On nondiscrimination
When I was a student in a performing arts high school in the 80's, the entire (about 75) student body was assigned an essay on the topic "What is an Artist?" After reading the essays, the Director had to explain that while it was perhaps noble and generous to see the art in all professions, including carpentry and cafeteria work, he had been hoping for us to think about what made ‘the Arts’ distinct from other fields.
You’d have thought he had insulted their mothers and kicked their puppy dogs. Why, that was discriminating! Who was he to say that electrical wiring, cashiering, or road paving was not every bit as artistic a pursuit as dance, acting, or writing. How elitist! It was an insult to all workers. He tried to explain that he was not making a value judgment, he was trying to define terms, and ask them to think seriously about the nature of their vocation, but they would have none of it.
I stood up and tried to point out that if this sort of redefinition were expanded, it would eventually make communication impossible, but even my fellow writing students couldn’t see it. It was Mr. Green, Alice, and me against the rest of the room and Humpty Dumpty. Their ‘liberal’ and ‘nonjudgmental’ use of language had lost them a vital English word pertaining to their proposed livelihood and denied them the ability to write, talk, or even think on the subject. "What is an Artist?" was a discussion that only two people in the room could now have. The rest had censored themselves in the name of nondiscrimination.
You’d have thought he had insulted their mothers and kicked their puppy dogs. Why, that was discriminating! Who was he to say that electrical wiring, cashiering, or road paving was not every bit as artistic a pursuit as dance, acting, or writing. How elitist! It was an insult to all workers. He tried to explain that he was not making a value judgment, he was trying to define terms, and ask them to think seriously about the nature of their vocation, but they would have none of it.
I stood up and tried to point out that if this sort of redefinition were expanded, it would eventually make communication impossible, but even my fellow writing students couldn’t see it. It was Mr. Green, Alice, and me against the rest of the room and Humpty Dumpty. Their ‘liberal’ and ‘nonjudgmental’ use of language had lost them a vital English word pertaining to their proposed livelihood and denied them the ability to write, talk, or even think on the subject. "What is an Artist?" was a discussion that only two people in the room could now have. The rest had censored themselves in the name of nondiscrimination.