| There's probably nothing more humiliating
| |
| | certain sex or gender. In other words,
|
| than to make a remark in public and have
| |
| | don't talk about "policemen," but rather
|
| someone take offense at the comment. Some
| |
| | about "police officers"; don't refer to
|
| remarks about individuals and groups can
| |
| | the mailmen," but to "mail carriers." And
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| even be the occasion for a lawsuit
| |
| | don't refer to our "forefathers," but
|
| against you or your company.
| |
| | instead tour "ancestors."
|
| In modern business language, the spoken
| |
| | The question here is not a matter of
|
| and written word has become a
| |
| | principle, but of practice. Specifically,
|
| battleground. Terms once regarded as
| |
| | will the day be carried on this point by
|
| benign have turned into "fighting words."
| |
| | the adoption of the gender-neutral word
|
| Women, various ethnic groups, older
| |
| | "person"? That is, will words like
|
| parties, and other parties (such as
| |
| | "policeperson," "chairperson,"
|
| homosexuals, or "gays") have become much
| |
| | "mailperson." and waitperson" become
|
| more sensitive to language they believe
| |
| | standard usage? It appears the term
|
| may denigrate them. Using them "wrong"
| |
| | "person" is a ubiquitous in our society
|
| words can injure your reputation, and
| |
| | as the designation "Comrade" was in
|
| even destroy your career. Thus, it's up
| |
| | Chairman Mao's China.
|
| to you, as a speaker, to choose your
| |
| | 4. Avoid the "he/she" pronoun problem by
|
| words carefully.
| |
| | making singular nouns into plurals. For
|
| There are certain general principles you
| |
| | example, suppose you say, "The engineer
|
| can follow that will minimize the chance
| |
| | is a problem solver; he does not know the
|
| you will unintentionally offend a member
| |
| | meaning of the word "impossible."' If you
|
| of the most sensitive groups. But let's
| |
| | say that, some people might be offended
|
| be candid: almost any usage will offend
| |
| | by the male referent "he." A simple way
|
| or at least irritate someone. In this
| |
| | to overcome that problem is add an "s" to
|
| area, "zero defects" probably is an
| |
| | "engineer." That makes the sentences
|
| unattainable goal.
| |
| | read: "Engineers are problem-solvers,
|
| Here are five principles you can use that
| |
| | they don't know the meaning of the word
|
| will help you avoid saying something
| |
| | "impossible."'
|
| offensive:
| |
| | This approach seems to solve the problem
|
| 1. Identify people the way they want to
| |
| | with wordiness inherent in always having
|
| be called. If some people of African
| |
| | to say "he and she." Some notable experts
|
| heritage want to be called
| |
| | on language usage may object to the
|
| "African-Americans," then do so. If other
| |
| | principle; their point is that
|
| individuals want to be called "Blacks,"
| |
| | historically, "he" as a pronoun reference
|
| do so. The same principle applies with
| |
| | could refer either to males or females.
|
| "gays' (rather than "homosexuals") and
| |
| | These individuals seem to be fighting a
|
| "Latinos" (rather than "Hispanics").
| |
| | losing battle.
|
| The caution here is that some people
| |
| | 5. Refer to people with disabilities as
|
| don't like the proliferation of
| |
| | that, "people with disabilities." In the
|
| "hyphenated Americans"
| |
| | eyes of many people, calling such
|
| (Italian-Americans, Greek-Americans, and
| |
| | individuals "handicapped" or "disabled"
|
| so on). Some people feel that the
| |
| | is to confuse the individual with the
|
| hyphenation turns people into partial
| |
| | disability.
|
| Americans. These people are in the
| |
| | A caution about using the term
|
| minority, but there are not alone.
| |
| | "physically challenged." To some people,
|
| 2. Whenever possible, don't generalize
| |
| | this well-intentioned term implies that
|
| about groups; talk instead in terms of
| |
| | diseases such as multiple sclerosis or
|
| individuals. In other words, don't say,
| |
| | "Lou Gehrig's Disease" are "challenges."
|
| "Women are submissive"; and don't say
| |
| | The further implication would be that
|
| "Men are aggressive." Individual women
| |
| | people who don't overcome their
|
| may be submissive, as individual man may
| |
| | "challenge" have somehow failed is a
|
| be aggressive. Generalizations about
| |
| | ridiculous notion.
|
| groups are always wrong, if not totally,
| |
| | In the politically correct and sensitive
|
| at least partially.
| |
| | society that we are now living in it is
|
| This limitation is that this approach is
| |
| | almost impossible to give a speech
|
| easy in theory, hard in practice. How,
| |
| | without someone taking offense to
|
| for example, is a company's "affirmative
| |
| | something you say, but by following these
|
| action" officer to avoid generalizing
| |
| | five principles you can greatly reduce
|
| about groups? Also, in time of heightened
| |
| | your chances of giving offense or being
|
| racial, gender, and ethnic awareness, is
| |
| | misunderstood.
|
| it realistic to expect people to stop
| |
| | Copyright©2008 by Joe Love and JLM &
|
| generalizing about such matters?
| |
| | Associates, Inc. All rights reserved
|
| 3. Don't use words that imply certain
| |
| | worldwide.
|
| jobs or roles are filled only by a
| |
| |
|
