can be considered politically incorrect.
I hate racism and I hate it sexism even more. But being politically correct all the time severly limits our freedom and this is one thing I value above almost everything else. If I can't say black or white in my class because I fear being politically incorrect than there is something wrong. Race and Gender terms are the biggest contributers to being politically correct. I haven't mentioned the gender poltical correctness terms because I can't keep a a clear thought in my head if I address that issue.
This notion of being politically corrects comes from people who have been oppressed by certain words for such a long time that it's undrstandable when they lash out with this notion. But people can take it too far. I say we should learn to live with the notion that there are some people who are just plain jerks out there and even though we place certain rules on them, some won't ever change. I know it sucks but that is reality.
Being politically correct is hard to do in daily life. What is politically correct to you and I may not be for someone else. Whenever I refer to individuals of other races, I have to pause and think about the best politically correct word that can be used in the situation.
ReplyDeleteIt is ironic that if an African American uses the word niggar it is fine but if I, as a Caucasian use the term it is racist. How can the African American be offended by a term they often refer to themselves as? Is it not politically incorrect for them to use it just as if I used it? It is a double standard and seem racist in it own way.
When it comes to sexism, the same questions can be asked. What does not offend a women from one culture certainly will offend one of another culture. When coming from males, certain words seem to have much different meaning than if the same word was used by a female.
Politically incorrect is a term that is in an individual thoughts and not set standards on paper. We need to be aware of certain words or terms that are offensive to people but must also consider that when they are used in a proper context, they are not politically incorrect. Not all politically incorrect words should be and as language changes we must realize these terms and words which offend other will change as well.
I despise political correctness as well. I do agree that sometimes you need to be politically correct, just because it's plain polite, but this really has gotten out of hand. I, a Caucasian female, may not call an African American male a black dude, but he can call me a white chick. It may be racist for me to call him black, but then isn't it still racist for him to call me white?
ReplyDeleteAlso, it is politically correct to call a black person "African American", regardless of the fact that many of them have never seen Africa. Yes, they can trace their roots to that continent, but they were born and raised here. I was born here, but my grandma came to the States from Austria in the 1950's. I can trace my roots to Austria, but that doesn't make me Austrian American, I'm just white.
Unfortunately, political correctness is the way of the world now. I don't think that people will ever be comfortable with what others are, just because there are jerks, like you said, and there are sensitive people who get offended easily by these jerks. It's sad though. Imagine how much more productive our society would be, if we would all stop making a big deal of our differences, and instead saw ourselves as human beings,just like their neighbor.
-Alley