Politically incorrect?

I recently learnt of wikitravel – wikipedia’s new travel sister, aiming to give a breakdown of all you need to know about destinations and countries around the world.

Being a naturally curious type, I decided to have a browse through the Argentina page, just to see what the wikitravel fellows had to say about the dear land I have chosen as home.

It goes through all the usual stuff, the main cities and other destinations like Iguazú and the Moreno Glacier: no surprises there, then. In fact, all is pretty standard until you hit the language section, where suddenly things got a bit more interesting…

“Visitors who speak Spanish should be aware that many words and expressions which are considered obscene or insulting in other Spanish-speaking places are considered a normal part of everyday speech in Argentina. For instance, it is common to refer to one’s friends as ‘boludo’ (big balls) or hijo de puta (son of a bitch).”

All true, so far.

“The concept of political correctness does not exist in Argentina,” continues the website. “Fat people are unapologetically addressed as ‘gordo’, blacks as ‘negro’, people who appear to be of Indian descent as ‘Peruano’ or ‘Boliviano’ (regardless of their actual ancestry), or middle-eastern as ‘turco’ etc. Visitors should be aware that this sort of blunt address is considered normal in Argentina, and no insult is implied and is the result of immigratory mixture.”

Hearing the language I have grown accustomed to described in such a way is food for thought. I had never considered the concept of whether such language was politically correct or not – I mean, if the person on the receiving end of the ‘che, gordo’ is not insulted, why should we outsiders be?

Additionally I had always considered such language an identifier, like my friend Colo who has red hair. I ask an Argentine for clarification.

“If calling a spade a spade is politically incorrect, then I suppose we are,” he says. “Calling someone ‘gordo’ if they are fat is just another name. Not hiring them because they are fat is politically incorrect.”

I think he has a point, and at times we need to lighten up with our language. Obviously, some things are plain insulting, but others are cultural nuances and should be judged accordingly.

And I agree with him that on some levels this whole political correctness thing has gone way too far. ‘Vertically-challenged’ – what’s wrong with plain old ‘short’? It’s only by making these words sound like they are insults and creating a ‘polite’ version that we make them insulting, no?