The basic hallmarks of good language usage are clarity, precision, and appropriateness for the speaking situation. However, for several decades now, the fashion for political correctness, euphemisation, and bureaucratisation has been gaining ground, bringing with it the exact opposite—ambiguity, imprecision, and obfuscation. This is particularly prevalent in English and, consequently, is spilling over into Latvian as well. It is impossible to stop it entirely; in certain situations, it may even be useful. However, we should fight against the tendency to accept it as the only correct approach and to ban traditional words.

Political correctness insists that describing and classifying people by skin colour, ethnic or religious affiliation, or sexual orientation is a blatant levelling of human value. This could be agreed with only in cases where the description initiates discrimination, but there is no direct or indirect link between naming and discrimination. Moreover, using a different term does not solve this fabricated problem.