Abby Dees thinks we should start over on when thinking of political correctness and instead just go for a genuine good faith effort of mutual respect.
As Abby Dees points out in this short video: “The original idea of being “PC” is that on a daily basis our words and actions should support an environment of respect and equality. That sounds good. The problem is that this message got lost, and people thought they were being asked to say certain things or refrain from saying other things and their own common sense of what’s right and wrong didn’t matter any more. However well-intentioned the PC police are, there has to be a better way to communicate. So let’s just start over on this one, and let’s just forget about political correctness completely.”
…by the way, I offer as proof of my position practically every posting that preceded MINE…..
Bless her heart….
Her sage advice and derision of knee-jerk, paranoid political correctness was completely trashed with one phrase out of one sentence in the two minutes and fifty-two seconds she spoke:
“….check with an attorney when in doubt….”
Since most laws are written by or participated in by lawyers, even the part just in front of the above mentioned quote that blames legalities for trumping her championing of common sense and sincerity ring pretty hollow….
Copy. Being offended out of ignorance like those clowns at the university I mentioned is one thing. Having a selectively and conveniently thin skin is worse and worst of all is feigned offense as a scheme for manipulation.
copyleft. Being offended doesn’t make you right. It does, however, give you some clout at the HR office. They’re not concerned with who’s right, only whether the offended person is from one of the Accredited Victim Groups. Big hoot a year or two back. A guy working at an Indiana university was reading a book during a break on how the Klan came to South Bend many decades ago and the fighting Irish undergrads whipped their ass. Some of his colleagues who were black decided they were being subjected to a hostile work environment and he had a hell of… Read more »
I couldn’t agree more, Richard. Being offended gives you added clout with HR and the VP of Diversity (or whoever’s charged with avoiding lawsuits), but it’s a far, far cry from actually being RIGHT.
As you may have noticed, the question of who’s actually right and who’s wrong has far less relevance than it should in everyday life. What REALLY matters is who can get some authority or influence on their side.
Hey, Rich….
I am SO fond of the phrase “Accredited Victims Group”, and since you’re the first person I’ve ever read use it, do I have your permission to use it as well…?
LOL
The definition of whats offensive is so murky amd wide, that people feel that they should limit their interactions with certain people for fear of offending them.
So resentment then grows over them having to police themselves.
And everyone can contribute to this environment of mutual respect by assuming goodwill on the part of your colleagues, rather than seeking out opportunities to take offense.
Remember: being offended doesn’t make you right.