[nfb-talk] To Be or Not to Be, Irritated

[David B Andrews]

Joseph:
 
There are of course abuses of politically correct language!  However, as a part of change you first have to get people to say something even if they don't believe it.  The rest may come later * it may not, but it definitely won't if they aren't using better words.  
 
There was a time in this country when virtually everybody used the N word to describe black people.  And ... the attitudes and prejudice were monumental.  And now, while the word is still used some, and prejudice hjas not been eliminated by any means, it is certainly less then when the N word was used as a matter of course.
 
Getting people to say the right thing, even if they don't believe it at first, is just one of many steps in change.
 
Dave
 
 
 
David Andrews
Chief Technology Officer
Minnesota State Services for the Blind
2200 University Ave. W., #240
St. Paul, MN  55114-1840
(651) 642-0513  Office
(612) 730-7931  Cell
(651) 649-5927  Fax


>>> tjosephcarter at gmail.com 5/7/2008 12:50 PM >>>

David,

Getting people to say the right thing is how we got person-first language.
That and every other politically correct alteration to vocabulary to refer
to the disabled in terms that don't connotate negative value judgments.

We've gone through four or so revisions of politically correct language
and yet we still have the same attitudes.  I just read in a recently
published study a person with Autism described as having "stereotypic
behaviors such as hand-flapping and..." some others that don't come to
mind right now.

Changing the words does not change people's attitudes.  At best it's a
band-aid.  The attitudes must change, period.

Joseph

On Wed, May 07, 2008 at 08:40:27AM -0500, David B Andrews wrote:
> There are lots of components to bringing about change.  First, we
> must sometimes change our own attitudes.  Then we have to get people
> to say the right thing, then believe it.  Changing public attitudes
> is there as is the legal aspect in some cases.
>  
> The courts alone won't change things, but they are certainly a part
> of it.  We need the laws to support some things, but there are other
> steps too.
>  
> Dave
>  
>  
>  
> David Andrews
> Chief Technology Officer
> Minnesota State Services for the Blind
> 2200 University Ave. W., #240
> St. Paul, MN  55114-1840
> (651) 642-0513  Office
> (612) 730-7931  Cell
> (651) 649-5927  Fax
> 
> 
> >>> ryano218 at comcast.net 5/6/2008 9:19 PM >>>
> 
> It may be that we've got it all wrong. The ACB could have a point.
> Perhaps 
> we should be turning to the courts to remedy more of our
> situations. God 
> knows we're too much of a minority to do otherwise.
> 
> 
> RyanO
> 
> "You can look the other way once and it's no big deal, except it
> makes it 
> easier for you to compromise.  Pretty soon, that's all you're doing
> is 
> compromising because that's how you think things are done."
> Jack Bauer - "24" 
> 
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