Scientist Steven Pinker calls it the “euphemism treadmill,’ that whenever a term for something—a kind of person, a phenomenon—gets to a certain age, people itch to replace it with something they think is nicer. What that means is that people want to wash away any negative or unflattering connotations of a current term and replace that term with a new one. That’s exactly what the Illinois legislature is doing with its official new term for “offender” for criminal.
As Pinker put it; “People invent new ‘polite’ terms to refer to emotionally laden or distasteful things.”’ It’s easy to see this over the course of just a few decades. In the 1970s and 80s, the term “mentally retarded” was a new euphemism (yes, that’s right, that term was a euphemism) for people formerly called “morons” or “imbeciles”. But society has now become re-offended by “retarded,” and insists that we refer to such people as “developmentally delayed,” or “developmentally challenged.” The federal government changed its term from “retarded” to “intellectual disability” in 2013, but today that new euphemism is starting to be frowned on because it’s just too uncomfortably accurate.
The euphemism treadmill sometimes brings new terminology that is less clear, and often edging right up to dishonesty, adding a flattering connotation to something that one wouldn’t or shouldn’t be proud of. For Exhibit A, check out what PC Democrats are doing in the Illinois legislature.
The word “offender” is now out, according to a bill on the Illinois governor’s desk. From now on, if you’ve broken the law and end up in jail, you are a “justice-impacted individual.” The woke and the “caring” never know when to stop, and too few conservatives make any real effort to put obstacles in their path.
Notice the parallel here to the recent shift from the term “homeless” to “un-housed.” It’s sly and subtle, but it’s wicked. “Un-housed” describes homeless people in the passive voice, implying that some outside body or entity did not “house” that person. It suggests that society, or cities, or states, have somehow failed in a moral duty to give people “housing.” The term disappears personal responsibility, making it impossible to even ask whether homeless people have done anything to contribute to their circumstances.
Illinois’ new “justice-impacted individual” for jailbirds is even bolder. It turns actual villains into victims. Instead of recognizing the burden a criminal has placed on their victim and society, it pretends that convicts have been “impacted” by the justice system. What else would you expect from the woke?
At least a few conservative lawmakers tried to push back. Illinois Republican Senator Terri Bryant said, “Over and over again, we keep changing the name of how we are referring to those who have entered into criminal activity and each time we make that change, each agency has to make that change on every one of their documents.”
Unfortunately, this has been to no avail.
