Political correctness

[lacktheknack]

"Baa baa rainbow sheep"

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHAAHAAAAAAHAAHAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!



BAHATAAAAAEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!

Oh God! I can't breathe! I - I can't - AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAOOOHOOOOOOOOOHEHEHEHEEEE!



GAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!



I hate political correctness and everything it stands for. The only good thing it's EVER done is given me a full body workout (see above).

 

[FamoFunk]

Just to point out I'm in the UK, and I think we're taking the piss with PC do-gooders.
That's why I did the topic.

So it would be intersting to see what other UK folk say and what other folk in countries have to say about it...

 

[Lilani]

Political correctness is big because it could mean gaining lots of money or losing it, depending on what end of it you're on. If you find yourself to be the victim of someone's indiscretions, you can sue their pants of and get millions. So, if you don't do your best to prevent such indiscretions, you could just as easily lose those millions. Most of it is about money, when you get down to it.

 

[MasterChief892039]

I'm highly against political correctness, if only because it insults peoples' intelligence, and assumes that they're unhappy with current terminologies. Anybody who really makes that much of a fuss over a firefighter being called a fireman should have their priorities reevaluated.

Let me guess... White male, age 18-35, and likely from the States?

It's easy to argue against political correctness when you're in the group that society favours above all others.

Although I agree that on the list of the world's problems gendered words probably aren't at the top, I believe political correctness as a whole that is something that is important, especially in professional environments, as it makes a person choose their words carefully and regard others as equals.

If you truly think that choosing your words to avoid alienating and potentially repressing others is an insult to your intelligence, then I have to wonder about your own priorities.

 

[Foolishman1776]

There is a push in the world today to force a certain narrative of both the current age and the past. The people who push this agenda push the language that will reinforce this agenda. It is through this nonsensical newspeak that they have, so far successfully, controlled much of the public dialogue on certain issues.

If this sounds like I'm talking about some conspiracy, well, maybe I am. There's every indication that much of the left in the United States has had many members with very Marxist ideas(some were even Soviet 'sympathizers'), and it's hard not to look at the platform of the left, and not think of lines that Karl Marx wrote.

 

[Baneat]

I think it has gone too far, but I live in the UK, where we're slowing evolving into an Orwellian nightmare, so...

However, there's a difference between political correctness and just politeness. Not calling a girl a '*****' does not make on PC mad. I know you didn't say that, but I know that some people have called girls that or black people '******' and then accused me of being PC mad when I object.

Really? I think we're doing better than the Americans, partially cause we're slowly pushing religion from the basis of our political system, and much further ahead than they are. Basing rational systems on irrational bedrock causes crazy shit to happen.

P.s. I mean, I've never been hit with the PC stick going through school, as long as the other guy gets what you mean, and you're not intentionally offending them there's never been an issue. If there was, no need for government shit, you just say: I didn't mean to cause any offense by calling you black; and it's all good.

PPS: Actually slightly untrue, they tried to get the teachers to call them chalkboards instead of blackboards in Primary school, but they just lolzd

 

[KalosCast]

A lot of these terms are encouraged because the more colloquial expressions are used as insults (such as retard).

In the case of vision-impaired vs blind (and other similar cases), it's about good communication. Blindness is a level of visual impairment and one with a legal definition.

For the racial ones, it seems as if it really depends on the country you live in for what is acceptable. In the United States specifically, we have a rather shameful history when it comes to anybody who isn't a white male. Hell, it's been just under 50 years since we decided that public racial discrimination should be legally prohibited. Most of these alternative terms have been used heavily as insults, and/or are simply inaccurate (Indians are from India). In the case of Native Americans specifically, our modern depictions of them are still often inaccurate at best, insulting at worst, and ignore the nigh-genocidal attitude (and results) of our relations with the many, many, nations of people that were here first.

If you want to use the terms around your friends, or family, or other groups of people that you know won't be offended by your terminology, that's fine. Nobody's saying you can't do that. These terms exist because, when dealing with large groups of people, you're dealing with a lot of backgrounds and life experiences. If you don't know these people well, it can be easy to unintentionally insult or alienate someone through a poor choice of words, which can lead to more serious consequences. It's not an evil overarching conspiracy to destroy your freedom to call people short.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'd say black people have as much in common with black sheep as white people have with white sheep.

And isn't "Baa baa rainbow sheep" insulting to care bears?

Yes, the amount of political correctness is getting a bit ridiculous. I was just watching Flesh and Blood this afternoon and all the while I was thinking; Something like this would never be allowed to be made these days.

 

[Kenko]

Political correctness is a cancer. It only serves to silence and censor people.

 

[MikeOfThunder]

But baa baa rainbow sheep doesn't even fit. . .

What about 'the gays'?!?! Rainbow sheep. Clearly homophobic Lolololol!

Political Correctness, for the most part, is bollocks you'll find. The whole 'Can't call a black board a black board anymore' is all bullshit. No one has ever enforced that.

Most PC has just been made up to stir the average person to resent it. Much of the BNPs (British National Party, British 21st Century semi-facist part for any Non-Brits) advertisement is to make people in britain feel as though they are now second class citizens. It's just bullshit really.

