I suppose it’s expected. One thing I’ve learned from life experiences is that, “Progressive victories” only last so long before they’re turned back.

I was at one of the Veteran’s Medical Centres yesterday with a friend and noticed their sign about “Handicapped,” rather than Disabled.

My friend said: Yeah, most things are going back to the way they used to be in the 1940s and 50s. What you’re talking about is politically correct language and the far-right have viciously attacked that and the fake progressives have gone along with it too in the language department. The fake progressives sound just like the far right these days.

That’s true. Years ago I was on one of the “progressive” political sites and had a lengthy argument — a waste of time in hindsight — over using the word international instead of foreign(er). The person I argued with couldn’t get past the thinking that governments by tradition have used the word “foreign” and “foreigner” for ions so that somehow justifies continuing to use both words in her twisted mind.

I pointed out that many people are now using the word international(s) when referring to people from other nations. There’s nothing “foreign” about them. They’re human beings just like the rest of us. A language is an international language; a language of the world’ It’s not a “foreign language.” There are the many International Student Exchange Programmes which used to be called “Foreign Student Exchange Programmes.” I did a search of these things and the word international has replaced the word “foreign” in many cases. The terminal in international airports — note it’s not called a “foreign” airport — is not called “Foreigner Arrivals” but rather “International Arrivals.”

My neighbour probably thinks she’s a “progressive” yet she refers to the gender-specific “waiter” and “waitress” rather than the gender-neutral word server which has been around for decades. Why do females need a different word for themselves with a “tress” on the ending such as waitress or actress? I never have understood that. Why aren’t both genders called actors? The British actor Patricia Routledge — best known for her role in “Keeping Up Appearances” — refers to herself as an actor.

My friend said he sees “mankind” used these days instead of humankind.

As I told him, the fake progressives live under illusions that all “victories” in their favour are permanent. In reality, they’re usually short-term “victories” historically speaking because there will be someone at some point who will work to return things to the way they were which makes that “victory” temporary in the big scheme of things.

As for humankind, I think the only place one will see that these days is in the 1979 revision of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP, Anglican/Episcopal) in the US. When they updated the BCP, they updated some of the outdated and sexist language, such as mankind became humankind. So that’s about the only place one will read or hear that, with few exceptions.

But I remember when I had that long chat with a fake-progressive who said she would never use “international” because “foreigner” is what people should be called and that’s part of tradition. And she lived under delusions that she was a “socialist progressive.” Yes, many people label themselves anything these days; it doesn’t have to have in basis in reality!

Bottom Line: Most people aren’t interested in making genuine progressive changes — especially when it comes to the language they use — because that would require a cognitive change in their behaviour, which most aren’t willing to do, regardless of whether they call themselves a “liberal” or a “progressive.” So there you are.