Submitted as evidence

[John Gear <catalyst -at- PACIFIER -dot- COM>]

Someone wrote:

>Let's drop this discussion of PC issues right now. It's trying my
>patience severely. This list is for technical writing
>professionals, not political whiners of any sort, pro or con PC.
>In fact I would be most impressed if we could keep gender
>politics off this list entirely. If you wouldn't discuss it with
>your business associates, it shouldn't be on this list.

Wow.  Perhaps your conception of a writing professional is limited to those
who care about hanging indents in Robohelp.

I'm sure sorry this discussion is trying your patience.  Could you send me
the updated guidelines from Eric that give the rule that you cite (if you
wouldn't discuss it with your business associates it shouldn't be on this
list)?  The guidelines I keep getting say "If it's about technical
communication, post it."

Absent that, I reject your notion that this list is only for discussing that
IBM would discuss.  Nonetheless, I also think you are also wrong about
whether or not PC is of interest to business.

Certainly the issues of changing social norms for discourse about various
social groups is *larger* than technical communications--but that doesn't
mean that it is not relevant to technical writers, editors, educators,
illustrators, trainers, and developers.  Only those who write nothing but
machine-readable code can plausibly argue that their work is not influenced
by social norms--or that the entity reading/viewing/hearing their work may
not be hurt by an inadvertant putdown.

This thread began when someone used an analogy that someone else felt was
inappropriate.  Most technical communicators that I know depend on analogies
and metaphors--finding out that some of your audience considers an analogy
that you use to be insulting seems like a benefit, not an injury.  I don't
know where you work but *many* organizations are striving to stop putting
people down this way--and are discovering lots of embedded resistance to
these efforts.

I have worked with people who feel threatened and get angry when someone
says they can't call women "girls."  These same people tend to say "those
people" when referring to minorities.  The International Association of
Business Communicators "World" magazine just had a report on a survey that
showed a great deal of resistance in companies that are trying to be more
inclusive.  The number of people making a living trying to help companies be
more inclusive indicates that many businesses are interested in what you
might call "PC."

The charge of PC tends to get thrown at those who would discuss widespread
practices (but unpopular topics) like sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia
etc.  All of these affect technical communicators now and will likely
continue to do so in the future--in business, government, academia, and
not-for-profit agencies alike.  Seems like a fair topic for this list.

Other comments:

1.  Time magazine "liberal"?!?  It is to laugh.  Time has long been the
"House Organ of the Republican Party--the House that Luce Built"  I suppose
only "The Spotlight" is conservative enough?

2.  I believe the gentleman who asserted something like "Of course, I am the
ultimate in politically incorrect, I'm a conservative Christian" dangled the
bait and invited the response received ("Of course, I never did understand
conservative Christians").  By introducing his religious beliefs into a
political discussion he asked for comment on them--and the comment was very
mild indeed.

Consider the case if someone said "Of course, I am the ultimate in poltical
incorrectness, I am a conservative Republican."  Would it be considered a
putdown if someone replied "Of course, I never did understand conservative
Republicans"?  I think not--so why is it a putdown for Christians?

A lot of religious people are trying to have it both ways these days--using
their beliefs as the basis for political argument and then hollering about
anti-religious discrimination when those same beliefs are challenged and
disputed.  This is an attempt to limit debate and silence opposing
views--precisely the charge against the "PC" types.
John Gear (catalyst -at- pacifier -dot- com)

The Bill of Rights--The Original Contract with America
Accept no substitutes.  Beware of imitations.  Insist on the genuine articles.