The Word Police by Michiko Kakutani Essay -- The Word Police Michiko K

The countersignature Police by Michiko Kakutani Michiko Kakutanis essay The Word Police is a refreshing look at a literary serviceman policed by the Politically Correct (P.C.). She pokes fun at the efforts of P.C. policepersons such(prenominal) as Rosalie Maggio, author of The Bias-Free Word Finder, a Dictionary of Nondiscriminatory Language . scarce in mocking authors like Maggio, Kakutani emphasizes that efforts of the P.C. police are often hyperbolise to the point of silliness and can even become a lingual distraction from the real issues. In fact, such filtering or censorship of oral communication can lead to larger problems within the English language acquiring upset by phrases like bullish on America or the urban center of Brotherly Love tends to distract attention from the real problems of prejudice and injustice that personify in society at large (686). According to Kakutani, over-exaggerated political rightness just serves in complicating our words and di luting the messages. But really, the problem in P.C. advice on word-choice is the exaggeration of inclusive ness. Kakutani addresses the P.C. polices righteous motive a vision of a more just, inclusive society in which racism, sexism, and prejudice of all sorts drive home been erased (684). But where does one draw the line between writing inclusively and walk on eggshells? What is politically correct? Must writers assume the worst of their audiences when debating whether to change the spelling of women to womyn in order to avoid sexist language? The law is, writing purely inclusively is an arduous task it requires consistent and careful esteem of many exterior elements such as audience, literary content, and societal context. An enquiry of these elements reveals just how difficult ... ...eading community. This goes to show that sometimes it takes extreme action to formulate meaningful results. Kakutani writes, In the case of the politically correct, the prohibition of certai n words, phrases and ideas is modernistic in the cause of building a brave new world free of racism and hate (687). In this way, the P.C. motive is honorable. And we learn that function can be a worthwhile tool for those who strive to weaken themselves. Therefore, the efforts of the P.C. police are to be equally criticized and applauded criticized for over-punishing many of the language-abiding citizens, and applauded for their attentiveness to situation and determination to better our language for the sake of inclusiveness. Works Cited Kakutani, Michiko. The Word Police. The Writers aim . Eds. Donald McQuade and Robert Atwan. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2003.