Another word for ‘politically correct

by Renée Otmar

Remember New Year’s Eve, 1999?

Readers who are old enough to recall how they celebrated the turning of the century may also recall a quietly underlying sense of panic as we watched our clocks ticking closer to midnight. The millennium bug, or Y2K, as we called it, was a 1960s-era computer programming shortcut whose chickens were about to come home to roost. There were dire warnings about what would occur around the world when computer programs using two-digit years (98, 99 instead of 1998, 1999) could not distinguish between the years 2000 and 1900. Some commentators warned about impending mass plane crashes, while others predicted malfunctioning power stations that would plunge civilisation as we knew it back into the Stone Age. In the United Kingdom, incorrect assessments for Down Syndrome were sent to 154 pregnant women, resulting in two abortions due to miscalculation of the mothers’ age. These were perhaps the most serious consequences at the individual level. Other documented problems were relatively minor – for example, taxi meters in Singapore stopped working and the machines validating bus tickets failed in two Australian states. But, for the most part, the sky did not fall in. Twenty years later, and our reliance on electronic and computing technologies has increased in ways we could not have anticipated back then. Australians typically own several ‘smart’ devices, including phones, tablets, laptop and desktop computers, wearable devices, cars and household appliances, to name just a few. We depend on these devices in emergency situations and to conduct our work and pay our bills; for entertainment and to communicate with each other across a range of platforms. Chief among the latter is social media. Interestingly, while many people extoll the virtues of social media – it helps us keep in touch easily with friends and family, locally and in far-flung places; it can provide opportunities to find love or companionship, and so on – but perhaps as many people are concerned about its dangers. Among these is cyber bullying, which in a nutshell is vile, anti-social behaviour conducted online.

Many people use social media to express their creativity, or to share their views or support a particular issue, including social and political causes. It’s almost impossible to comprehend the sheer range of topics and grievances people find necessary to air on online, but one that stands out for me is ‘political correctness’. Now, political correctness is not a new concept by any means. In fact, it dates back to 1934, when The New York Times revealed that Nazi Germany was only approving applications for reporting permits from ‘pure “Aryans” whose opinions are ‘politically correct’. In other words, even international journalists had to respect and support that regime’s doctrines. Criticise Hitler or the party and you would lose your permit – or worse. In Australia, conservative politicians and commentors, as well as many with extremist leanings, often complain about ‘political correctness gone mad’. They object to changes in the way we address and depict people so that these reflect contemporary norms, such as referring to people by their nominated cultural, gender or other identity. In my work as an editor, I am often asked to assess the suitability of a manuscript for its intended audience. If the book is for young children, part of my job is to ensure that the words, sentences, images and concepts are not too complicated for them to comprehend while at the

same time encouraging an expansion in their vocabulary and knowledge. If the book is a novel for adults and set in contemporary times, one of the things I need to look out for is anachronisms – for example, words, objects, customs and dialogue from a different era that don’t match our time. A novel describing a Melbourne teenager in the 1970s using a mobile phone is anachronistic because mobile phones only came into use in Australia in the 1990s.

Aspects of this work is known as ‘sensitivity reading’, which means I need to assess whether the manuscript is in good taste and matches contemporary norms and expectations in Australian society. If a book that is offensive to certain readers has to be pulled off the market and pulped, it can spell disaster for the publisher, which usually invests considerable sums in anticipation of sales. That’s the financial consideration.

However, considerations of taste and respect are, generally speaking, held in much higher regard by Australian audiences. Our values of justice and ‘a fair go’ apply to everyone, from every walk of life. It is no longer acceptable in Australia to discriminate against anyone because of their sex, sexuality and/or gender identity. We believe that a child growing up in a poor household should have as much opportunity as one raised in a wealthy household. There are many other examples of Australia’s changed – and changing – cultural norms. Ultimately, these norms are based on two fundamental values: human rights and respect for the individual. And that is what ‘political correctness’ is really all about. Unfortunately, the term is used as an insult these days. Some may consider being polite and having good manners to be too old-fashioned. So perhaps we could stick with the one basic idea: respect. Which is something everyone deserves. Renée Otmar’s most recent work, Editing for Sensitivity, Diversity and Inclusion: A guide for professional editors was published in October 2020 in paperback and ebook formats.