Senior English and criminology and criminal justice major

I’m quite pessimistic about political correctness. In fact, I detest any social behavior that limits my ability to use a language. These are words; no one can lay claim to them. I believe the right to use words and language is innate and inalienable, to blatantly repeat the Bill of Rights.

I see political correctness as a trigger warning. Both concepts have groups of people behind them that get vehemently mad when you oppose the use of them. Both limit one’s ability to use certain words and language in the social sense. Both try to protect a certain group from feeling bad about what someone else says. As apathetic as it might sound, I value the freedom of speech much more than I value someone else’s feelings.

Harsh? Maybe. But when you look at what political correctness does in reality, you might agree with me. We are taught to say “person of size” when we think “fat,” “disadvantaged” when we think “poor,” and “African-American” when we think “black.” The benefits and consequences of using any of those words can be debated for hours. What I’m saying is, we spend too much time focusing on what’s politically correct to say rather than what’s politically correct to do.

If a CEO calls his secretary a “chick” or a “pretty piece of ass,” everyone and their mother goes ballistic, protesting his right to even exist. “That’s not what you call women.” But what are we doing about that secretary’s salary? She earns about 77 percent of what her male counterpart earns, isn’t that the real crime? Would you or your mother storm into the CEO’s office and complain about the wage gap? Not likely.

Focusing on calling overweight people, people of color, or women something deemed “correct” is taking the attention away from treating those people right. Obviously, changing the word is much easier than changing the system, but that’s why it seems so pointless in my mind. I don’t appreciate the easy, pointless way out, especially when it tries to hinder my freedom of speech.

Margaret Zelenski is a senior criminology and criminal justice and English major. She can be reached at mzelenskidbk@gmail.com.