Well said.
I view the etymology of this term politically correct changing faster than we may even be able to keep up. As someone who is female, has c-PTSD, and is a part of the LGBTQ* community, it is my responsibility to work hard not to be reactive, regardless of what has been said (either personally or in general). The reason being? The willingness to change, to heal, requires one’s comfort to be challenged. There is no exception to this rule: empathy cannot be cultivated within unless (at minimum, small) amounts of understanding have occurred. What is happening now (from my view), is the misunderstanding of the Japanese sanbiki no saru (three monkeys) of see no evil, say no evil, hear no evil. This has evolved to the English idiom turning a blind eye, when in fact it’s closer to the saying do unto others. I see this both used and ignored on both sides (left or right wing).
What I find concerning is term branching off into new terms such as triggered, trigger warning and safe space, and if the use is implemented correctly or incorrectly (either intently or accidentally, one cannot be sure). The paradox being: you need learned empathy for these words to uphold their purest definition (which I don't believe we have a true understanding as the usage varies), but you cannot gain that empathy without willing to be vulnerable or challenged.
I quote Amanda Palmer (The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help):
“When you’re afraid of someone’s judgment, you can’t connect with them. You’re too preoccupied with the task of impressing them. The perception that vulnerability is weakness is the most widely accepted myth about vulnerability and the most dangerous. When we spend our lives pushing away and protecting ourselves from feeling vulnerable or from being perceived as too emotional, we feel contempt when others are less capable or willing to mask feelings, suck it up, and soldier on. We’ve come to the point where, rather than respecting and appreciating the courage and daring behind
vulnerability, we let our fear and discomfort become judgment and criticism. Eat the pain. Send it back into the void as love.”
