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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

What is it about the term “politically correct” that manages to put everyone on high alert? Some blame the term for infringement on their First-Amendment rights, others use it as a justification to inflame Facebook comment threads, but mostly we avoid uttering it altogether to avoid the accompanying controversy. These two simple words have expanded to become intrinsically linked to an abundance of other concepts such as safe spaces and trigger warnings, but even beyond that it has taken on a connotation of triviality and ridicule.

How did a term that was once a positive ideal evolve into a snide insult? What even is the true definition of political correctness? These are all questions that have occurred to me at some point in my time at UF but were immediately brushed off in favor of more immediate concerns. However, this semester I was lucky enough to snag a spot in a Linguistics course titled “Language and Power” (you’ll recall I never tell my parents the actual titles of the classes I’m taking), and while it’s only week four, I’ve begun learning why the “PC police” can’t shake their bad reputation.

Political correctness has a slightly more scholarly cousin called language reform, a term linguists use to refer to representational justice in language use. It’s political correctness without the accumulated stigma, so the original intent to use non-discriminatory language shines through. Seems simple enough, right?

Of course not, because when you start regulating other people’s language, it’s bound to get tricky for a variety of reasons. First, people generally don’t like being told what to do. Second, they don’t like being told that their language, their means of expressing themselves, is unintentionally demeaning to others. Our language is deeply rooted in our sense of self, and it’s impossible to criticize someone’s language without that person feeling as if their character is under attack.

When I accidentally referred to someone in my class by the wrong gender pronouns, and was immediately corrected by another classmate, I felt a lot of simultaneous emotions: embarrassment and confusion, but also annoyance and frustration. It’s hard not to take those sorts of criticisms personally because they feel so close to home. But I quickly realized that it wasn’t about me or my feelings, it was about using my language to make everyone around me feel comfortable. While I’m positive I’ll slip up in a similar manner in the future, the important part is that I’m trying.

That frustration I initially felt is what’s motivating the characterization of political correctness as frivolous or authoritative. By classifying politically correct language as a pointless trend, those who are resistant to change can discredit it without feeling guilty. But while language reform can undoubtedly feel frivolous when compared to more pressing societal issues, it’s still a step toward inclusivity, and thus worth the effort.

When you strip away all the negative press and bad attitudes, language reform isn’t infringing on your right to free speech or coddling the millennial mind or waging a war on Christmas. This isn’t to say that people aren’t using political correctness as an excuse to attack or silence others, because that undoubtedly occurs, but this isn’t in the true spirit of language reform. Incurring the risk of sounding like a Kumbaya singing optimist, if we work together to better ourselves and consider how our language may be laden with involuntary meanings, the original intent of language reform will be achieved. In other words, just don’t be an asshole, guys.

Marisa Papenfuss is a UF English senior. Her columns appear on Tuesdays.

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