political correctness

ok so in class on saturday we had a very good discussion about how many people in society continue to talk in politically incorrect terms. as a social worker, it is extremely important that i am aware of the words i say and the way things come out. i have been used to this and so aware of what i say since i was an undergrad about 5 years ago, it just comes naturally now. the problem is that not everyone is so concious about what they say. maybe they don't care, or maybe they really just don't know the correct way to say something. so it is with pleasure that i take the opportunity to educate anyone who wants to be educated right now.



first thing's first...in the land of social work, the first thing that professors engrain in the brain is that labeling people is a big no no. when you label, you are using that label to identify a person, rather than seeing that person for who they are. that label then tends to get in the way. instead, the correct way is to say "a person with - " or "a person who is - "here are a few examples of some incorrect terms:



~ colored

~ mentally retarded

~ autistic

~ handicapped (either mentally or physically)


the politically correct way to say these terms would be:

~african american
~person with a mental disability
~child or person with autism
~a person who has a disability

hopefully this will help you to be more aware of what you say. many people don't know what the right thing to say is, so that's what i'm here for!