ABSTRACT
What is the point of using politically correct language? This chapter examines politically correct language in a deeply contentious arena, namely, disability. It contrasts two Scandinavian countries, Denmark and Sweden, that are very similar in terms of government support and services for people with disabilities. However, how people in those two countries talk about disability differs vastly. In Sweden, language about disability is carefully monitored. In Denmark, in contrast, there is little or no political correctness when it comes to speaking about disability. What does this difference mean in practice? Philosopher Judith Butler’s writings on injurious language and hate speech provide a perspective that allows us to critically examine the relationship between what people say and what they do. They help us understand what can happen when the distinction between saying something and doing it becomes collapsed.
