Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 22:09:10 -0500 From: Stephen Subject: Re: PC Language >Wayne Glowka wrote: > >> We can't call the dorms >> anything but "residence halls." > >Good heavens, what do they do to you if you slip up and call them dorms?? > >To my real topic: is the term "PC" still an insult? I ask because it's an >expression I've never felt comfortable with and never fully, I think, >understood. > >For example, in this discussion, I kind of like some of the terms & ideas >listed as PC ("diversity," for example), and feel neutral about others >(dorm ---> residence hall, checkup--->wellness check), while others >(procurement-----> purchasing) strike me as foolish and comical. > >Does this mean I'm a hopeless lefty, or what? I guess what I'm asking is >whether the term PC can only be used meaningfully within a group of >people with essentially similar political views. I don't know whether >this is the case; I'm genuinely asking. > >I should add that I'm familiar with the phenomenon of the politically >narrow-minded. I recently played the role of Ruth in Pinter's _The >Homecoming._ I was criticized by a conservative religious acquintance for >playing a slut, and by a liberal acquaintance for performing in a play >she considered misogynist. > >Both these readings of the play struck me as shallow and cripplingly >limited; but is one "PC" and the other not? Why? And what about my other >lefty and feminist friends who are for multi-culturalism but happen to >like Pinter? _Is_ there a clear definition of what's "PC" (and bad) and >what's not? > >Kate Catmull kate[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]bga.com > >As a left-handed person, your use of the terms "lefty" and "hopeless lefty" struck me as peculiar. As you used them, the terms seem to have a somewhat negative connotation, which struck me as odd coming from someone who seems to be concerned about political correctness. I am proud of being a "lefty" and I certainly do not consider myself "hopeless" as a result. What's the deal?