It is hard trying to always be politically correct. I can never figure out why “colored people” is not politically correct but “people of color” is. Is “people of retarded” politically correct?
“I can never figure out why ‘colored people’ is not politically correct but ‘people of color’ is.”
No reason whatsoever, except that “colored” was popular in the past, while “person of color” is more recent. Though at the time used by the well-meaning (also the condescending and pandering, but that’s no different today for any PC-approved terms), “colored” nonetheless had to become unacceptable. First because racists used it, too. More importantly because PC language must change or die.
Someone might tell you “person of color” is better than “colored person” because the former puts the person first, or somesuch nonsense. Don’t listen. “Colored” is wrong for the same reason “African-American” is better than “black,” however tenaciously black clings to life: so that you can use it as a weapon against people who still say it.
What a mighty political tool it would be for us conservatives if suddenly comfotable liberal language mutated into no-no naughty words. For instance, if Obama’s beloved “fairness” sounded to Jane American Idol like “communism.” Oh, the fun we’d have.
“What a mighty political tool it would be for us conservatives if suddenly comfotable liberal language mutated into no-no naughty words. For instance, if Obama’s beloved ‘fairness’ sounded to Jane American Idol like ‘communism.’ Oh, the fun we’d have.”
By the way, this has already happened, with less guile than for liberals, as they have more practice. Somewhat recently liberals were asking, “Since when did it become such a bad thing to be liberal?” This was around when the public started associating liberalism with what it actually is: a bad thing. You remember, back when Clinton was talking about the era of Big Government being over.
Well, the lady Clinton and others like her insisted on being called “progressive.” This was presumably partly because of liberalism’s bad name, partly because of their awareness of the paternity of their ideology in the pregressive era. Eventually progressive became a bad word, too, again because it was associated with progressive policies.