Re: Origin of PC terms

[Pat Madea <madea -at- MMSI -dot- COM>]

Regarding Glenda Jeffrey's post:

(snip)

 >Geoff Hart wrote:
 >
 >>     I've also had lots of difficulty accepting politically correct
 >>    language. For example, why do we say disabled (not able to do
 >>     something, a less-offensive form of "invalid") instead of handicapped
 >>    (having a disadvantage compared to non-handicapped people)? The latter
 >>     is both more accurate and less offensive.
 >
 >I remember reading once that there is an evolutionary process for such names.
 >A new name comes into being because the old name has too many negative
 >connotations. Then, after some time, the new name starts to take on all
 >the negative connotations that the old one had, and the cycle starts again.
 >
 >For example: invalid, handicapped, disabled...
 >             colored, negro, black, african-american...
 >
 >Has anybody else heard of this phenomenon?


I haven't heard of this phenomenon, but I have watched it with
amazement, as I'm sure others have.  With regards to PC-terms and how
they change, I don't see them evolving so much as metastacizing.

Look at the stakes involved with regard to using PC terms when talking
or writing aout highly-charged issues, such as abortion.  Simple,
straightforward word describing a medical procedure.  One can be
against the procedure (anti-abortion) or for the procedure
(pro-abortion).  But, those terms have almost disapeared.
Now we have the terms pro-life and pro-choice.  Now, what
do those PC terms mean?  I'm for both: life and choice.

Really, for better or worse, it seems that almost all alleged-PC terms
are nothing more than Mad Avenue euphemisms.  George Carlin does a
wonderfully humorous and slashing take on PC terms and it's worth
checking out for those concerned with PC-ness.

IMHO, clear, correct language may not popular but it's always PC.

whoa... there's my 2-bits, 4-bits, 6-bits, a byte!

madea  //  madea -at- mmsi -dot- com