Article content

I used to say “fag” all the time. Or “homo.” Sometimes “gaylord.” We pretty much all did. Growing up in the 1970s — and for quite a long time after — such homophobic digs were the preferred schoolyard putdown for friend and foe alike.

We didn’t mean it literally. In Grade 5 Ameliasburgh, Ont., no one imagined that the guy at recess was actually wired to like the same sex — although a certain number would inevitably discover that they were. For most, these words were uttered without deliberate malice or offensive intent. It was the unthinking jargon of the day. And it was hardly limited to kids.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Reid: It's time to defend political correctness Back to video

Dads would warn one another to “jew” down salesmen before making a big purchase. By definition, women drivers were bad drivers. And dinner at Mr. Wong’s Modern Café was known as heading out for Chinks.

Somewhere along the way, things started to change. It began to dawn on me that I had been living in an impenetrable cloud of white experience. Words and the attached attitudes that once seemed innocent became recognizable as insulting and hurtful. I started to alter my vocabulary — and, along with it, my outlook.