4 ms·

This is so true. That's why here in Germany we have a separate term for that: "barrierefrei", which means "free of barriers". It is the politically correct var

by vog 9y ago

This is so true. That's why here in Germany we have a separate term for that: "barrierefrei", which means "free of barriers". It is the politically correct variant of the other popular word "behindertengerecht" which merely means "suitable for disabled people". Many people here think that "barrierefrei" is just about political correctness for its own sake. But the term "barrierefrei" emphases a completely different way of thinking about this issue: It is about removing barriers for everyone, with disabled people being the most important target group, but by far not the only one.

csours 9y ago
Empathy is a much better approach than political correctness, in my opinion. Political correctness tends to shut down discussions, empathy extends them. PC is prescriptive, empathy is descriptive.
- vog 9y ago
  I see PC as a way to spread and to communicate empathy: Using words and phrases that don't paint a false picture of reality (and don't trigger prejudices) is IMHO a good start to get to talk with people more openly. Of course, PC only works if you are doing it on your own, not if you impose it on the people you are trying to convince.
  - ticviking 9y ago
    The flaw in the politically correct approach is often that it fails to empathize with those who don't yet empathize. And often resorts to shaming when it is unable to create the empathy needed to create action.
    - klodolph 9y ago
      That's not really a criticism of political correctness, that's a criticism of one of the ways political correctness can be enforced. But it's a bit weird to equate empathy for a condition beyond one's control with empathy for people who don't choose to use empathetic language. I've been in a few classes or workshops where the instructors have taught people how to correct insensitive speech. It's something that can be done well.
      - nugator 9y ago
        Can you please give some examples on how to correct insensitive speech well?
        klodolph 9y ago
        I did some web searches and found a document that has techniques in it that I've seen work well: http://www.dianegoodman.com/documents/RespondingToBiasedOrOffensiveCommentsexcerptarticle.pdf http://www.dianegoodman.com/documents/RespondingToBiasedOrOf... Personal anecdote: I was playing a game in college with some other students. One was periodically bragging about some particular sexual exploit in a roundabout way. I think he was looking for validation, but when he didn't get it, he tried again. I said something along the lines of, "That comment isn't acceptable and if you keep saying things like that I'm not going to play with you." It was definitely confrontational, it drew a line in the sand, and I didn't hear him say inappropriate comments for the months that we played together. Half the struggle here is just deciding that someone else's behavior isn't acceptable and that you want to do something about it.
      - vog 9y ago
        I hope I did so in my first comment (criticism are welcome in case I failed): I introduced the term "barrierefrei" and explained why I prefer that term over the other popular alternative.
- s73ver_ 9y ago
  PC is empathy. It's having empathy for those in other situations.
  - okreallywtf 9y ago
    Except when people lack empathy, they call it political correctness. My problem is I have not found a good way to teach empathy to someone who is lacking it, repeating someone elses story doesn't work and its hard to get other people sometimes to actively experience the same things that I have (even if its just listening to a story on the radio).
    - Chris_Jay 9y ago
      In children, reading fiction is supposed to be one thing that helps empathy. There's also something called 'decompression therapy' that supposedly helped youths with psychopathy become less psychopathic. The theory as I understand it goes like this: Everyone has a 'sphere of empathy', they empathize with those inside it but not outside. To a psychopath that boundary is their own skin, to a vegetarian it includes all animals, to a pescatarian all land animals... you get the idea. What makes people's sphere of empathy expand is feeling safe and empathized with, it allows them to risk the vulnerability of empathizing with someone who might betray them. But it's like voluntarily relaxing a muscle - the process is slow, and while the right pressure can help the problem point relax, too much pressure will make it tense up more.
  - Nomentatus 9y ago
    When I was young, a long time ago, the term "politically correct" wasn't in use, except as the recorded reason Stalin gave when he sent people to be executed or imprisoned, namely that they were "politically incorrect." So I'm dubious about equating PC and empathy.
    - ticviking 9y ago
      PC was created as a label to accuse the opposition of the same kind of intent.
- mcguire 9y ago
  I am unsure if 'political correctness' was ever used non-ironically. It certainly hasn't been so for a very long time. Usually it is used as an attack. Personally I translate it to 'good manners'.
  - vog 9y ago
    I guess my usage of PC is then to be interpreted double-ironically: I know that the term "barrierefrei" is PC, and I know that quite a lot of people will hate it for that reason alone. I use it nevertheless, because I think that PC terminology is actually a good thing (to be used, not to be enforced), and that "barrierefrei" is an especially well-chosen term.
  - maxerickson 9y ago
    Yes, it seems the most common use of "politically correct" is by people who are mad that others expect them to ponder how others might react to their words. The horror. I suppose there is some chance that they are being slightly more sophisticated and making the argument that the expectations are strictly performative. But I doubt it.
    - namelost 9y ago
      The classic example of political correctness is the term "happy holidays" instead of "merry christmas". The use of political correct terms makes people mad because it contains within it an implication that they are being rude, and often the person coming up with these euphemisms has not the faintest idea whether the existing term was offensive or not!
      - maxerickson 9y ago
        Are there any real people that care about "Merry Christmas", or is "Happy Holidays" just milquetoast corporate speak chosen out of a preference for blandness?
        romwell 9y ago

by vog 9y ago

csours 9y ago

Empathy is a much better approach than political correctness, in my opinion. Political correctness tends to shut down discussions, empathy extends them. PC is prescriptive, empathy is descriptive.

