There are a lot of complainers about “politically correct terms”. They miss the point. Language is important. Using terms that uplift instead of tear down. Terms that include rather than exclude. Terms that honor instead of dishonor. It’s not about being “politically correct”. It’s about treating others with dignity.
I hear disagreements over using “Happy Holidays” and I don’t understand. How could honoring other’s celebrations a bad thing? Acknowledging that being a Christian, that celebrates Christmas is wonderful but the whole point of Christianity is to love others as we want to be loved. It’s hard to love others if you’re standing in judgment over how they celebrate their heritage.
Recently I came aware of using the term “unhoused” instead of “homeless”. It acknowledges that you don’t have to have a home as defined by someone else. That car they sleep in, the tent they live in. They may not have a house to live in but that doesn’t make them lesser. They don’t need us to dictate their living arrangements.
There are many other examples, but you get my point. Stop worrying about what’s “politically correct” and just love others. Choose your words carefully. It’s not about what you think is okay. When you do something that is potentially harmful to another person, you don’t get to decide if they’re hurt. Your job is to make sure they aren’t hurt again.
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
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