The renaming game

Off and on this evening I have been trying to watch a documentary on VH1 called "Tracking the Monster." The documentary is intended to provide information on the AIDS epidemic in Africa. The statistics are staggering, but unfortunately that is not the only thing that has jumped out at me. Part of the documentary follows Ashley Judd as she learns and explores the reality of life in Madagascar. What caught my attention and just will not let go was Ashley's continuing use of the term "Commercial Sex Worker" for a prostitute. This to me is worse that calling a car "pre-owned." What drives me nuts is that this maybe a great show and critical information that the world needs to know. However why can't Ashley avoid such a silly use of political correctness. Why do we have to create such elaborate new terms to avoid the obvious truth of who or what someone of something is. I understand that they are trying to stress that these "sex workers" have few other options with which to care for their families, but this does not change what they are doing. Even in Holland, legalized prostitution is still prostitution. Have compassion. Demonstrate love. Offer help. Just don't distract from the truth by using language tricks. If the documentary is all about showing the true face of the monster that is AIDS then the entire face needs to be shown, not just the parts that VH1 wants to show.