vog 9y ago
I see PC as a way to spread and to communicate empathy: Using words and phrases that don't paint a false picture of reality (and don't trigger prejudices) is IMHO a good start to get to talk with people more openly. Of course, PC only works if you are doing it on your own, not if you impose it on the people you are trying to convince.
- ticviking 9y ago
  The flaw in the politically correct approach is often that it fails to empathize with those who don't yet empathize. And often resorts to shaming when it is unable to create the empathy needed to create action.
  - klodolph 9y ago
    That's not really a criticism of political correctness, that's a criticism of one of the ways political correctness can be enforced. But it's a bit weird to equate empathy for a condition beyond one's control with empathy for people who don't choose to use empathetic language. I've been in a few classes or workshops where the instructors have taught people how to correct insensitive speech. It's something that can be done well.
    - nugator 9y ago
      Can you please give some examples on how to correct insensitive speech well?
      - klodolph 9y ago
        I did some web searches and found a document that has techniques in it that I've seen work well: http://www.dianegoodman.com/documents/RespondingToBiasedOrOffensiveCommentsexcerptarticle.pdf http://www.dianegoodman.com/documents/RespondingToBiasedOrOf... Personal anecdote: I was playing a game in college with some other students. One was periodically bragging about some particular sexual exploit in a roundabout way. I think he was looking for validation, but when he didn't get it, he tried again. I said something along the lines of, "That comment isn't acceptable and if you keep saying things like that I'm not going to play with you." It was definitely confrontational, it drew a line in the sand, and I didn't hear him say inappropriate comments for the months that we played together. Half the struggle here is just deciding that someone else's behavior isn't acceptable and that you want to do something about it.
    - vog 9y ago
      I hope I did so in my first comment (criticism are welcome in case I failed): I introduced the term "barrierefrei" and explained why I prefer that term over the other popular alternative.
s73ver_ 9y ago
PC is empathy. It's having empathy for those in other situations.
- okreallywtf 9y ago
  Except when people lack empathy, they call it political correctness. My problem is I have not found a good way to teach empathy to someone who is lacking it, repeating someone elses story doesn't work and its hard to get other people sometimes to actively experience the same things that I have (even if its just listening to a story on the radio).
  - Chris_Jay 9y ago
    In children, reading fiction is supposed to be one thing that helps empathy. There's also something called 'decompression therapy' that supposedly helped youths with psychopathy become less psychopathic. The theory as I understand it goes like this: Everyone has a 'sphere of empathy', they empathize with those inside it but not outside. To a psychopath that boundary is their own skin, to a vegetarian it includes all animals, to a pescatarian all land animals... you get the idea. What makes people's sphere of empathy expand is feeling safe and empathized with, it allows them to risk the vulnerability of empathizing with someone who might betray them. But it's like voluntarily relaxing a muscle - the process is slow, and while the right pressure can help the problem point relax, too much pressure will make it tense up more.
- Nomentatus 9y ago
  When I was young, a long time ago, the term "politically correct" wasn't in use, except as the recorded reason Stalin gave when he sent people to be executed or imprisoned, namely that they were "politically incorrect." So I'm dubious about equating PC and empathy.
  - ticviking 9y ago
    PC was created as a label to accuse the opposition of the same kind of intent.
mcguire 9y ago
I am unsure if 'political correctness' was ever used non-ironically. It certainly hasn't been so for a very long time. Usually it is used as an attack. Personally I translate it to 'good manners'.
- vog 9y ago
  I guess my usage of PC is then to be interpreted double-ironically: I know that the term "barrierefrei" is PC, and I know that quite a lot of people will hate it for that reason alone. I use it nevertheless, because I think that PC terminology is actually a good thing (to be used, not to be enforced), and that "barrierefrei" is an especially well-chosen term.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  Yes, it seems the most common use of "politically correct" is by people who are mad that others expect them to ponder how others might react to their words. The horror. I suppose there is some chance that they are being slightly more sophisticated and making the argument that the expectations are strictly performative. But I doubt it.
  - namelost 9y ago
    The classic example of political correctness is the term "happy holidays" instead of "merry christmas". The use of political correct terms makes people mad because it contains within it an implication that they are being rude, and often the person coming up with these euphemisms has not the faintest idea whether the existing term was offensive or not!
    - maxerickson 9y ago
      Are there any real people that care about "Merry Christmas", or is "Happy Holidays" just milquetoast corporate speak chosen out of a preference for blandness?
      - romwell 9y ago