How many writers/readers today pause to truly think of political correctness in terms of linguistics and not politics?
Very few, or else there would be many more writings on the subject. Proponents of political INcorrectness, though engaged in a commendable social enterprise, are in fact lacking a truly artistic form. Their counter-revolution seems more like conservative revisionism when analyzed from a linguistic angle as they call for "truer" language - which is only true to one's simple socio-linguistic constructs and limited experience.
In a time where the traditional metaphor has all but "been let go" after having fallen under constant fire from literary "dispensers of objective analytical interpretation", subsisting only among a few "aligners of verse both rhyme and non-rhyme" nostalgic for the psychedelic influence of the sixties and seventies, it is all too refreshing to find that literary device reemerging under political correctness.
Yes, political correctness is the new metaphor for the 21st century. The very term insists on itself: isn't "political correctness" a politically correct way of saying "hypocrisy" for the New Left who first promoted the concept? Shining examples such as "freedom fighters" (insurgents), "oppressed minorities" (non-whites), "decision crossroads" (SNAFU), etc. are now an integral part of daily discourse for the "linguistically and socially advantaged class". Yesterday's "captains of finance" and "office sharks" are today's "venture capitalists" and "competitive coworkers".
To the literally aware, a politically correct term is a master product of creativity demanding huge cognitive and imaginative efforts from one to come up with "horizontally challenged" (fat), "delayed success" (failure) and their likes. It is virtually a literary challenge to come up with politically correct replacement terms every time an existing one is deemed offensive.
A personal favorite of mine which I have loosely adapted from an obscure turn-of-the-century (20th) novel is "having an atrophied social sense" (selfish).
And the best part is that political correctness is still in full bloom. There are those who consider surviving metaphors to be degrading and low-brow (see "bird" and "fox" for woman), who would rather replace them with politically correct terms.
Whereas before, metaphors were used to express emotions, political correctness is called upon to hide those emotions, following a similar mental process more in touch with the times' zeitgeist as we become more and more a technocracy based on economic profit.
On a closing (though far from conclusive) note (in fact, it would only serve to confuse the issue even further), consider Shakespeare's words: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".
Very few, or else there would be many more writings on the subject. Proponents of political INcorrectness, though engaged in a commendable social enterprise, are in fact lacking a truly artistic form. Their counter-revolution seems more like conservative revisionism when analyzed from a linguistic angle as they call for "truer" language - which is only true to one's simple socio-linguistic constructs and limited experience.
In a time where the traditional metaphor has all but "been let go" after having fallen under constant fire from literary "dispensers of objective analytical interpretation", subsisting only among a few "aligners of verse both rhyme and non-rhyme" nostalgic for the psychedelic influence of the sixties and seventies, it is all too refreshing to find that literary device reemerging under political correctness.
Yes, political correctness is the new metaphor for the 21st century. The very term insists on itself: isn't "political correctness" a politically correct way of saying "hypocrisy" for the New Left who first promoted the concept? Shining examples such as "freedom fighters" (insurgents), "oppressed minorities" (non-whites), "decision crossroads" (SNAFU), etc. are now an integral part of daily discourse for the "linguistically and socially advantaged class". Yesterday's "captains of finance" and "office sharks" are today's "venture capitalists" and "competitive coworkers".
To the literally aware, a politically correct term is a master product of creativity demanding huge cognitive and imaginative efforts from one to come up with "horizontally challenged" (fat), "delayed success" (failure) and their likes. It is virtually a literary challenge to come up with politically correct replacement terms every time an existing one is deemed offensive.
A personal favorite of mine which I have loosely adapted from an obscure turn-of-the-century (20th) novel is "having an atrophied social sense" (selfish).
And the best part is that political correctness is still in full bloom. There are those who consider surviving metaphors to be degrading and low-brow (see "bird" and "fox" for woman), who would rather replace them with politically correct terms.
Whereas before, metaphors were used to express emotions, political correctness is called upon to hide those emotions, following a similar mental process more in touch with the times' zeitgeist as we become more and more a technocracy based on economic profit.
On a closing (though far from conclusive) note (in fact, it would only serve to confuse the issue even further), consider Shakespeare's words: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".
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