First I'd like to say I've only read the messages since 4/2 so I apologize up
front if I'm
being redundant.  (I've had company for the past two weeks and just cleared
out my mail
box parcel and post every few days without opening messages.   I'm too lazy
to read the archives.  And of course, this is a long post, but by now you
should expect any post
from Denise will be long  :D

"Labels" have always been of interest.  Probably because like Kyle, " .. when
I was a kid I
was "crippled", then "handicapped", then "disabled", after that -
"handi-capable."  And
yes, just like Kyle, "(the smarminess makes me wanna puke)," too.

I'm fascinated by the sociological implications of the increasing attention,
the trend to
tread or wheel lightly when addressing someone who is "different."  Of course
this
phenomena isn't a disability exclusive.  The country's PC obsession ALMOST
escaped me.

Several months ago, I had a very interesting exchange with a gal from my
critique group.
She is African-American and Native-American.  Being the nosey and often
brusque
individual that I am, I decided to stomp over the egg shells and just ask the
question,
"What do you think about the PC labels?"

Her answer probably revealed less than the trepidation I felt about broaching
the
question.  We (as a society) have become so sensitized to offending others
with a name it
boarders on the ridiculous, ALMOST.   When talking to friends I'm often asked
what's the "correct" or preferred term to use when referring to some with a
disability.  Like just because I'm disabled I know the secret handshake
everyone should be using.  My take on this is like
Ken Barber's,  "a rose is a rose and i just try not to be a stinkweed witch
is a stinkweed."

Kyle has a good point too, "... whether we call a North American aboriginal
an "Indian"
or "Native American", it's not going to help her find a job, education,
health care, etc. ...
Give me a fair shake at housing, health care and a job for which I'm
qualified and you
can call me anything you damn well please."

This is basically what the gal from my critique group said as well.  Her main
concern was
for her children.  They have problems with the kids calling them rude names
at school
because of their ethnic background, but hey?  Who here wasn't called every
offensive
name in the book by the kids at school?

The kids who call you gimpy or cripple in school (with malice) usually grow
up to be
adults who harbor these same sentiments.  Personally I don't care what you
call me as
long as it isn't mean-spirited.  I must admit though, my flesh still crawls
when I hear
people use the word "cripple."  I know this is only because it flashes me
back to school
when the kids would trip or spit on me then laugh as I tried to pick myself
up off the
floor.  The laughter and word "cripple" echoing through the stairwell.  It's
like a Pavlov
response.  To me, "cripple" has a corrosive connotation.  Yet, my baby
brother has called
me "Spaz" for years, and this has become a term of endearment.  A replacement
for sis,
but just let anyone else try to call me Spaz and he gets all defensive, ready
to punch their
lights out.

I know this example will seem extreme, but I do see the positive side to
watching our
words, but at the same time, I find the reason quite disturbing.  Basically
we need to be
PC for the same reason we need laws to govern society.  Getting people to
change their
attitudes isn't easy.  The progress can almost be measured on a geological
clock.
Personally, I don't think using "proper" labels does any good or changes an
adult's
attitude, but it might help deter some bad behavior.  I'm putting my hopes on
PC's
influence with children.  In other words, if kids see adults watching their
"P's & Q's" it
might become second nature to them.  They may understand that calling someone
with a
disability a "cripple" or calling a person who is an African-American a
"nigger" isn't
necessary or nice.  Hate and bigotry is a learned response based on fear.  To
quote Sly
and the Family Stones, "I am everyday people."  I think if children come to
see the
similarities between each other instead of the differences, we might, MIGHT,
someday
end hate crimes.

[Extreme examples] Would lynching of African-Americans still be accepted and
seen
with a blind eye if we (society) didn't institute laws and put an emphasis on
watching the
words?   I could be mistaken, but I thought I'd read that in ancient Greece
or Rome, those
born with disabilities were left on mountain tops to die.  Let's not even go
that far back.
What about 70 or 80 years ago, (a mere tick on the geological clock)  How
many of us
here on the list would have been locked in an attic or cloistered away in a
dark institution
because we were "defectives" ?   It's horribly scary, and even though I
personally don't
care what's in a name, I understand the why's.  (At least I think I
understand).  So that's
my buck fifty on why things have become so PC.  - Take Care, Be Well: Denise