It has become very commonplace to be accused of being politically incorrect or commended for being politically correct, but what exactly does this entail?

“It means paying attention to diversity. I’ve always thought it was uniquely American due to our history dealing with diversity issues,” said Mike Stephenson, a history teacher.

Paul Ross, a contemporary issues teacher, offers a diffrent definition. “I believe people who are politically correct are folks who say something that will not offend anyone in the room, remaining neutral.”

Being politically correct came from a desire in our society to consider others’ sensitivities or feelings. What could be so wrong about being considerate?

You can be considerate without trying to remain “neutral,” as Mr. Ross put it. In America, we have variety of cultures, religions and ethnicities, but instead of welcoming those aspects into our society, we tend to accommodate and censor our own culture in the process.

During the holiday season, for example, workers at the airport or mall aren’t allowed to say “Merry Christmas.” But that’s the name of the holiday, right? Should we pretend this holiday doesn’t exist, whether we celebrate it or not? We can act as one coherent entity without destroying ourselves.

Brad Paisley, an American country singer, wrote a satirical song on politically correct terms during the Christmas season. In the song “Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday,” the words “Christmas” and “white” are censored. Paisley suggests replacing them with “holiday” and “Caucasian”.

Other politically correct terms include hearing impaired, congressperson, undocumented immigrant, person of color, physically challenged, and fireperson.

While the original intention of politically correct terms was to bridge diversity, it actually calls attention to our differences. We don’t live in a politically correct world where differences in religion, gender and race don’t exist, so we can’t just live our lives ignoring the distinctions among us.

If a rose by another other name is just as sweet, what would be the point in calling it another name?

Granted, it is proper to consider your audience, but censoring yourself is unnecessary. We are allowed to have conversations, which cover varying lifestyles. In fact, life is about variety. Let’s start living.