Chamblee54

No, this is not Pensacola vs. New Orleans, although that is an interesting concept. It is the acronymization of Political Correctness vs. Non-Oppressive Language. It was written March 28, but is only now washing up on the shores of facebook. Here is how it goes:
Political correctness is a term which denotes language seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts, and, as purported by the term, doing so to an excessive extent.
Non-oppressive language is a tactic that encourages us to reflect thoughtfully and critically about the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which language furthers social stigma and oppression. It is an attempt to practice non-hierarchical language for the purpose of building safer spaces and an inclusive society. However, nonoppressive language may sometimes not be PC, as telling our experiences sometimes means pointing out the ugly aspects of our oppressors.
In less lofty language: Being ‘PC’ means caring more about the language used than the general idea. Non-oppressive language is trying to get to the root of our thought. Do not be proud of being PC! If you are trying to be ~radical~, then you should know that the PC ideal of not discussing the reality of oppression maintains the erasive status quo.
PC vs NOL is a dodgy subject, given to half witted thinking, preening proverbs, and petty petulance. It is a profusion of confusion, a protest about a contest. One of the contrarian corollaries is the matter of *inclusive language*.
Someone put this note up on facebook recently. “hey y’all, need a few fae who want to be on camera for a brief (less than 3 mins) interview about language use and the importance of inclusive language to them. Need to try and do it this weekend, open Fri-Sun, lemme know if your interested! “ This was puzzling to PG, who had no clue what inclusive language was, or why it was important. (He thought it was about using the correct gender pronoun, which can be tricky in modern America.) This exchange followed. What about an opposing view from someone who disagrees? // Bleeding lambs , Luther. // Liberals do the same thing, but the media doesn’t report it. // To everyone else, who is probably thinking, “huh?” I am referencing language that bothers Luther, to make the point that we all have things that bother us, and “inclusive language” to me means being considerate and respectful of that, not because we want to be politically correct, but because we care about each other. PG did not go on camera to discuss the importance of inclusive language to him. (If you follow this link, you will learn about why the term “bleeding lambs” is so touchy. It is a cautionary tale about the need for gentle language in religion.)
In the seminal telling of this tale, there are 215 notes. Here are a few of the comments.
The next person who excuses their hurtful use of language with something along the lines of, “I don’t believe in being PC” gets a copy of this and a kick in the pants.
I disagree; Political Correctness is a red herring. It is a term which has since its inception in the 18th Century as an object of derision and slander. Political Correctness – to be Politically Correct – is a red herring because it implies that the only reason to be non-oppressive, the only reason to make any kind of compromise in your language choice, the only reason to make any kind of change in your thinking, is for personal gain, political gain. Who uses the term Political Correctness? People who are opposed to the idea of non-oppression. People who refuse to compromise their language choice despite it being oppressive, despite it being hostile. People who choose personal gain by being seen as a rebel as those Government Nig… Uh, Governmentniks.
Political Correctness is nothing to be proud of because it is a term coined by those who wish to trivialise the idea that it is both possible and preferable to make language – particularly official, legal, professional language – as non-oppressive as possible.
‘Political Correctness’ is what the Daily Mail uses to describe anything it doesn’t like, which means anyone who falls into the categories of POC, all other women who do not read and enjoy Femail, poor people, queer people, people with disabilities &c. ‘PERLIDICKAL CORRICKNESS GORN MAID’ is the white middle class roar of indignation when anything that supports and furthers the causes of these groups occurs.
This is also why when some buttface leers like “I’m sorry you’re ~offended~” (making it all about me & my supposed demands for PC-ness & implying oversensitivity) whenever possible I like to look them in the face & calmly say “I’m more disappointed & grossed out than offended.” (ie, it’s all about YOU BEING AN ASSHOLE, not proper language and feefees.) It might not do anything but I refuse to let it rest at “it’s your problem for being hurt”
YES! I’m getting tired of having to explain that correcting someone on their language isn’t about being PC but about being respectful and acknowledging that language has the power to hurt. Now i can send them this.
This typing business is getting old fashioned. Here are a few random thoughts on the *matter*. If you get tired of this, and want to go look at the rest of the pictures, you are excused. The pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”
1 – Whoever hands out the labels controls the discussion. Obamacare sounds much worse than the affordable care act. Pro life is better than anti abortion. Don’t worry about the children killed in the wars that pro life people support The spell check suggestion for Obamacare is Macabre .
2 – Semantic discussions are so tiresome. Too much food for thought leads to moral indigestion. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Stream of consciousness is more fun to write than it is to read. The delete key is not just for breakfast.
3 – Languages are the creation of man. They are always going to have shortcomings. Words and phrases mean different things to different people.
4 – When self styled conservatives make fun non oppressive language, in the way they ridicule political correctness, the concept has arrived.
5 – People are proud of their ignorance and prejudices. When someone uses a term that offends/angers you, it says more about the sayer than it does the object.
6 – When you punish the use of a term, you make it’s use more appealing.
7 – There is more to respecting a person than refraining from the use of forbidden words.
8 – Often, the oppressors think they are the victims.
9 – If you are a sloppy typer, non oppressive can come out ono oppressive. John is rocking and rolling in his grave.
10 – It is not what you say, it is how you say it.
11 – If you are confused, it only means you are paying attention.
12 – The dominant religion of our culture has, as a cornerstone belief, the notion that “the bible is the word of G-d”. When you use this belief as a foundation for your culture, it should not be surprising when the basement leaks.