Political correctness

I am preparing a talk on the ruination of our language due, in part, to political correctness. Here's part of what I want to say.

One way to improve job status is to use politically correct terms. Note the following examples.

Body guards are now referred to as executive protection specialists. Trash collectors are now labelled environmental technicians.

Think about these terms, which have been generated to avoid offending groups of people.

a.      people of size (old term--fat)

b.     chronologically gifted (old)

c.      alternatively schooled (uneducated)

d.     cerebrally challenged (dumb)

e.      client of the correctional system (prisoner)

f.      sobriety deprived (drunk)

g.     underhoused (homeless)

h.     at Stanford students are now given NP instead of F

i.       you may not use these terms in newspaper ads: ocean view, within walking distance, master bedroom (can you figure out why?)

Then there are the terms made up to make a political statement. I'll let you figure out who they are referring to.

a.      psychosocially deprived

b.     unable to conform his conduct to the law

c.      botanical companions

d.     stolen, nonhuman animal products

e.      member of the mutant, albino, genetic-recessive global minority

f.      pro-choice

g.     visual rape

h.     intergenerational intimacy

i.       pet guardian

j.       economically marginalized

k.     motivationally dispossessed

l.       sex-care providers

m.   person of non-color

n.     processed animal carcasses

o.     undocumented resident/workers

Are we hurt by such language bending? Maybe. I agree that there are some improvements in the words chosen recently. But do you see how many of these terms are used to express a political slant rather than simply tell the truth? Now we are using language to make us more comfortable with behavior we used to dislike. Ah, the world marches on.