Political Correctness vs. Accuracy

I could not think of anything more appropriate for the holiday season than a good, robust discussion about political correctness. (Full disclosure: literally anything would be better, but work with me on this.) It seems that not a day goes by during this time when someone points out some detail about Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa and starts a big argument during this season of peace. Of course, it's all done in the name of being more understanding, so people go with it. As writers, however, how far do we need to go with it? More importantly, do we need to care about it at all?

Let's take my old standby for an example: A guy named Tom. Tom is a white, thirty-something Chicagoan with a suburban upbringing, a college education, a reasonable amount of street-smarts (and street-stupids as well), and a stubborn streak. Now, if I write a piece about Tom's attendance at his company's Christmas party, how politically correct do I have to be to make the reader understand Tom?

Well, let's offer some background pieces. Most companies that try to be "with the times" no longer call it a Christmas party but rather their "holiday" party in order to be inclusive. This is a gesture to political correctness and religious diversity, and as a writer I might feel compelled to change "Christmas" to "holiday" in order to satisfy that audience. However, I have options since, after all I am the writer, and I do control the world.

Now, if I want Tom's company to come off as traditional to the point of old-fashioned, then you know it's going to be a Christmas party replete with helpers decked out as elves, some mock reindeer, and someone in upper management dressed as Santa Claus. That's the way the company's done it for generations, and they'll be damned if anyone is going to stop such a good thing. A more progressive company might have the holiday party instead, with very sterilized holiday symbols such as snow, snow-people, and "Happy Holidays" signs in a very gender-neutral font. It's very politically correct, which would match that kind of company.

But let's talk about Tom. I know Tom very well. I know his ins and outs, his preferences, and how he would respond to anything. I know that he doesn't want to downplay any holiday or belittle any group but dammit, this is Christmas. December 25th every year. It's the foundation of our economy, and it's existed in this country since the pilgrims first arrived. (He's actually wrong about that last part, but hey, that's Tom.) As a writer, we have to be true to our characters, and understand that our readers might be put off by such attitudes. If we are worried that the reader will lose interest, we can always have Tom engage with a pro-holiday person and flesh out Tom's ideas so the reader understands them and can be sympathetic, even if they don't fully agree with the position. The important part is that the character remains consistent. We reserve a character changing their opinions or positions for the main arc of the story, because ultimately that is their growth arc. If the character is inconsistent, that loses the reader every time.

So when it comes to trying to be "correct" and "proper" about things, just keep a few things in mind. Some people swear, and some readers won't like it. Some people are abrasive, some have bad habits, annoying qualities, and stubbornness that gets in the way of growth. Plenty of people, places, and things are far from PC, and that's okay. If you are worried about these things turning off your readers, then offer context so the reader can at least see where they're coming from. It doesn't fix anything, but it gives you a chance to explain their side.

And of course, cover all bases when you can. And on that note, have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a festive Kwanzaa, and have a good time during all the other holidays I clearly overlooked.