In the exhibit signs I've written in the I've tried to pay some
attention to Political Correctness.  But it was on a fairly gross
level.  And it was in a zoo so there were some extenuating
circumstances.
 
For example, I suggested that it was probably not appropriate to
write about an animal in the collection we'd named Oreo--since that
was such a loaded term to many of our visitors.  The animal was
black and white, but I was uncomfortable with the name.
 
And I wrote some copy about aardvarks without mentioning South
Africa.  This was during the heyday of the economic boycotts
against South Africa and I thought the politics would interfere
with the message of the exhibit.  As I recall, I decided that when
geopolitical orgin of a part of your collection isn't important
to your interpretation, you can exclude those labels on the grounds
that inclusion might increase risk of vandalism to your exhibit.
 
Like Robbin, the PC police make me nervous.  I want to be
sensitive, but the spectre of censorship looms frighteningly.
Yet I'm very aware that word choice impacts visitor receptivity
to our interpretation--and ultimately to our mission.
 
 
Martha
(who's gone back to graduate school to explore the things
you're too busy to think about when you're working)
 
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