Politically Correct Adoption Language
Part 1: On being politically correct If you were already feeling that steps in the right direction were being taken through language that purports to address all members of the adoption experience with respect, through language that attempts to remove negative connotations and critical views, through language that underscores thoughtful planning on the part of those involved in considering a child's future, then the future looks very good, indeed!
On the other hand... If you were already tired of trying to keep up with changing adoption language, if you already felt that the new language being touted is, for the most part, a bunch of hypocritical, ego-soothing nonsense to make people (yourself included?) feel better about themselves (not others), better about doing something that might better be left undone, then it isn't going to make you happy at all!
Recent Language ChangesThere are
more than a dozen sites on the Web with versions of, and opinions about, adoption language. Of course, none of these calls it
politically correct, but use words like
- respectful,
- positive, and
- honest.
[What does it mean to be politically correct? According to the tongue-in-cheek
PC Primer:
You've got to be careful what you say, what you think, and what you do. You just don't want to offend anyone.
]
Being
politically correct (PC) seems to be comprised of two main actions: Word Multiplication and Blurring.
Word Multiplication is the process of taking one word and replacing it with two or more words. For example,
old becomes
chronologically challenged,
slum becomes
economic oppression zone, and so on.
[This is, of course quite different from the Word Multiplication Game whereby we increase by one any number found in a word, i.e.,
wonderful becomes
twoderful,
intuition becomes
inthreeition, and... well, you get the point.]
Blurring is simply the process of softening sharp edges. We remove potentially inflammatory connotations, thereby avoiding making statements that sound, if not positive, then at least neutral - even about something we may
not support (hypocrisy?). An example of blurring would be telling an acquaintance whose every visible (and those not visible?) body part is pierced and bejewelled that he/she
is making a statement, looks
interesting, is exercising his/her
creative individuality when in fact, we may be nauseated to the point of gagging.
Put them together, and here we are:
Adoption PC.
© Nancy S Ashe
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