I have clients around the world who look to me for advice on what to say or not say in order to stay out of trouble and be good communicators. When it comes to humor, mockery and what is politically correct and incorrect, I’m afraid I don’t have any principles to offer that can stand the test of time, even if that time period were a month or a week. That’s because the standards are changing every day.
On April 23, 2007 rap music impresario Russell Simmons announced that he is going to essentially ban the use of “bitch,†“ho,†and “nigger†from records that are produced under his label. The rules about what is fair game and what isn’t are changing every day. It used to be that you were allowed to make fun of someone and even use nasty language if you could someone claim full or partial membership to the group you were mocking or attacking. This has always struck me and a lot of other people as less than intellectually honest.
In the past, there was also the premise that if someone said nasty things but didn’t do it with hate “in his heart†then that was OK too. The problem with that standard is that it’s very hard to read people’s minds and hearts to ascertain their true convictions.
I’ve yet to find anyone who is truly consistent on this issue. The people who cry the loudest about how awful political correctness has become and who are quick to denounce every newsworthy episode as yet another episode of “political correctness run amuck†are themselves the first ones to attack someone who makes fun of their God or political party or country club.
Unfortunately, unless you are a paid celebrity at a Friar’s Roast, nobody really enjoys being made fun of or attacked. Interest groups have become more skilled at aligning themselves with the news media, advertisers and big corporations to attack those who attack them.
So what’s crossing the line and what’s stepping up on the fair side of the line when it comes to hurling invective or mockery these days? Your guess is as good as mine. The line is changing everyday. I’m not one of those who moans standards are getting worse, but they are definitely becoming different.
Human beings always have and always will use words to communicate and that can sometimes mean trying to ridicule, embarrass, amuse and annoy other people. This will continue to happen in private conversation. However, the public square is seeing standards evolve at warp speed. If you want to have people focus on your message when you are in the public square rather that attack you as a morally repugnant messenger, you had better pay close attention, daily, to these evolving standards.
Originally published as Media Skills: What is Fair Game and What Is Politically Incorrect? by TJ Walker for SpeakingChannel.TV
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