We all like to say that we're not PC but it is a disease we have all caught. If you went back 40 years, you would be shocked at the things people said in casual conversation, so we have all been sensitized about what is acceptable in certain situations. This is the essence of political correctness -- it's not what you say to your buddy over a beer. It's what you will say in a meeting at work.

If you are careful not to use certain language when talking to your mailman or a PTA meeting, then you are appropriately politically correct. Just because you use those words with a buddy when you're driving to the auto parts store doesn't make you any less PC.

I'll paddle upstream on this one and say that a healthy dose of political correctness is a good thing, maybe even a great thing. It has made us a helluva lot more understanding and willing to accept others. I don't see a downside with that.

--Bob