Non-plussed:
The City of Seattle has a fellow named Bronstein who has taken Political Correctness to a new level.

I am all for civility and politesse.  And I am hopefully tactful about what I say.  But I reserve the right to call a spade a spade, and trust that the context will set the intent of the word spade to mean what I meant without forcing myself to throw it out.  I know, that "spade is a spade" is an "expression", and so it sort of goes under a sub-catagory of "word."

What got me going on this one was the news today that this fellow from Seattle's Office of Civil Rights has gone on record saying that among the offensive words people can use are the words "citizen" and "brown bag."

Someone might be hurt.  Now someone can be so hurt as to blow your head off with his legally concealed handgun, now that we have been told that using those words is un-civil.   

I am amazed that we can say "Oh My God" freely, right in the face of my God, and think we have every right to do so,  while we must pussy-foot around the words "citizen" and "brown bag."

Here's a piece of info that I don't usually talk about.  I use a middle initial G. in my signature.  I began using only a G. instead of my middle name some time during the past several decades simply because I wanted to avoid the inevitable raised eyebrow that would happen now and then when I said my middle name is "Gay".    You see, I didn't want to be "gay bashed" and have to get into the discussion all the time about "what is wrong with being gay, or why am I afraid of being called gay,  or what do I have against gays,  or even people agreeing that being called gay would be a terrible slur.

So, I get to choose, and I chose the easy road out because I didn't want to deal with the huge pile of fall-out that I saw ahead, once the term "gay" was stamped on homosexual people.  I am far more cowardly than those who ARE homosexual and who make no pretenses otherwise.  And certainly less inclined to make a campaign about what my name is.  I just don't want to be bothered with all that.   If people want to ask what I think about gayness, I am glad to discuss my (un-shocked and un-surprised and un-willing to be judgmental) opinion about gayness.  I have no aversion to discussing the subject matter...I just don't want to waste time explaining all this when I put my name to a form.

I will say I am inhibited to use the word "gay" as it was used when I was given that name,  meaning jolly, carefree, happy, joyful, etc.  I use some of those other myriad choices instead so as not to trigger any unintended explosions.  What a pity.  It's a WONDERFUL word to have as a name!

Are we to be tongue-tied like this about such words as "brown bag", and "citizen?"   I have chosen brown bags as parts of still life paintings!  I have actually done a rendering of a crumpled brown bag in real scale to be hung next to the actual subject...a study in drawing from a model.

 ( Where did that thing get to, I am wondering.  Surely the model is beyond use by now, but that drawing was quite good.)

I know of people who are offended by being called Seniors.  In America older people are considered unfortunate, unattractive, and laughable.  Derision is somewhat standard as the American Citizen grays.  The baby boomers are graying.  They really resent being offered Senior discounts.  They will ask when they are ready.  Don't call them Seniors without their invitation.

I'm thinking that Seattle is ripe for a T-shirt market right now.  How about a foundation supporting an entrepreneur printing T-shirts for anyone who wants one that says "I AM A CITIZEN".  EVERYONE is a citizen of something.  A town. A city, A state.  A country.  The earth.

For pity's sake.   This is a definite NON-PLUSSER.