Doublespeak: Handicapping Our Language

So often we find ourselves using words that are overly complicated but it is all in hopes of being "politically correct." There are so many words out there that mean the same thing but one is offensive while the other means and says the same thing in a kinder way...

One example is tree hugger being a derogatory term for an environmentalist. Both of these describe people who care a great deal about our habitat but one is deemed offensive. Tree hugger is insensitive to the people who want nothing more than to protect their home. The image of a human being showing undying affection for plants and tiny animals can be outrageous in the sense that these are not a bunch of crazed folks but rather kind, caring nature die hards. They have respect for their planet and we show respect by calling them by the appropriate name, environmentalists.

Another, far more touchy subject is the word retard. Most of us have been known to call our buddies out on making "stupid" mistakes and poked fun at them-name calling is a natural tendency. For some reason though we have learned when it is okay to say certain things. Any person with morals would not walk up to someone who was retarded and call them a retard! In fact, most people would not even speak of them as being retarded and instead we say they are mentally challenged or even handicapped. These imply similar things, the person is unable to grasp certain concepts or perform all tasks because they have below average mental capacities but it is really just a matter of keeping everyone happy.

While we are on the subject of human handicaps let's not forget about restrictions on height. We hear it a lot more recently, midget is the incorrect term for someone who is below average in height (vertically impaired) and that they prefer to be called little people. Again, this is about keeping others happy. In hopes of not offending someone who may be a little person, we don't dare to call them a midget.

People generally say exactly what they want to say, they just find words that sound much nicer to do so.