Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 1994 (6. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)
1994-09-09 / 34. szám
AMERICAN Hungarian Journal English Page by SUSAN JANCSO Susan Jancso Politically Correct Fairy Tales Language is a living thing - subtly or overtly it changes every day, right before our eyes. The American language not only differs from British English, its words have also taken on meanings that you won’t find in the dictionary. I’m not even talking about the obvious ones such as "gay," a lively and happy expression of laughter and joy in many an old novel and song lyric. Today’s young people would never guess that the Palace of Gay Learning, in Sergeanne Golon’s novel Angélique, was not designed to teach homosexual love to the troubadours of Provence, but the art of courtly love, or how to pay compliments to married noblewomen... Rather, I’m talking about the fact that the L.A. Unified School District’s curriculum lists the cohabitation of two people of the same sex, and their desire to adopt and raise a child- an alternative lifestyle, that is, a perfectly acceptable and valid choice. Now lifestyles can be thrifty or prodigious, active or idle, and there is much to be said for the American way of life, but to call a gay household "alternative" is really stretching it. That’s why I was glad to hear, on Good Mornig America, an interview with James Finn Garner, author of a recent book, his first, entitled Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. I could hardly wait to read what he makes of the most popular word-games of our day, the games of political correctness, or, as Russell Jacoby puts it, the art of finding "a linguistic solution to social ills". The book was already sold out at the first bookstore I went to, and I considered that a good sign. When I finally found a copy on Ventura Boulevard, I started to read it right there, in the car. Does everyone know what we call "politically correct" these days? Any statement, oral or written, that endeavors not to hurt the sensibilities of any human or animal species, gender or age group, cultural or religious group, geological or sexual orientation. And so, there is no Indian, only "native American," no black, only "African American," no shorty, only "growth-deficient giant", no old student, only "non-traditional student" - as was I when I went back to school as an adult. There are no old people period: only "senior citizens". What’s more, there is no retarded child, only "specially gifted," and they even have "special Olympics" for the - God forbid you call them invalids! - handicapped. In America, nobody buys used cars, only "previously owned" ones. There is no poverty, only "economic barriers," no drunks or drug addicts, only those suffering from "the medical condition of alcohol or drug dependency," and nobody is crazy, yet everyone is going to the shrinks. No Dennis the Menace, only poor kids suffering from ADS (Attention Deficiency Syndrome). What’s important is not to call a spade a spade, and we think finding an attractive name for a disaster will make it go away. We live in an age of euphemisms, and if you think it’s ridiculous, wait till you are slammed with the first lawsuit. Here jokes are not told but "shared," although they are hardly worth listening to, since you are not supposed to joke about Scots or Poles, Jews or Italians, women or children, old or young, fat or thin, lest you should hurt somebody’s feelings. Most of all, beware of the Humane Society! They can have you locked up for killing a rat, or dressing up an elephant in silly clothes in the circus, wounding it in its animal dignity... In view of these circumstances, no wonder the abusive, sexist, discriminatory, unfair, culturally biased stories that we call fairy tales had to be changed as well. Stories that have been handed down from one male-biased generation to the next, and that, "in general, are demeaning to witches, animals, goblins and fairies everywhere." Thus, in its politically correct version, "Ugly Duckling" becomes "The Duckling That Was Judged on Its Personal Merits and Not on Its Physical Appearance", and is promptly omitted from the collection for lack of space. Let’s just examine one of the better-known stories: Little Red Riding Hood. Lots of rough edges to work on. Grandma is not sick, she is "fully capable of taking care of herself as a mature adult." The wolfs question, "What’s a little girl like you doing in the woods alone?" is found sexist by Red Riding Hood, but forgiven because- due to his troubled childhood and social status as an outcast - the wolf is "entitled to his own, perfectly valid world view." Which allows him to devour Grandma, after which, "unfettered by traditionalist notions," he puts on her nightgown and crawls into bed. Red Riding Hood brings "fat-free and sodium-free snacks." Grandma is not blind but "optically challenged" as a bat. Her nose is big, but "only relatively, and certainly attractive in its own way." And so it goes, on and on, until the happy end, in which the trio (girl, Grandma, wolf) kills the helpful woodchopper and lives happily ever after in an alternative household. Snow White’s name, which has discriminatory overtones, implying that, in some way, white is better, is lengthily explained. The Seven Dwarfs call themselves "Towering Giants," but actually they are "vertically challenged men." Chicken Little’s name "was not a derogatory, size-biased nickname. It was only by sheer coincidence, that she was also of shorter-than-average height." And her conclusion that the sky was falling "was not wrong or stupid or silly, only logically underenhanced." In our politically correct times, babies absorb the art of dissembling with the mother’s naturally packaged nutritive vitaminé drink. 1994 Annual Report on Human Rights by the U.S. State Department (Excerpts) HUNGARY is a parliamentary democracy with a freely elected legislature. TRANSITION to a market economy has proven harder than expected despite some successes. Hungary has attracted more than half the region’s foreign investment, three-fourths of its trade turnover is with advanced industrial countries, and the private sector provides about half of the gross domestic product. PRIVATIZATION has been slow, living standards have fallen for most of the population, a fourth of which lives at or below the poverty line. Hungary’s per capita debt remains Europe’s highest, and unemployment shows little prospect of falling below the 12-13 percent range. HUMAN RIGHTS and civil liberties are provided for in the Constitution and generally respected in practice. The print media continued to flourish, with a high degree of independence and variety of opinion. Parliament’s continued failure to pass a broadcast bill during 1993 left the broadcast media still dominated by the state-owned Hungarian Television and Radio, which were susceptible to increased pressure from the Government. "SKINHEADS" perpetrated physical attacks on Gypsies, Africans, and Arabs. Although the overall number of assaults dropped for the first time since 1991, this was probably due to the dramatic decrease in the number of foreign students in Hungary and some increased police attention to the problem. There were also reports of police abuses against Gypsies. Parliament passed a law in July granting special rights to certain ethnic minorities living in Hungary. THERE WAS no evidence of political killings, no reports of disappearances and no known instances of torture or incomunicado detention. FAIR PUBLIC TRIAL to those accused of crimes is granted by the Constitution. The highest level of appeal is the Supreme Court, whose decisions on nonconstitutional issues are binding. There is no jury system; hence, judges are the final arbiters. THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT is charged with reviewing the constitutionality of laws and statutes brought before it for review. The Court’s 10 members are elected by Parliament to a 9- year term which may be renewed. No judge or member of the Supreme Court or the Constitutional Court may belong to a political party or engage in political activity. PRIVACY is guaranteed by laws which are observed in practice. Search warrants may be issued independently from the prosecutor’s office. However, only the Minister of Justice has the authority to approve wiretapping for national security reasons and for legitimate criminal investigations. FREEDOM OF SPEECH is provided for in the Constitution and is generally respected in practice. The electronic media, however, are subject to increasing political pressure. (They cite several individual cases such as, in 1993, the cancellations of MTV programs for political reasons, personnel changes in senior positions, the Bánó case, and the Szent Korona case of 1991.) In May the President signed a law banning the wearing and dissemination of the swastika, SS badge, arrow-cross (the symbol of Hungarian Fascists), the hammer and sickle, and the fivepointed red star. Official symbols of states are exempted, as are the use of such symbols for educational, scientific, artistic, or historical purposes. (To be continued) Ingatlan ügyeit magyarul intézi: ROSENBERG GABOR Realtor Ass. B. Com. STEVE SHANE REALTY Tel. (818) 785-5773 Fax (818) 785-5890 Minden fajta, minden méretű INGATLAN KEZELÉST vállalok, 25 éves gyakorlattal Tanácsadás bármilyen ingatlan ügyben Új kölcsönök Befektetések ingatlannal fedezett kölcsönökbe HÍVJáK írni: 518-788-1207 BARRON‘S MOVING & STORAGE WILHEIM ANTAL Minden költözési igényét a legalacsonyabb áron vállaljuk. 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