These are challenging times, because you have language and then you have politically correct language. Want examples?
Blind is 'visually challenged'. You want to call a guy short? He is not short, he is vertically challenged. Negro became black a few years ago, and then African American a few more years after that.
But my proposition is that if you want to be economically correct, or anatomically correct, or correct in some other ways, you would have to stretch yourself much further than if you were only politically correct.
A cowboy actually rides a horse, and may not be a boy, if Western movies are to be believed. In a politically correct era, he would be re-named 'Bovine Control Functionary' and a homeless wanderer would be 'residentially flexible'. But best of all, if you were bald, you would have the pleasure of being referred to as 'follicularly challenged'. (these are picked up from an essay by Umberto Eco on the subject of discussion).
Is there a method in the madness? But madness would no longer be madness, would it? May be it would be idiosyncratic behaviour laced with unpredictability. Ha, ha, I know what you are getting at. Before you find the politically correct adjective for me, let me stop.
Blind is 'visually challenged'. You want to call a guy short? He is not short, he is vertically challenged. Negro became black a few years ago, and then African American a few more years after that.
But my proposition is that if you want to be economically correct, or anatomically correct, or correct in some other ways, you would have to stretch yourself much further than if you were only politically correct.
A cowboy actually rides a horse, and may not be a boy, if Western movies are to be believed. In a politically correct era, he would be re-named 'Bovine Control Functionary' and a homeless wanderer would be 'residentially flexible'. But best of all, if you were bald, you would have the pleasure of being referred to as 'follicularly challenged'. (these are picked up from an essay by Umberto Eco on the subject of discussion).
Is there a method in the madness? But madness would no longer be madness, would it? May be it would be idiosyncratic behaviour laced with unpredictability. Ha, ha, I know what you are getting at. Before you find the politically correct adjective for me, let me stop.
3 comments:
Instead of an adjective I will propose a proper noun as in -
Rukmat Rajkar (do not stop - continue to rule your blogempire)
must suggest a few such terms to a certain Mr Katju
He is incorrigible, Meghna. DH, thanks for adding to the lexicon!
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