The idea of political correctness (PC as many have come to abbreviate it) is not anything new. The civil rights movements in the 1960s and 1970s were all about trying to remove the gender and racial bias that is inherent in our society. From these tough times came some positive actions — things that I and my children can benefit from — but with the push for acceptance and tolerance, has today's society taken it too far?
Every time I turn around, the acceptable terminology to describe those around me has changed yet again. I have come to terms with the idea that words do change their meanings with each generation, but must we really confuse multiple generations of people at once, simply because the latest generation thinks we’re being insensitive? It's bad enough that the term "gay" has two different meanings depending on the context (happy or homosexual), but now we have this LBGTQ acronym that we have to use.
Let's ignore the fact that majority of the population will have no clue what LBGTQ stands for. I didn't — not until I actually looked it up while writing this post. (For those of you who don't know, LBGTQ stands for lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgendered and queer — however, the Q can stand for questioning too, depending on who you're talking to.) Instead, let’s just confuse everyone with a random acronym that isn't even nice to say — it doesn't roll off the tongue.
New legislation crops up every day, all designed to help promote equality. Each new law is meant to help bridge the gaps that were identified in the 1960s and 1970s, but extend to all areas where prejudice can occur. These laws are meant to help shatter the glass ceiling that women face in business and industry. They’re meant to remove the barriers for those of different skin colours and religious backgrounds. They’re there to give people the confidence to forge the romantic connections that pull so strongly on their hearts. All of these new laws and policies were meant to protect people's rights to be different, but this push to promote diversity within society has taken an insane turn.
