This is a sort of rant. Not really a rant, more like me having an "I do not get this" kind of moment.
Not too long ago I started blogging with another person who has disabilities. She's very politically active and obviously liberal (which is really here nor there) but she just talks using politically correct language. I had used the word "handicapped" in my entry that day and she had commented something to the effect "we'll have to talk about using respectful language."
I was a little surprised because I've never been offended by that term and I'm disabled. Then again, I try to stay out of disability politics because it's so tiresome. Too many egos and who wants a life of endless debating issues? It just ends up being one big fight.
But I am glad there are people who do that kind of thing because sometimes it brings beneficial changes. So I'm not complaining about that.
I was kind of shocked when I went to her site recently and she's using the term 'crip' all over. I'm assuming crip is short for crippled. How is being called or labeling yourself crippled somehow better or more dignified than calling yourself or being called handicapped??
I just don't get it. I would be offended if someone called me crippled.
But maybe I shouldn't. I think it's all just words too. Words, words, words. We put too much emphasis on them sometimes, other times not enough. In general I think political correctness is getting to be insane in the membrane. So many rules that are just getting sillier by the day. Pretty soon there will come a time when we'll have to call everything by it's species name like in science class.
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