A recent New York
Post article said that Microsoft Word, in addition to spellcheck and
grammar correction technology, now has a new tool to PC-correct writers — even
when nothing is wrong with a particular word.
Once the dictators co-opt language and demand
uniform thinking, we are doomed. Dictators are no longer just national leaders.
They are major corporations, big tech, the news media, and any of our
institutions or influential authorities. Who the hell is Microsoft to tell us
which words to use, and by connection, which ideas to express or which views
are deemed acceptable to share?
Words have specific meanings, regardless of how
a word originated. For each word uttered, it is done so with context.
There is intention. And there is interpretation. Don’t judge a word so harshly;
judge the intension behind its use, instead.
Here is an example. If a woman says of her
female friend: “Oh, I love Claudia. That bitch has my back,” you would likely
be fine with that, provided it was not said in church or in front of little
kids. But if a guy yells at a woman for some perceived wrongdoing: “Get out of
my way, you stupid, fuckin’ bitch,” you would say it was not so nice to say
that, although depending on what happened before that verbal flare up, you may
even say that you can’t blame him. In any event, bitch is in the dictionary and
people know what they are saying when they use it. No need to ban the word.
Just use it appropriately.
If there is a legitimate reason to say curse
words, like asshole and fuck, we don’t need some censor telling us we are
wrong. If there is a relevant need to say slurs, like spic or kike, then say
the words. If there is a reason to say retarded or Indian or master, let the
words flow unimpeded.
You may even ask what is the big deal about
changing our words? Maybe people don’t mean to be insensitive and are happy to
be told what to say and think? This tool can save them embarrassment. Maybe.
Or, you can just think for yourself and hopefully know what is offensive and
what isn’t.
Otherwise, you stop thinking and give into
Microsoft’s demands to cease calling the guy who brings you mail the “postman”
— or saying the big bedroom that you sleep in is the “master” bedroom. Yes,
postman and master are on the naughty list now, banned to the scrap heaps of
time as if you maliciously called someone the N-word. Even the word “insane” is
frowned upon by Microsoft’s word-nanny system.
There seem to be no limits as to how far the
woke extremists will go to corrupt and bastardize our language. Too many
changes to be implemented in too quick of a time span is not only not
necessary, but detrimental to how people communicate with one another.
Folks, plenty of writers, comedians, pundits,
historians, and so many others cannot function effectively when they can’t
access words that are in the dictionary, and that until now, were used for
hundreds of years, without intended offense or even a perceived one.
We don’t need to change our language or talk in
codes or PC-speak. Just be respectful, sincere, accurate, and intentional in
what you say. How you say something is of great importance.
Context and
setting — and common sense — should dictate your actions. Nothing else.
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