Devin
Well-known member
I know everyone's discussing political correctness here, but I prefer to be "politically correct" out of a desire to be respectful, not out of a desire to avoid offending people. I don't use the word "jap" because it is rude, and it is related to these kinds of appalling sentiments from an era both countries are trying to move past:
The word "jap" also involves a link to a time when the United States saw fit to imprison anyone with Japanese ancestry even if they were US citizens. This was disgustingly inhumane and a dark part of our history. It's not something that should be forgotten, but also not something that should be made light of.
I choose to be "politically correct" because I choose to be respectful of all my fellow humans and judge people on their personal actions and not those of their race, nationality, religion, or other category. I don't worry about being offensive, I worry about treating people with the same dignity I would expect in return. If you say that "all X are terrorists" then would you expect to be able to have a dialogue with X or would you expect them to treat you with hostility?
Avoiding offensive remarks is about being a decent human. Are there times when people need a slightly thicker skin and a better sense of humour? Of course. I enjoy a disparaging joke about Canadians as much as the next guy. Does that mean it's okay to be rude and casually racist/jingoist/sexist/etc because you disagree with political correctness? Absolutely not.
The word "jap" also involves a link to a time when the United States saw fit to imprison anyone with Japanese ancestry even if they were US citizens. This was disgustingly inhumane and a dark part of our history. It's not something that should be forgotten, but also not something that should be made light of.
I choose to be "politically correct" because I choose to be respectful of all my fellow humans and judge people on their personal actions and not those of their race, nationality, religion, or other category. I don't worry about being offensive, I worry about treating people with the same dignity I would expect in return. If you say that "all X are terrorists" then would you expect to be able to have a dialogue with X or would you expect them to treat you with hostility?
Avoiding offensive remarks is about being a decent human. Are there times when people need a slightly thicker skin and a better sense of humour? Of course. I enjoy a disparaging joke about Canadians as much as the next guy. Does that mean it's okay to be rude and casually racist/jingoist/sexist/etc because you disagree with political correctness? Absolutely not.
