Language is an instrument that is both a barrier and a vehicle to our communication. It can be used to offend or compliment; to oppress or protect.
Political correctness is a recent modification to our language. Beyond its literal definition, it carries connotations that greatly vary between individuals.
People come from different cultures, speak different languages and thus may have different perceptions of political correctness.
Some believe it’s a simple matter of conforming to ‘left-wing’ politics, while others see it as a vital aspect of everyday behavioural and expressional conduct.
Unfortunately, we’ll never have a perfect understanding of what another person truly means when they say something, which makes it extremely important to define all terms and clarify the things we talk about.
Otherwise, progress in any form of dialogue is impossible. So, what is political correctness and how is it related to inclusivity?
Many people mistake political correctness for the pursuit of making our language more inclusive. The two are similar but not the same. The goal behind political correctness is not to end oppression, but rather to appear inclusive in the public eye.
Alternatively, inclusive language aims to distill biases by removing or neutralizing unnecessary references to gender, sex, race, religion, etc. The failure to universally define political correctness has led to a negative stigma around the term and concept.
When speaking about political correctness, no one has the right to be the “PC police.” When speech is regulated it creates an “us vs. them” mentality that fails to achieve anything. In the end, both parties lose sight of the reasons behind the conflict and focus more on the fight rather than the result.
However, necessary action must be taken when the use of a term or expression goes beyond offending and begins to create an unsafe environment for an individual or group.
The use of inclusive language is crucial in preventing—rather than reacting—to such results. For example, a politically correct sentence would consist of changing the word ‘guys’ in a sentence to ‘boys and girls’ or ‘men and women’ while an inclusive sentence would go beyond that to just say ‘people’; there is no need to restrict gender to its binary.
The difference between political correctness and inclusivity can be likened to the difference between equity and equality.
Equality, much like political correctness, is a movement dedicated to recognizing everyone as equals and treat them the same while equity (comparable to inclusivity) goes beyond the superficial meaning by recognizing the differences between people and actively working on bringing everyone onto the same, level playing field.
Political correctness works toward dampening bias and indifference, thus promoting tolerance rather than acceptance; inclusive words and expressions force us to become aware of the language we use and how we are using it. This makes us realize the powerful implications with which our words are infused.
ASUS Assembly recently passed a motion to change the language used in their policies and constitution so that it becomes gender-neutral.
Someone asked me, “Why does it matter? Isn’t that political correctness to the extreme?” It’s true—it doesn’t “matter” for people who are considered and consider themselves the “norm” of our society (i.e. cisgender males and females).
But this isn’t about political correctness, this is about inclusion. We, as a society and student union, need to represent every single one of our constituents, whether they identify as male, female or otherwise.
To try to dismiss this effort as pedantic, obsessive or most of all unnecessary, is to ignore the power of language and the potency of words.
To invoke an ancient adage, ’the pen is mightier than the sword’—ask yourself if you’ve ever been hurt by words, the answer is universally ‘yes.’ This is because language is a reflection of thoughts, motivations and human intent. At first glance, it may seem backwards to change our words when they appear to be merely the product of deeper issues, but, in fact, the way we communicate deeply affects the way we think.
We need to stop trivializing decency in discourse by labeling it “political correctness.” Avoiding discriminatory and hurtful language is simply a basic step of being a human being.
Knowing that the use of inclusive language brings us closer to the unity we all strive for, can you continue to speak those words?
The choice is truly and entirely up to you. Will you rid yourself of that sense of entitlement to and aid in establishing a new culture, a culture that stems from acceptance rather than tolerance?
Wesam Aleyadeh is ASUS equity officer.
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to eic@queensjournal.ca.