I agree it can be difficult, and these things do change drastically over time. The NAACP was founded at a time when "colored" was not considered derogatory, an

I agree it can be difficult, and these things do change drastically over time. The NAACP was founded at a time when "colored" was not considered derogatory, and they haven't changed the name since, for a number of reasons. But if you go around talking about "colored people", you will get lots of weird looks. Beyond simple political-correctness, though, the most important thing is to understand how our language affects people. A major problem with "Deaf-mute" (and also with "colored" and "oriental") is that these terms are oversimplifications at best, and drastic misrepresentations at worst. They're not just words - they represent actual cultural misunderstandings. With the Deaf, for example, the core misunderstanding is usually thinking of deafness as a medical disability. It comes as a surprise to most people that the Deaf do not generally consider themselves "disabled", but instead possessing a different human experience. This is difficult, I think, for a hearing person to imagine if they have not met and interacted with a Deaf person. Anyways, that was a very long-winded way of saying that it's not just about finding the most politically-correct term to use - it's about finding terms that describe the world as it actually is.