This article was originally published in the Sept. Statesman Print Edition.

Oh gosh, please don’t take my snowflake card away. Okay, I’m just gonna say it: political correctness is lazy. It’s like instead of actually listening, we just wait to hear blacklisted words, and, ope, you’re stupid and racist and homophobic and your mom never loved you. I don’t know. To me, p.c. language has become a prerequisite to conversation, muting valid (albeit, crude) voices.
And sister, that’s kinda gay.
Yes, I just conflated the words gay and stupid. But I don’t think gay people are stupid; in fact, I think they’re quite nifty. My point is, for the rest of this article, please listen. Actually listen. Okay, cool.
First, though, I wanna be clear; p.c. language is not the problem. According to a 2014 study published by Cornell, when p.c. language is mentioned to collaborative and diverse groups, their subsequent ideas increase in number and novelty. P.c. language is a valuable, unifying tool when used correctly. The intent of p.c. language is to construct a world where we include everyone by avoiding frictional phrases and deleting communication born from a history of hate.
For the LGBTQ community, p.c. language has given rise to autonomy and respect; thoughtful words actualize awareness and legislation. However, in a state like South Dakota, exposure to the transgender community is not a reality for most. Because our state, like many others, lacks transgender representation, the perception of the community becomes polarized and minimized. This isn’t because South Dakotans are bigoted, or even stupid, but because people simply can’t know what they don’t know. Empathy can’t exist in a vacuum. It sucks; I know.
In an attempt to be more linguistically inclusive, we’ve ended up actually excluding people whose voices deserve to be heard.
The problem, my friends, is that we expect p.c. language, and worse, aren’t willing to hear someone out if they don’t share our very narrow and complex verbal toolbox. We’ve shifted our attention from what is being said to how it’s being said, and in so doing excluded those not privileged enough to have been exposed to the lingo.
P.c language is now a classist social currency. Self-loathing children of the top 1 percent whip out their hypersensitivities to measure who has the biggest wokeness. The wealthy have time to worry about and access to p.c. language. And because of their cash-powered influence, p.c. language is widely expected. The privileged continue to determine and disseminate norms; in this case, it’s a monolithic vernacular guised as comprehensive social progress.
There’s this idea that the words we use shape our world, or, at least, our perception of it. And that’s true, to an extent. But sometimes, we worry too much about the words we use and not enough about what they really mean.
The solution is pretty simple with this: listen. We don’t have to stop using p.c. language; we just need to listen. Words serve to convey meaning. And, while some words are more powerful and inspiring than others, they are of little importance compared to the intent behind them. Respect people. Be kind. And remember that it isn’t the semantics that matter, but the sentiment.