Sensitivity Training by Ricardo Pimentel

Sensitivity.

It's so important for journalists to understand the power of words. They need to be sensitive to the subtle and not so subtle shades of meaning that they convey through the language that they use.

Ricardo Pimentel, Editorial Page Editor for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has some pointers.

He explains why illegal immigrants should not be called illegal immigrants in his article, "A Matter of Grammar and Law."

Pimentel tries to make a case for using the softer term "undocumented immigrant."

He goes on and on about the political agenda of those using "illegal immigrant" to describe those living in the country illegally.

What is so very lame about that is he doesn't seem to even realize that sticking with "undocumented immigrant" is also pushing a political agenda -- his.

He writes:

"There he goes again," some of you are probably thinking. "Politically correct Ricardo." That's one take, I guess. Another might be, "trying-to-be-accurate Ricardo." It's a matter of both grammar and law. Illegal as a noun offends both -- not to mention the offense given by stigmatizing an entire group of people.

Yes, we're talking about illegal immigration. But illegal is a modifier, not generally a noun. And presence without the required papers, under current law, is a civil violation, not a criminal one.

Pimentel's verbal gymnastics are a joke.

"Yes, we're talking about illegal immigration," but Pimentel says it's wrong to call it that, partly because it's actually a civil and not a criminal violation.

Violation of what?

THE LAW.

In other words, civil or criminal, it's ILLEGAL.

This reminds me of the decision by Reuters to not call a terrorist a terrorist.

From Snopes.com:

After the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, Stephen Jukes, Reuters's head of global news, directed his staff to avoid the using word "terrorist" in their news reports to describe the perpetrators of those attacks:

Throughout this difficult time we have strictly adhered to our 150-year-old tradition of factual, unbiased reporting and upheld our long-standing policy against the use of emotive terms, including the words 'terrorist' or 'freedom fighter'. We do not characterise the subjects of news stories but instead report their actions, identity or background. As a global news organisation, the world relies on our journalists to provide accurate accounts of events as they occur, wherever they occur, so that individuals, organisations and governments can make their own decisions based on the facts.

Right.

And aborting a baby is a choice, not an abortion.

These sort of word games are nothing new.

The motivation behind banning terms that are clearly understood as part of the common vernacular is purely political.

Not everything is relative and open to debate.

Fact: The nineteen 9/11 hijackers were terrorists.

Fact: People in the U.S. illegally are illegals.

Fact: Ricardo Pimentel is a political hack.