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Then "some people" are in _drastic_ need of a clue.
Simple as that.
They've latched onto the equivalent of an urban myth and run with it.
Do not dignify them - we and our language lose when absurdities are
propagated and dignified.
*I* am offended by knee-jerk political correctness.
I know I'm not alone.
You are not alone Kevin. I have had it a small group of people (or one
person) dictating how we are to use the English language because someone
decided that a term (or terms) that were perfectly useful are now "sexist"
or "racist." It would be different if the terms in question were indeed
developed to slander an ethnic group or gender, but they weren't.
<soapbox>I am not insensitive to how words hurt people. My wife is part
Cherokee...talk about an ethnic group that's been slapped down by English
words (just watch any old John Wayne movie), yet even she was shocked at
that "dog and pony show" and "rule of thumb" could be construed as racist or
sexist. Hell, when I was in the 4-H, we went to "dog and pony" shows all the
time. We raised Quarter Horses and Collies, along with goats, cows,
chickens, rabbits, ducks and geese. (Can I talk about chickens, ducks and
rabbits in the same sentence, or is that offensive too?)
I agree that as technical writers, we need to eliminate jargon, slang, etc.
This is especially true of products that will be translated. However, this
is where I draw the limit. In all my other writing, I refuse to edit my
creativity because someone in Two Forks, AL, or Grass Valley, CA might find
offense to a term that the rest of the world finds perfectly acceptable.
It just ain't gunna happen.</soapbox>
BTW...I'm a liberal. I say this because of the perception that liberals are
responsible for all this PC crap.
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