Good column, which raises legitimate questions. While Political Correctness can be carried to such an extreme that it is comical, I am thinking about the 3 crowd shootings in the US within the past week. I can't help wondering if borderline psychopaths might not be as easily pushed over the edge in their hatred of people different from themselves, if those in public elected office who revel in turning their backs on Political Correctness (enjoying using derogatory terms for persons of color, immigrants, et alia, to show how free of PC they are) might instead use more respectful language.

And in that same context, I truly despair of all the Virtue Signaling of politicians who offer "thoughts and prayers" to massacre victims, while refusing to take any action to prevent the next tragedy that will require them to once again trot out their "thoughts and prayers."

Anyway, Political Correctness, originally an exercise in being mindful of others' feelings, seems to have gone 'way off the rails in the pronoun department. I've never encountered ze and hir, but am still in denial about the need to us the plural pronoun 'they" when referring to one person. Perhaps this is how languages grow and change. And/or deteriorate.

Quote from Splinter

Since when did those that utter such banalities actually think of or pray for the people who died?

Good point. I believe there was a case back in '72. Or was it '27?

The interesting thing about Peterson (A man with a lot to say and with whom I agree and disagree with in equal measure, but at least he's talking about these subjects) is that he said he would likely call someone by the pronoun of their choice if requested by the person. It was all about being forced to that irked him. His meeting in front of Ontarian (maybe federal government) politicians is a riveting watch.

I have a similar attitude. If someone says “I’d like to be called boomerang instead of Chris, and my preferred pronoun is “it,” then I’ll do my best to remember to accommodate.

But sheesh!

Manhole is the name of a certain type of bar surely? Won't have the same appeal to its clientel if it is called maintenance hole.

A manhole is an access space to an underground area that houses plumbing, electrical, cable or other pipes, wires, conduits or other utility equipment. It is reached by removing a large metal plate, usually in a street or sidewalk, called a manhole cover.

The point is to avoid the situation we have in Buenos Aires, where access to utility equipment is made by digging holes in the sidewalk or street, a system that guarantees the streets and pedestrian walks stay in a constant state of disrepair.

I personally prefer your suggestion, Semigoodlooking, that a manhole could be a type of bar, a thought possibly derived from the concept of a Man Cave?

How woke is THIS?

Alas, I’m afraid so.

For anyone who might have felt positively 21st century for using the expression “woke,” a word of advice: don’t!

I have it on good authority that NOBODY says “woke” anymore.

Isn’t that just the way it always goes?

Going on a tangent - but sort of related - has anyone noticed how youth culture in Argentina seems to always be trailing Europe and the US by a few years? Most of us know some words become popular amongst youngsters for a year or two before being replaced by the next cool sayings. One example was the word "cringe" whenever someone did something... well, cringey. That word became popular online and amongst those pesky kids around 5 to 3 years ago. Only now in the last few months are kids in this country using it. That's just one example that springs to mind.

Firstly, I find it annoying that kids that speak Spanish adopt English terms, but as someone who speaks English I guess I am blasé about using words from other languages. Secondly, why does the trickle down of popular internet memes take so long to get here, Argentines have the internet.

Speaking of which, it also drives me crazy how people here say meme. It is pronounced meem and is its own unique word. Here it is literally called Me Me...

Me Me! That’s so funny!

You’ve taught me something, Semigoodlooking. For years and years, I’ve used the terms “cringeworthy” and “cringe-producing.” Not having a teenager, I’m generally oblivious to pop culture words du jour, so I was unaware that “cringe” had come and gone. Pity.

Quote from Rice

Me Me! That’s so funny!

You’ve taught me something, Semigoodlooking. For years and years, I’ve used the terms “cringeworthy” and “cringe-producing.” Not having a teenager, I’m generally oblivious to pop culture words du jour, so I was unaware that “cringe” had come and gone. Pity.

It's fine to say cringeworthy.

Person tries to do something stupid to look cool, falls over.

You can say, "that was cringeworthy". It's fine, nothing wrong with that.

The popular meme was, person tries to do something stupid to look cool, falls over.

You would say simply "cringe!" or "that's cringey".

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Cringe

As you can see, most entries into the Urban Dictionary are from several years ago when the meme was popular. I am sure it is still used today (certinaly is in Argentina) but you don't see it as much on Reddit and other outlets as much as you did a few years ago.

I'm neither

I hate the idea of virtual signalling, while doing actually nothing to help society

I hate being "woke" because it just doesn't sound like me

While wokeness seemingly began as an effort to use less hurtful words about our fellow humans, it has taken some twisted and coercive paths.

Bret Stevens of the New York Times offers these thoughts:

“The American Medical Association recently published its “Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts,” which includes such recommendations as replacing the term “disadvantaged” with “historically and intentionally excluded,” “social problem” with “social injustice,” “vulnerable” with “oppressed,” and “blacklist” and “blackmail” with words that don’t suggest an association between the word “black” and “suspicion or disapproval.”

“This isn’t silly. It’s Orwellian. It’s a blunt attempt to turn everyday speech into a perpetual, politicized and nearly unconscious indictment of “the system.” Anyone who has spent time analyzing how the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century operated will note the similarities….

“This is why Wokeness will fail. For every attempt to cancel certain writers, others will publish them. For every diktat to fix language by replacing some words with others, people will merely find more subversive ways to say the same thing. For every effort to turn high schools and universities into Wokeness factories, there will be efforts to start afresh. Because technology, capital and good ideas move faster than ideology, those efforts will succeed more quickly than their skeptics imagine.

“In the long run, Americans have always gotten behind protest movements that make the country more open, more decent, less divided. What today is called Woke does none of those things. It has no future in the home of the free.”

Quote from Rice

While wokeness seemingly began as an effort to use less hurtful words about our fellow humans, it has taken some twisted and coercive paths.

Bret Stevens of the New York Times offers these thoughts:

“The American Medical Association recently published its “Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts,” which includes such recommendations as replacing the term “disadvantaged” with “historically and intentionally excluded,” “social problem” with “social injustice,” “vulnerable” with “oppressed,” and “blacklist” and “blackmail” with words that don’t suggest an association between the word “black” and “suspicion or disapproval.”

“This isn’t silly. It’s Orwellian. It’s a blunt attempt to turn everyday speech into a perpetual, politicized and nearly unconscious indictment of “the system.” Anyone who has spent time analyzing how the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century operated will note the similarities….

“This is why Wokeness will fail. For every attempt to cancel certain writers, others will publish them. For every diktat to fix language by replacing some words with others, people will merely find more subversive ways to say the same thing. For every effort to turn high schools and universities into Wokeness factories, there will be efforts to start afresh. Because technology, capital and good ideas move faster than ideology, those efforts will succeed more quickly than their skeptics imagine.

“In the long run, Americans have always gotten behind protest movements that make the country more open, more decent, less divided. What today is called Woke does none of those things. It has no future in the home of the free.”

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Wokeness is just a fad, it will pass like flare trousers, or pants as they call them over there