Political Correctness in Real Estate

OK

We all got used to calling a store-man a store-person and we stamped out the use of offensive words, terms and racial slurs but now we are seeing new norms challenged in less than logical ways…


Case in point, feminists of the last generation or so have suggested that the courtesy extended by a man to open a door for a woman should be denounced as a sexist behavior and has been discouraging men from acts of, what used to be thought of as, politeness.



In the same way my generation has been encouraged to treat woman the same as men and in public life it is now normal, actually, expected and polite to shake hands and engage in conversation with a man and his wife equally at an open inspection and every stage of the real estate transaction.
 

At the heart of social progress has been the sense that all people be treated equally. That we all engage with each other on these agreed terms is enshrined in custom and law. Sometimes law proceeds the custom but usually the culture changes and the law then evolves to reflect that.



The Anti-Discrimination Act enshrined many of the pillars of respectful discourse that epitomise what is best about modern western culture and at its core was mutual respect for the sovereign individual and for that person to not be prejudiced against and be accepted on their word and respected on merit. This is the basis of modern civil discourse. To treat each other equally, to not denounce the divine elements of some ones being because of the physical characteristics they may exhibit.



For years I have been meeting hundreds of new people a month from every walk of life. Almost every culture and lifestyle.
 

Gays, Single Mums, Migrants from every corner of the globe, Aboriginals, Bogans, the Disabled et al. People of every ilk have a core value and from that, a need.

That need and expectation is to be treated fairly and equally by me. People and the law expect nothing less of me. It seems a universal principle.
 

You can imagine my surprise that after a generation of social conditioning suggesting that it is rude to not extend my hand to shake that of a woman’s I am now being berated for doing just that.



It is clear, that, whilst our culture has been creating an environment, whereby men and women of every type and persuasion are, in the eyes of the law equals, there are several cultures that do not think the same way.



I must now be careful not to offend people at my open inspection by shaking hands with women.

 Strangely though, it does not appear that I am offending the women. It seems that its men that I am offending as they are the ones reacting. Often in quite a heated and anti- social way.
 

Now, let’s be clear. I am at an open inspection behaving professionally. I am not being a slimy Frenchmen pecking a woman on the back of her hand whilst I am on bended knee seeking to seduce her. I am simply extending her the same courtesy that I would the men in her company.
 

Somehow, in 2018 this is can be thought of as offensive, and this makes me, no longer sexist, but seemingly something worse, culturally insensitive!
 

PC in the 1980’s and 90’s meant treating people equally and now it means cultural accommodation, even if our societal values conflict. It appears that in the event our values and culture do not meet eye to eye, that I am being culturally insensitive by not altering my behavior to accommodate values we’ve long since left behind.
 

This is troubling on many levels…


One problem being is that I am now ‘profiling’ a couple as they enter a property. By definition this means treating people differently.
 

What religion do they look like? Are they from Nepal or Bangladesh? Is that family Sunni or are they Hindu? Are they secular types or Christians..
.

The issue is that I now have to hesitate a little before welcoming someone into what could be their next home. I have to ensure their welcome is warm without offending them with a warm welcoming.


This balancing act naturally leads to situations whereby several families of similar appearance attend an inspection whereby some women expect the respect offered and conferred by a firm and polite hand shake whilst others respond with disdain for the same gesture.


Say what you like about PC but life seemed easier for everyone when we treated each other as equals and imbibed the customs of polite society as part of assimilating into the greater Australian culture.


I am culturally sensitive and do all that is reasonable to accommodate someone’s beliefs and customs and am interested in what may be the best way to address woman of different cultures in a respectful and businesslike manner.



If you have any suggestions as to how I can handle this situation better I am keen to hear from you.



May I call upon our new Australian friends who are now making Australia their home to be forgiving of those not familiar with your customs and to request that you seek to familiarize yourself with ours.



Treating all people equally is a key element as to what makes this country great and I hope to see that tradition continue for many years to come. 

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