Political correctness v freedom of speech
Is it politically correct to make assumptions on where people come from? Living in Denmark and (having in my view a very obvious UK accent) it took my office mate 3 months before he asked 'where in India to you come from?', to which I answered 'London.'. Yesterday, in the middle of a Danish oral exam I was told that i looked like a Bollywood star....I had to stress that I was from the UK. So should I get offended? well no I did not, but did find the naiveity of the Danes to make such stereotypes annoying, and it does explain the political mess they landed themselves in. At the same time, it is a bit refreshing- political correctness can get so over the top, so where exactly is that border line. I remember back in Cambridge having to change the name of a xmas party to 'a winter party' on the request of some North Americans who felt it would offend/exclude those not celebrating xmas.
1 comment:
I guess your colleague and examiner were attempting to be friendly. People often assume (incorrectly) that I'm Greek or Spanish. As I see it, their wrong assumption is quite a good to break the ice or to do some small talk.
The only time this has offended me was when an estate agent asked me to write carefully, in capital letters, because "Greeks don't write clearly"--and it offended me because it was a racist thing to say.
I agree it's a bit annoying, but I wouldn't think it's un-PC as long as they don't go beyond guessing the nationality.
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