Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 22, 1993 TAG: 9312220244
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Wendi Gibson Richert
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
You may not realize it, but every sound you utter is being monitored by the multiculturally unexceptionable police for sensitive inclusivity. Yup, every word.
The movement to reflect a culturally sensitive society through our lexicon has geared up with the second edition of Henry Beard's and Christopher Cerf's ``The Official Politically Correct Dictionary and Handbook'' (Villard Books).
Of course, you'll pardon us if we point out that there are two politically incorrect terms in the title alone. The handbook itself tells us that the term ``politically correct'' is no longer PC at all. And, there is no such thing as a ``book.'' Rather, such texts are ``processed tree carcasses.'' This newspaper is one, too.
The second edition, dedicated to Donna Ellen Cooperperson - formerly Cooperman - is filled with all sorts of twists on language as we know it. Hard-of-hearing folks are now ``aurally inconvenienced,'' dead people are ``terminally inconvenienced,'' fat people ``possess an alternative body image,'' and manholes have become ``personnel access structures.'' We won't even get into the gender-bending that makes history herstory or a hurricane a himicane.
No, we're just grateful to be temporarily metabolically abled. Even if our vocabulary is going to the d - uh - human animal companions.
by CNB