The Undiscovered Country

Gentlemen? Ladies? Whatever.

This morning I read a thread on a photography forum that began thusly:

"Greetings Gentlemen. There is this particular photographic image, likened to the surrealism of Salvador Dali . . "

Immediately someone responded with:

A little incorrect don't you think?

An important piece of information was the poster's name: Huang Poh Lo

Judging by his formal language, he's not a Westerner. To greet people you don't know via the written word is often started with "Gentlemen."

It's a sign of respect and politeness.

But so many Americans (in particular) who claim to be so tolerant and open to the preservation of other cultures seem to all too quickly allow their PC feathers get ruffled.

I added this to the PC policeman (that's right, I said policeman not the gender-neutral "law enforcement officer"):

I don't think it was meant to exclude anyone. It's simply a way to greet people you don't know, especially for someone who (it seems to me) isn't from a Western country. It's a sign of respect, so don't read too much into it.

I haven't received any responses of yet, nor do I expect any.

As much as people get rankled over political incorrectness, my teeth grind over all the PC that prevents people from speaking or writing honestly -- even respectfully from their point of view.

Have we become so self-absorbed and narcissistic (or is that redundant?), that our offense in someone else's words and deeds mean more than the intent of the offender? These are the same people who scream that we must understand and accept other cultures that seem so foreign to ours. Yet when they act according to the dictates of their society and culture, we scream foul.

We need to get over ourselves. It's no more complicated than that.