Catering to the Lowest Denominator

It wasn't long ago that I was speaking with a co-worker about why a particular office display was inappropriate. The piece in question was a "Hurt Feelings Report" which is the topic of another post. The point of this post however, is directed at the response I received from having made this correction. After explaining how this display did not coincide with our organization's values and that it would need to be removed, I was presented with the rebuttal that as long as our organization catered to the lowest denominator, we would continue in a downward spiral.

I've encountered this rebuttal before in various forms and phrasing. The basic concept is that once upon time when people weren't so 'sensitive' or 'politically correct', folks along better because we (as a society, or organization, or whatever unit of measure you prefer) didn't have to be so concerned about others' feelings. Let there be no confusion on this point, because this is key. Because those who so often claim to be irritated at "all of this PC stuff", are really irritated because it's inconvenient. That's what it comes down to doesn't it? Having to stop and consider another person's perspective, or heaven forbid actually forgo some of the privilege that enables one to be 'irritated' about something like the civil treatment of another human being because that might require one to recognize that their behavior isn't as acceptable as they would like to believe. You see, not doing this presumably left people ample time to do other, considerably more important things, than say, improving interpersonal communication, work relationships, and other silly things of this nature. But I digress...

"As long as we continue to cater to the lowest denominator..."

          I take issue with this phrase. Mind you, we're discussing people. So what then, does one mean by 'the lowest denominator'? Well, in order to better understand, I looked it up. The majority of the non-mathematical explanations centered on the use of the phrase by certain educators to describe the lowering of standards in the classroom so that all students were on the same proverbial page. At this point, I should mention that while it may not have been the intent of those who originated the phrase, if this can indeed be considered the point of origin, the terminology used seems to reflect a bias that is rooted in the institutional racism which is part of many such classrooms. That also, is part of another discussion...

So, my understanding of the phrase to this point is that the people to whom the phrase refers are considered to be beneath other people by some measure. Additionally, the phrase objectifies them entirely by reducing them to a number and not only a number, but the lowest number. And that's not even getting into the intricacies of what 'Catering' means in this context, but that too strongly resembles privilege if you take a moment and give it consideration.

So, to be fair, I suppose I should try to understand the perspective of those who consider treating people with dignity and respect to be something not worthy of their time because the people to whom we so often refer are not really anything more than a small, little, insignificant number. Something about that just doesn't set well with me. How about you?