From: PL436000@BROWNVM.BITNET (Jamie)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.politics
Subject: Re: We, The Persons
Date: 5 Oct 92 14:18:55 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU

>From:         Larry Landwehr <larry@DUCKTALES.MED.GE.COM>

>                           Larry Landwehr
>                           Copyright 1992

Quoted without permission.

>In the last few years the American English language has undergone
>a revolution in vocabulary.  Certain words have been banished or
>fallen out of favor.  This has taken place with many people not
>being fully aware of it.  Mostly it is older people who know what
>has happened because they remember how people used to talk.

Wow, like, 1984.
Only what exactly is meant by "banished"? You aren't permitted to
use certain words? Or some people won't like it if you do? There
seems to me to be a big difference.

>Remember when the phrases "cultural diversity", "alternative
>lifestyle", and "same gender families" would have left people
>wondering what the heck you were talking about?  Now many people
>use the words "sensitivity", "empowerment", and "disadvantaged"
>without bothering to explain what they mean.

And some people use "banished" without bothering to explain what
they mean.
However, I agree that "empowerment" is a mushword, at least. It seems
to be just a general word of praise, without any specific content.
[Thus ends the friendly portion of our posting.]

>At the same time many words that used to be perfectly acceptable
>have fallen into disfavor or have been banned from public speech.

"banned." Meaning what?

>Such words and phrases as "divorcee", "indian", "unwed mother",
>"lesbian", "Negro", "stewardess", "meter maid", and "waitress" are
>no longer used in public speech.  These words are "sexist",
>"intolerant", "bigoted", "racist", "biased" and they show "cultural
>insensitivity" to boot.  Now we are forced to use the words "native
>american", "single mother", "sexual orientation", "african-
>american", "flight attendant", and "server".

Oh, right, we're "forced" to use those words. I forget, is it the CIA
or the IRS who is forcing us?

Let me go a bit further. We used to be allowed to use words like
"nigger," "kike," "adultress" (thanks, Linda), and "faggot." Now
we are forced to use some PC wishy-washy alternatives. Maybe it's
all those wops or micks who are forcing us, but I prefer to imagine
that it's the worldwide federation of hebes.
We're now told that all those good ol' words are "racist," "sexist,"
or "biased." Hey, I say, too bad. I'm reclaiming my right to free speech.

>People no longer
>receive welfare, they receive "public assistance" or are
>"recipients" or "clients" of "entitlements".

Yeah! And blacks no longer "shuffle," they "walk." And Jews are no
longer "Christkillers," they're "people of alternative faith." Gosh,
there's just no end to this nonsense, is there?

>Many of the old words had negative connotations.  The new words do
>not.  The reason many of the old words had negative connotations
>was because the behavior associated with them was behavior that the
>majority of the public did not like.  People did not like divorce,
>homosexuality, unwed mothers, and people who would not work.  These
>activities and conditions were not looked upon favorably.  They
>were not in the "public good".
>
>Now days, we have to keep such opinions to ourselves.  We cannot
>utter such opinions because the words used to express them have
>been banned.  We cannot even talk about "values" and the "public
>good" without being mocked and attacked.  People have been deprived
>of the only tool useful in public discourse - words.

Now let's just see here. "We have to keep such opinions to ourselves,"
unless of course we decide to express them. "We cannot utter such
opinions because the words used to express them have been banned."
Watch this.

"Unwed mothers are bad. Their lifestyle is contrary to the public good."

Incredible, isn't it?
Then again, I have a way with words, I've always been told. Maybe
I could be vice-president.

>The English language is literally being emasculated.  The word
>"man" is being rapidly driven out of the English language as being
>too "sexist".

Literally being emasculated.
I guess that was supposed to be a demonstration of how to misuse
words.

The word "man" is not being driven out of English. It is slightly
plausible that it is being pushed into a corner where it would
refer to men, and not to women. Is that supposed to yield a loss
in precision or clarity? Or a gain?

>We no longer talk of "sex".  We speak of "gender".  We call people
>"the homeless" instead of "bums" and "hobos" even if it is a
>voluntary "lifestyle".

Some of us still say "sex" when we mean sex. I do. Somehow I haven't
been locked up yet. Just lucky.
And of course, we now speak of "Catholics" instead of "papal lackeys,"
even if it is a voluntary "lifestyle." That's just too much. Call a
spade a spade.

>Companies place advertisements that say "equal opportunity
>employer" and "affirmative action" in the same ad and yet we see
>no logical conflict.

Let's see what the logical conflict is supposed to be. Or maybe we
can't, because all of the words needed to express it are banned?

>This vocabulary revolution has had far ranging effects on people's
>lives.  It has placed limits what we can say in public.  It affects
>how we think about things.  We no longer think about ourselves as
>a "people".  We think of ourselves as a collection of "persons" who
>revel in our "diversity" and fight over government handouts.
>Jackals have better manners.

Right, I know that manners have suffered severely since we stopped
using pejorative terms to refer to people of races we don't like,
and surely saying "gay" instead of "faggot" has made us less
of a single people. Now that I can't call Roy Cohn a "homo," I am
unable to think of him in a negative light. And it's made me want
to fight over government handouts, too. I think there's only one
way I'm going to be able to get off the dole. Let me try it now.

Whore! Slut! Jigaboo! Pickaninny! Garbageman! Redneck! ChairMAN!!!!

Just doing my part to bring us back together as a people, and send
all those welfare cheats back where they came from,

Jamie
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