At the risk of sounding like I’m part of the radical right, I really want to ask, “what ARE we allowed to say these days?” I find that EVERYTHING that doesn’t sound “woke” seems wrong. Hell, me suggesting that people should dress up more (even without speaking to “traditional” gender dress codes) puts me at risk of being shamed. WTF is with that?
Yorkdale now has “all gender” bathrooms. There’s even a sign EXPLAINING WHY they exist. Seriously, is that really necessary? I’m fine with all gender, but I also think all the in-your-face explanation is…annoying and OTT. THAT is what bothers me. Just have a sign that says “washroom/restroom/lavatory” or whatever the most polite term is. End of story. Unless, of course, our society REALLY IS that stupid not to know. Actually, maybe we are.
Inclusive should REALLY MEAN inclusive. It shouldn’t mean “your ‘traditional’ values suck and I’m better than you because I’m SO WOKE!” That’s called snobbery. Criticizing parents because their little girls wear “princess” dresses is just as bad as criticizing parents because their little girls only wear (male) superhero clothing. I know that this isn’t too common, but it DOES happen. When I was little, I LIKED wearing dresses. I wanted to wear dresses to school, but I wasn’t allowed because dresses and skirts weren’t play-appropriate. I begged to go to a school with a uniform, just so I could wear a tunic or skirt (school uniforms eventually happened, but not until middle school, when I was kind of “over” that whole “I must wear dresses/skirts to school” phase. But I still preferred to dress up on grub day). Is that weird enough to be shamed these days? I really hope not. But it seems that it could.
It isn’t just the whole “princess” thing. Heck, even any mention of cultural-related issues can be criticized. It seems that SOME people, especially the super-left, feel that certain cultures, especially non-European ones, need to be preserved. Do they not realize that cultures, ALL CULTURES, evolve and change? My ethnic background is (mostly) from China (I say “mostly” because my roots are predominantly in the southeastern coast, which would have seen a lot of travellers/people from elsewhere). Am I supposed to honour its customs to the fullest? And if so, which ones and from which century? Chinese culture dates back thousands of years. Are there certain dynasties to focus on? Or do you mean basic Confucianist values? What about Chinese culture prior to Confucius? He may have had a strong influence in China and China’s surrounding countries (e.g. Korea and Vietnam), but China DID exist before he was born. Like REAL Chinese culture. He wasn’t the guy who started it all.
In addition, China is a huge country and has been for thousands of years. What part of China is the most “real?” And by “real,” does one mean Han culture (even THAT is influenced by region. It’s like saying there’s only one Canadian or American culture)? If so, that erases the identity of minority cultures in China. It’s something that the Chinese government is apparently doing and this is being criticized. It’s also no better than criticizing Hong Kong culture because of its British influences. Sometimes, colonialism creates new cultures unique to the colonized country or region, existing even after its independence or return to original country (which is in the case of Hong Kong). It shouldn’t be seen as “wrong” or being too influenced by the colonists. It’s just the way it is and, like it or not, part of the region’s identity. It’s not something that can be erased. It just is. And it’s not like they’re mimicking the colonists, it’s something they created based on its influence. Like Hong Kong milk tea. Hong Kong diners (cha chaan tengs). Or Macanese chicken (a curry-like dish. It’s actually called Portuguese chicken in Cantonese, despite it not being AT ALL Portuguese. In fact, the dish has some Indian influences in its spice usage). To say that one has to erase that from existence just to “decolonize” oneself is erasing heritage itself. Like it or not, British colonialism is part of Hong Kong’s history. It can’t be undone.
I feel like people don’t use their brains enough when it comes to political correctness. We really need to THINK before we say or do. And sometimes, what one SAYS in the name of being PC is actually very demeaning. When you criticize someone for making changes to a culture in, say, cuisine (especially in cuisine) or because they’ve made changes to either suit them (especially if there are dietary concerns) or because certain ingredients are more difficult to find in a particular country or region. I mean, what does AUTHENTIC really mean, anyway? As I’ve said before, few of my recipes are considered “authentic” in this case because I just don’t “do” what many people might consider “Chinese cuisine.” I was never taught, and to be quite honest, rice isn’t even on the top of my list of “must eat” foods. My food is, of course, INFLUENCED by my heritage, and I take a lot of pride in that (if I’m technically allowed to), but it most certainly isn’t “traditional Chinese.”
I also feel that a lot of this comes from people who just feel badly about what their ancestors did to people in other countries. And that guilt, well, is going overboard. In fact, it’s to the point that it’s making me uncomfortable. Guess what? What happened in the past happened in the past. It was awful. Whatever. You don’t have to constantly apologize with an in-your-face philosophy until our heads hurt – especially if it erases the existence of something (e.g. buildings named after slave owners. Guess what, those guys were horrible, but they existed. And they were people. Changing a name almost makes it sound like they never did, especially if they were involved in founding a nation. And really, do we HAVE to look at things from the perspective of what people in the 21st century think is “proper?”). And my head has been hurting for a while now. Merci and move on.
Body image is at issue as well. We can’t be concerned about people’s health without being criticized for body shaming. But that’s only if someone’s big. If someone is very thin, then it’s perfectly fine to critique her (I say “her” because it’s almost always referring to a woman. And I mean 99.999999% of the time). And body image activists are very much a part of this. They only advocate for one side of the story and not the other. If it’s okay to be “naturally big,” then it’s perfectly fine to be “naturally small.” The whole “real women have curves” campaign Dove had years ago REALLY BUGGED ME. Because “curves” to them meant big. And when you bring up the fact that you’re small and you ALSO have fit issues (especially when it comes to lingerie), WHOA MY GOD, people say “at least you can find things in the teen (or even KIDS’) department!” A certain lingerie/athleisure brand KNOWN for fitting “everyone” has been guilty of this (I see their ads on Facebook all the time. No, you don’t fit EVERYONE). As I’ve said before, do these companies not realize they need to go small as well as big??? Especially if they want to expand in Asia (I guess they don’t)? Are they THAT STUPID? And then there are the body image activists who just pretend to acknowledge this. They can be very dismissive. And snobby. And being PC shouldn’t be snobby.
Of course, this is just one woman’s perspective on just a few issues. I can go on. Shame me all you want. Hey, even call me a super-righty. I don’t care. I just want to say what I want to say. If it doesn’t sound PC to you, then maybe you have problems too.
Image by By Nadya_Art/Shutterstock
