Small Talk: Political Correctness
"Political correctness (PC for short) means using words or behavior that will not offend any groups of people."
In between the hellos and goodbyes, a million things could go wrong. Speaking from an American point of view, there are many ways to offend a person. American culture is politically correct. That is to say, Americans don't like to hurt other peoples' feelings. Avoiding subjects such as religion, politics, appearance (ex. race, weight, age), and controversial subjects (ex. abortion, gay marriage) is a good start. Not only must one be mindful of the subjects discussed but also which words are used in conversation. Words that describe gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability (anything considered different from the "norm") are turned into politically correct statements. People can go overboard with this notion, like calling "failure" "deferred success" so as not to embarrass those who don't succeed, but it is part of a polite society to use a few standard PC terms.
A few tips: Professions are no longer gender specific. Instead of saying "postman" or "fireman," try using "mail carrier" or "firefighter". Race is a sensitive subject. Although the term "black" is not as offensive as other words formerly used to describe African-Americans, using the term "African-American" is a safer bet. Mental or physical diseases have been used as putdowns, giving the need for some new PC words. Those who are "mentally retarded," are said to have "special needs". Those who cannot see are not "blind" but rather "visually-impaired."
Politically correct words are sometimes criticized for being ridiculous or too ambiguous. Although I don't suggest using some PC terms such as "vertically challenged" a.k.a. "short," I do suggest trying to use some standards. Feel out the situation and usually if you say something offensive, you will know either by the reaction you receive or someone will tell you.
political correctness |
politische Korrektheit |
behavior |
Verhalten |
offend |
beleidigen |
point of view |
vom Standpunkt aus |
that is to say |
das heißt |
avoid |
ausweichen |
controversial subjects |
Streitpunkte |
abortion |
Abtreibung |
| mindful | aufmerksam |
discussed |
besprochen |
considered |
bedacht |
"norm" |
Standard |
statements |
Meinungsäußerungen |
go overboard |
zu weit gehen |
| notion | Idee |
deferred |
aufgeschoben |
terms |
Bedingungen |
professions |
Berufe |
formerly |
früher |
safe bet |
sichere Sache |
| diseases | Krankheiten |
putdowns |
Herabsetzungen |
but rather |
sondern eher |
criticized |
kritisiert |
ridiculous |
lächerlich |
ambiguous |
mehrdeutig, unklar |
| a.k.a. | Abkürzung für "also known as" (auch bekannt als), auch "AKA" |
standards |
Maßstäbe |
feel out |
etwas ergründen |
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