Political correctness. can you call people a jerk?

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It seems like p.c. we can’t call out people who are jerks.

Or people who are adulterous

Or fornacators

Or liars

Why ? Because we are not perfect.

There doesn’t seem to be any moral standard anymore
 
Well, “calling out” people is against the act of mercy. If we are called to correct people it should be done with great love and with great compassion.
 
Oh we CAN. The real question is not ‘Can we" but “Should we”?
“Jerk” is a subjective term. One man’s ‘jerk’ is another man’s "tell it like it is’ guy is another man’s “comedian”. It is also a term that carries a tone of nastiness. A ‘jerk’ is someone who is ‘deliberately’ obnoxious, not merely somebody like a ‘bozo’ who is clownishly obtuse, or somebody who accidentally causes a problem like a ‘klutz’.

IMO it’s better to be less ‘personal’, focusing on the actions and not treating the person with a lack of respect AS a person. Once you make a label, like ‘jerk’, you are making the person into that label of ‘jerk’ and not ‘a person who is doing X’.

Yes, there is a type of political correctness that leads to a stifling of the truth but that doesn’t mean that truth cannot be spoken. It just means that we have to take a little more time and trouble to make sure that what we say is not only factual/accurate, but is said in a way that we won’t be ashamed to acknowledge before Christ. He, you may notice, had no trouble calling certain groups of people ‘whited sepulchers, broods of vipers’ etc but was careful to acknowledge that it was the ACTIONS that caused it, why it was a problem, AND what they should do to correct the problem. And of course, the one who ‘made’ the people has a little more ‘right’ to remark about them than we do. 😀
 
I do not call anyone a jerk, but I sure refer to them as such, as it is a nicer word than the synonyms normally used.
 
I do use the term unfortunately. I usually regret it later…but not always. Sometimes it is just so spot on. My dad used to say it about people - so there you go. Bad influence. 🙂 And, for the record, he was usually right about it too.

I am learning to pray for those I admonish. I read somewhere if you are genuinely praying for someone, it is almost impossible to scorn or hate him/her at the same time. My experience is this is true.

And, really, was Hitler a jerk? Yes or no. Stalin? The KKK? Are you a jerk if you tailgate? I do worry about niceness replacing honesty sometimes. That is very dangerous. Just try to use your best judgment.
 
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Being politically correct is what got our nation into this mess.

You have to call a spade a spade
 
I’m not against calling out sin for what it is, but I think calling someone a jerk is rude. We should admonish in love, call out the sin, but never personally attack the sinner.
 
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