The Use of Politically Correct Language in George Carlin’s ’Soft Language’

George Carlin describes soft language as mild terms that are used by people to cope with life problems in a sugarcoated way. Carlin states that “Americans have trouble facing the truth, so they invent the kind of a soft language to protect themselves from it.” Soft language can also be referred to as politically correct, which refers to the use of language that does not offend anyone. Carlin emphasizes that soft language conceals the reality of matter such as when old people are referred to as ”senior citizens” or when a 90-year-old person is referred to as ”90 years old young” (”George Carlin - Soft Language”).

Carlin gives a summary of the various ways in which the society sugarcoats reality. People are coming up with new ways of naming things that have existed for a long time in an attempt to soften the world. According to George Carlin, the euphemisms are inaccurate as people have been convinced that changing the name of a condition eventually changes its reality. I do agree with Carlin’s logic as soft language only appeals to people through ensuring that the words used do not offend people, but it does not change the situation at all. For example, blind people are now referred to as ”visually impaired,” and although this term sounds sophisticated, it does not change the fact that the blind cannot see (”George Carlin - Soft Language”).

Carlin gives another example of the soldiers who returned from the war, and during that time their mental condition was referred to as ”shell-shocked”; this was a term that used to describe a person who had suffered substantial psychological trauma. The term evolved to what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many sayings have evolved with time to what we now refer as politically correct language and although the terms are considered non-offensive; they only describe conditions that have existed over a long time.

Work Cited

”George Carlin - Soft Language.” (Transcribed), 1990.