Black Dog Blog

Given what I superficially know about it, I find Sapir-Whorf convincing, and not just because it sounds like Worf (the idea of linguistic relativity, for me, now being inextricably linked with having a head like a Cornish pasty and occasionally a bit of a Fu Manchu 'tache).

I think that's a large part of why I don't think political correctness is a bad thing. And why I like the idea gender-neutral pronouns and terminology a lot. For example, my mental image of "nurse" is still female-biased, and that sucks. And if I have to call someone "she", I'll start thinking of them as a female. I can't help it. I'm a human and hard-wired for English and we just don't have standard GNPs any more, and that sucks too!

Besides, the way I understand PC is basically as an attempt to be polite to people and make the human dimension of the world a bit nicer. That's why I tend to consider anyone who seriously argues against being nice to people mentally lazy at best and a closet (or not-so-closet) bigot at worst.

No matter how many whinges you find in the Daily Wail about someone's local primary school OMG BANNING CHRISTMAS, I'll never be sorry that it's no longer acceptable to call someone "boy" and "nigger" and stop him using the same drinking fountain as everyone else. Because WTF, people, can we get a side order of proportionality over here!

Mind, I'll defend to the inconvenience your right to say the word nigger, but when you don't get invited to many parties as a result of shouting it at strangers, I'll be very glad. I find good manners and social disapproval far more healthy means of control than legislation.

"Good manners gone mad" isn't quite as catchy for your red-masthead headline, is it? Quick, let's find Cllr Strawman and see if we can get a snap of him taking down fairy lights so's not to offend Muslims…

(edit, tomorrow: I note with little surprise that the "in popular culture" section of the S-W article is one big list of things I either have really enjoyed or mean to read someday (well, ok, the Rand is neither and Inheritance isn't all that special). I guess I'm not the only writerly person with whom the idea resonates.)