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Date Posted: 07:53:11 09/17/07 Mon
Author: Trys
Subject: 1984
In reply to: Deep Diction 's message, "Re: Is an ethnic slur an ethnic slur, even if it isn't?" on 17:09:46 09/16/07 Sun

I thought that Orwell's proposition was cracked when I read it as a young teen. After taking a degree in linguistics, I still think it's cracked.

The value of political correctness, if it has one, is that it does point out to us which of our attitudes might need further consideration. But language alone doesn't have the power to change our cultural disposition toward a gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or anything else.

If you don't believe that, then let me ask you two simple questions. How many euphemisms can you think of for a toilet? Now how many can you think of for a chair?

We try to find more polite ways to express notions that are uncomfortable, embarrassing, or otherwise unacceptable. But a receptacle for excrement will always be what it is, and we're not likely to change our attitude toward it simply because we call it "the powder room." We use that term to indicate that we're aware that "toilet" and the concepts it implies have cultural taboo.

Is the term "African American" more than a euphemism? When we use it, are we really not just expressing the notion that prior racism and discrimination practices should be unacceptable? But what happened to make them unacceptable? It wasn't simply the term itself. Otherwise, you guys wouldn't be able to come up with a thousand other words for penis in five seconds flat.

The cultural attitude shifts, and the language reflects it. Not the other way around.

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