There is a concept in ancient Chinese philosophy called “The Rectification of the Names” where it is socially no longer considered correct to use terms that most accurately convey the meaning of things. I wonder if, in some cases, we have succumbed to the problems associated with that concept. Of course, in some cases, re-naming is good and important, but in other cases…???
Seems like changing a name for something is really trying to change the feelings associated with it, I don’t know how often that works.
Political Correctness started out as a good thing but now has taken on a life of its own. In society we seem to go from one extreme to another. Reading this blog has lead to exploration of how much change has happened in my lifetime around this issue.
I believe that, that I can’t always change a feeling just by changing a word. I also think the two can be connected, the feeling and the word. So I think sometimes a name does give a different feeling or bring a different awareness. Maybe if a word does a good enough job capturing a feeling or a meaning, it does not seem fake.
If I say I am wrestling with asthma, I feel sort of overwhelmed and depressed. If I say I am going to research what to do about inflammation in the lungs, I feel more hopeful and less overwhelmed. Which came first, the words or the hopeful feeling? Or is it a case of codependent origination that some Buddhists address, where A and B arise simultaneously together rather than A causing B or B causing A?
Is “alt-right” the “politically correct” way of saying “Neo-Nazi”? Is there such a thing as a CORRECT way to say “Neo-Nazi?” Seems like an oxymoron.
“Alt-right” sounds vaguely legitimate to me, like it’s some sort of conservative political perspective. Personally, I think more accurate is: “white supremacist, xenophobic, racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, transgender-phobic, misogynist, neo-Nazis.”
Great blog – makes a person contemplate.