Some political correctness has gotten a little out of hand, but for the most part it's simply the media and poltical parties playing on peoples worries that britian will become a muslim nation and such... (Few people seem interested in the fact that only 3% of the population is actually muslim)

 

[darth.pixie]

PPS: Actually slightly untrue, they tried to get the teachers to call them chalkboards instead of blackboards in Primary school, but they just lolzd

Why don't they just ban the entire colour black, then? That's where we're headed anyway, aren't we?

I mean, why do villains always wear black? Racist, right?

The rainbow sheep had me in fits, though.

 

[Veldel]

I hate politidcal correctness it ruined cartoons :/

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

I'm highly against political correctness, if only because it insults peoples' intelligence, and assumes that they're unhappy with current terminologies. Anybody who really makes that much of a fuss over a firefighter being called a fireman should have their priorities reevaluated.

Let me guess... White male, age 18-35, and likely from the States?

It's easy to argue against political correctness when you're in the group that society favours above all others.

Although I agree that on the list of the world's problems gendered words probably aren't at the top, I believe political correctness as a whole that is something that is important, especially in professional environments, as it makes a person choose their words carefully and regard others as equals.

I haven't seen a single time where calling somebody an African American makes them seem more equal than calling them black. I agree that an air of professionalism does need to be maintained, it just doesn't need to spill out into traditions and the media that haven't been complained about by sane people.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Examples of language commonly referred to as "politically correct" include:[14]

"Mentally challenged" in place of "Retard" and other terms

That's just good manors. Calling someone a retard was never going to be acceptable.

"African American" in place of "Black," "Negro" and other terms

That one is complex. That's why I say black, not Anglo-African or African-American. It's easier and isn't offensive.

"Native American" (or "First Nations" in Canada) in place of "Indian"

That's just logic. They are Native Americans and aren't just Indians.

"Gender-neutral" terms such as "firefighter" in place of "fireman"

That's logic. People still say fireman but when it comes to women it's a little difficult to say firewoman compared to firefighter.

Terms relating to disability, such as "visually challenged" or "hearing impaired" in place of "blind" or "deaf"

More or less stupid. The widely known terms are blind and deaf, they aren't offensive.

Here is a News artical (from 2006) where Children are now being taught to sing "Bah bah rainbow Sheep" instead of "Bah bah Black Sheep"

TRADITIONAL nursery rhymes are being rewritten at nursery schools to avoid causing offence to children.
Instead of singing "Baa baa, black sheep" as generations of children have learnt to do, toddlers in Oxfordshire are being taught to sing "Baa baa, rainbow sheep".

The move, which critics will seize on as an example of political correctness, was made after the nurseries decided to re-evaluate their approach to equal opportunities.

That's complete media bullshit. It might have happened in a couple of schools out of fear caused by the media but children are still taught 'bah bah black sheep'. If anyone actually thought about it then they would realise that:
1) The black sheep's wool is more valuable than the white sheep's because it is more rare and
2) They're sheep and do not symbolise society

OT: I use good manors, not political correctness. If it doesn't offend someone, I will continue to use it.

 

[GenericAmerican]

BaBa rainbow sheep? Is the sheep gay? Oh, im sorry, I meant Homosexual; I have to be politically correct. Is rainbow sheep homosexual?

I don't care, I am overly politically correct at times because it's funny as all hell, just because it's so...dare I say...retarded?

Most of the times I don't care, I use racial remarks with friends and they don't care. I say Merry Christmas, I say retarded, gay, blind, deaf, dumb, stupid, fireman...this is stupid.

I don't think this is a big deal, it's just words.

 

[Baneat]

I think it has gone too far, but I live in the UK, where we're slowing evolving into an Orwellian nightmare, so...

However, there's a difference between political correctness and just politeness. Not calling a girl a '*****' does not make on PC mad. I know you didn't say that, but I know that some people have called girls that or black people '******' and then accused me of being PC mad when I object.

Really? I think we're doing better than the Americans, partially cause we're slowly pushing religion from the basis of our political system, and much further ahead than they are. Basing rational systems on irrational bedrock causes crazy shit to happen.

P.s. I mean, I've never been hit with the PC stick going through school, as long as the other guy gets what you mean, and you're not intentionally offending them there's never been an issue. If there was, no need for government shit, you just say: I didn't mean to cause any offense by calling you black; and it's all good.

PPS: Actually slightly untrue, they tried to get the teachers to call them chalkboards instead of blackboards in Primary school, but they just lolzd

Mmm, it has been a few years since I was last in the States. I suppose at school it was really bad, so I just associate it with the rest of England, which isn't a good thing to do.

Well the best I can give you is a personal account from middle-class Scotland (i.e a very nice public school)

And I've only really observed this crazy shit externally, and mostly case study of the USA

 

[theriddlen]

Totally agreed.

If someone feels like my words are offending him, move on and get over it. I'm not gonna change my vocabulary just because of someone's insecurity and tendency to wet himself at night while he has nightmares of me saying that black is black and white is white (Also, since when "black" has negative meaning? If you think it has, you're a racist.). We have psychiatrists for that.

BTW: I've gotta feeling i'll be suspended for that. Political correctness seems to be some Escapist moderators' point of existence.