Official Politically Correct Handbook
Doug Johnson,
Blue Skunk Blog,
Jan 17, 2008
I guess today is a more politically oriented version of OLDaily than usual. That's OK; it is helpful to see the ideas at work behind many of the technologies and pedagogies we face today. In this item, the well worn euphemism of 'political correctness' is trotted out for our view. Such a wonderful word, it has really served its purpose well. What purpose? Very simple: by lumping all admonishments to correct language under one meaningless lable, you associate the very vile language of racism and hate with very innocuous language of minor miscues and impoliteness. This makes it seem like objecting to the expression of hate is really something very trivial, and that the people advocating 'political correctness' are being petty. In reality, the people who use the phrase 'political correctness' are trivializing and normalizing hate, making it seem like this really hateful and hurtful language is part of everyday speech, to which nobody reaosnable would object.
Now is Dough Johnson advocating racism here? Of course not. But he is using verbal shorthand that has been provided to him by - and serves the purposes of - people who use language to hurt people.
Now is Dough Johnson advocating racism here? Of course not. But he is using verbal shorthand that has been provided to him by - and serves the purposes of - people who use language to hurt people.
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