This column first appeared in the May 18, 2012 issue.
A talk radio personality cast aspersions on a woman and publicly sneered at her point of view on an issue he views with contempt. People objected to his crude characterization of her; some of those who objected were accused of trying to enforce “political correctness.” I remember having a conversation with a group of men who, after making observations among themselves about the physical attributes of a woman, griped that they “can’t say anything to women these days.” I told them, graphically and profanely, to be quiet.
“We (men) have been getting away with murder for centuries. In what way does it hurt you to shut up?” They complained that when say a woman looks “nice,” they get reported to Human Resources.
“Well, yeah, you slobby dog! Especially when you add in the Groucho Marx eye leer and the rubber-neck, up and down, full body survey!” I cannot understand why some people are contemptuous of the notion of doing and saying the right thing, or being “correct.” After the death of my good friend, a hospice nurse came to his home to remove or destroy his unused medications. She commented that the disposal of medications in the drain was not “politically correct,” as she made the air quote gesture. I told her that modifying our behavior in the face of new information had nothing to do with politics. She concurred, perhaps influenced by the bright gleam in my eye.
This is one of several different definitions of the term political correctness: “the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.” (Emphasis mine.) Along those lines, a friend told me that a coach she knows claimed that the team name “Moccasins” had to be changed to “Mocs” to be politically correct.
“That’s crap!” I exploded. “Are they going to rename the snake? What about the footwear?” I probably shorted out the possibility of a meaningful discourse, but I could not understand why an intelligent, reasoning adult would not see the giant hole in that logic. And now, I would like to touch the “third rail” of so-called political correctness: racial designations. Christina Berry is a Cherokee writer and producer of the Web site “All Things Cherokee,” who addressed the subject of what to call the people who greeted Christopher Columbus in 1492. Are they “Indians” or “Native Americans?”
“The terms Indian, American Indian, and Native American are an over simplification of a diverse ethnicity,” she wrote in an online article about cultural designations. “In the end, the term you choose to use (as an Indian or non-Indian) is your own personal choice. Very few Indians that I know care either way. The recommended method is to refer to a person by their tribe, if that information is known.” She continued, “What matters in the long run is not which term is used but the intention with which it is used.”
Some people spit the term “political correctness” in a derisive and dismissive manner, as if politics is the only driver on the road to change. My two good friends are teachers and both have come to use the term “African-American” to refer to people who share my particular cultural background. They do this, not because I have asked it of them, but because they have new information. I’d like to think that this is not a political change, but a conscious effort to avoid offense.
I am not being “politically correct” by not ogling you, ladies. I’m being smart.