Thread: Being  'PC' (politicly correct)

Mitsu said Human languages are complicated, messy, and sometimes lacking reason. They evolve out of a practical need to communicate, and the become more complex as we gain a desire to express less practical ideas and concepts. A stone is simple, and so is a wheel. Wrap that wheel in rubber, give that rubber treads, and bolt on a hub cap, and suddenly the simple word wheel means so much more. This process isn't very difficult to understand when it comes to the material world. We create new things, and come up with new words to describe them. However, less tangible concepts are at the mercy of the people that use them. We give words power! A word is not harmful, but the connotation behind those words can be powerful. The meaning we give words are what gives them power, and what evokes the emotional response. If I say fuck after hammering my thumb, only some people may mind. However, if I tell a person to fuck off, there's a much stronger connotation behind it. Why would fewer people mind in the first case, but more in the second? The word is powerful in that some in society view it as a dirty word. It's foul, and only because those people see it as such. In their minds it's a word used by the mean, the harsh, the criminals, and the unsightly. As we normalize, the extremes aren't so extreme anymore-- more normal people use the word. In the second example, the word usually holds a very negative connotation. It expresses a strong desire for someone to leave-- a hateful desire. A person can purposely decide that the word no longer holds such weight, but the intent behind it being spoken is still there . The very person who said it still recognizes the connotation, and still harbors those strong feelings. The words that have the most power are often the messy words we use to convey our feelings-- the less tangible concepts. Racial slurs are typically very offensive. More than any other category of words that I can think of, racial slurs are invented out of extreme prejudice and hate. They embody every negative emotion a person could convey to another, and possibly represent the physical turmoil those hated people have suffered throughout history. These words represent some of the most irrational, mindless, hateful expressions we can possibly make to another human being. They are the very example of how we give words power. They are perhaps the very example of what is wrong with us as a race. Yet these are still words, and like any other words we can strip them of their power. We normalize, we strip away the power some of these hateful words have. Over time they lose power, and are eventually forgotten. While they are still around, one still needs to understand that they hold a connotation, and that those connotations are often very powerful. So, why when someone angrily shouts the word nigger, they're reprimanded, but not while during casual conversation? The variables are many, but it is often the intent. The things people say when angry are often loaded with negative intent, and are used most often to harm the mental condition of another human being. In casual conversation, the word has simply been normalized to the point that there isn't any negative intent. Then again, perhaps the word is merely said in like-minded company. It is my belief that people decide to be politically correct to spare people from the very power we give words. It is something employed out of compassion, but most often as a veil to hide a person's true intent and feelings. To be politically correct is often deceitful and dishonest it's just another dirty tool. Click to expand... This is spot on. The psychological connection between words and actions runs deep for our species because we have evolved an incredibly complex language center in our brains. The very fact that this discussion exists is proof of that fact. Other species do not even consider what their language means. At the most base level, it is meant to convey something an intention, a warning, a range of emotion. There is no consideration about whether that sound usually vocal for most species has an emotional impact on its recipients. Now existing in a heavily post-modern world has exacerbated this condition. We are highly aware of ourselves, our past, and the impact that something might have - be it a word spoken or otherwise. We have a greater predictive ability because the vast majority of what we do has been done before. We know that certain words will garner a negative reaction because others have tested this. The sociological impact therein is polarizing. Aware that a fraction of the collective vocabulary is emotionally connected, most people will avoid those words because they unfortunately tend to have negative, rather than positive stigma. However, a small demographic will utilize powerful words to add clarity to their message - especially one designed to penetrate. This is logical since we are bombarded with so much information daily, but much of it, save positive and negative extremes, never enters even our short-term memory, let alone long-term. I want to emphasize that what I just wrote is strictly my opinion and has whatever merit you award it. I just found this topic interesting and felt the urge to contribute. LOL! Oh and for the record, fat people are fat because their fat cells are more engorged with lipids. Humans have a relatively similar amount of fat cells for their proportions. The difference in appearance is due to the contents of these cells. Obviously these contents are not distributed evenly since certain people collect greater fat deposits in different regions of their body think female vs. male fat deposits. When an individual gets liposuction, actual fat cells are removed and it is often harder for the subject to keep fatty weight off because they body tries to make up the difference, detecting lost storage.