Political correctness
- Thread starter FamoFunk
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Political correctness only becomes a problem when it prevents people from conveying their exact opinions in the most accurate way possible.
No to pathetic euphemisms - which are only used to cover up and distract from the substance of the problems anyway - but yes to being considerate insofar it does not clash with one's stance and ability to verbalize it.
No to pathetic euphemisms - which are only used to cover up and distract from the substance of the problems anyway - but yes to being considerate insofar it does not clash with one's stance and ability to verbalize it.
Someday, the word banana will be politically incorrect, because it will have become a slur for some group of people. We will no longer be able to say banana, because banana is offensive.
****** used to mean branch or twig, and it was also the name of a type of meatball. Now, that word can only be used on /b/.
****** used to mean branch or twig, and it was also the name of a type of meatball. Now, that word can only be used on /b/.
It constantly amazes me how so many people complain about political correctness, and say that they don't subscribe to it, and it still is apparently a big problem.
I call bullshit.
I call bullshit.
Personally I think we would all be better off if everyone would just quit trying to be offended. I mean seriously you can tell if the person speaking was meant to offend you by what they are saying and how they are saying it. Taking words out of context never works. Making people regulate how they communicate with certain groups of people just makes them stand out more in my opinion, it is not going to bring anyone together.
Political correctness is total bullshit. I think using the dumbed down terms are more offensive.
the more people make up new ways to refer to people, the more opportunity there is to find fault. Black is not an inappropriate term. It refers to a generally darker skin pigment. THAT IS ALL. it doesn't condemn them in and of itself. Also, not every who is black is actually an African American. This is just getting really stupid. REALLY stupid.
I hate the phrase 'African American' because it's a fourteen letter phrase that replaced the five letter word black.
'Native American' is a necessary inconvenience because 'Indian' also refers to a person from India.
I also hate gender neutral terms. I am not going to start calling something a fisherperson to avoid offending some overly sensitive female fisherman.
Visually challenged can also refer to people who need glasses, such as myself, which creates needless ambiguity.
It has also bothered me that 'Colored People' is considered a racial slur, but 'People of Color' is politically correct. How does that make sense?
'Native American' is a necessary inconvenience because 'Indian' also refers to a person from India.
I also hate gender neutral terms. I am not going to start calling something a fisherperson to avoid offending some overly sensitive female fisherman.
Visually challenged can also refer to people who need glasses, such as myself, which creates needless ambiguity.
It has also bothered me that 'Colored People' is considered a racial slur, but 'People of Color' is politically correct. How does that make sense?
Clearly, they're singing about rainbow sheep because preschool teachers don't care about black sheep. This is an effort to whitewash nursery rhymes and erase the long struggles of black sheep from history. WHY SO RACIST, PRESCHOOLS?! WHY YOU SO SCURRED TO TALK ABOUT BLACK SHEEP?
Your
So while the rest of your story, fine, this is fear mongering from the Mail.
OT: As far as I can see a lot of the points you're using I haven't observed. Black people I know are fine with being called black, and if I called them 'African-American' they'd be offended because they are neither African nor American. Deaf and Blind people I know still call themselves deaf and blind, and having Manic Depression myself I still refer to it as Manic Depression and not BiPolar Disorder.
In some cases it's for ease of labelling. Bipolar Disorder for example is more medically sound, and a little less directly offensive than 'manic', Afircan-American is way of representing your cultural heritage for equal opportunities employment records, the same as a caucasian person has to list caucasian, or a Mexican person Mexican etc.
I think gender-neutral terms are entirely fair, after all, especially in the case of things like actor, waitor etc there isn't a 'man' on the end to confuse the issue. Again, I know plenty of people, including newspapers and news shows, which still use 'fireman' or 'firewoman' to differentiate when necessary, but they don't do it when it's not necessary, just using firefighter. If we don't need to know it was a man or woman, then why bother calling a woman a man when a perfectly acceptable term exists which neatly encapsulates the entire spectrum?
I think people who complain about political correctness gone mad are basically overexagerrating and making mountains out of mole hills. How far back would you like us to take the terms anyhow? Would you prefer if black people were still called niggers? Asian people still called 'yellow-men', or 'chiggers?' Since you don't want non-gender differentiated names would you prefer it if women just returned to the kitchen where men can keep an eye on them?
Political Correctness might sometimes go too far in individual issues, and I agree that if the 'blind/vision impaired' one is true everywhere, and not just for purposes of medical labelling, then it seems a little much, but generally Political Correctness if there to prevent people from being deeply offended by the words you use. I'm going to assume that you're a white, middle-class, heterosexual male with no significant mental or physical problems, and thus there aren't really that many terms to insult you with. Try to imagine if you were bullied at school though, and if every time anyone addressed you they were able and allowed to use all the terms that made you feel small at school. That's basically what Political Correctness is trying to avoid, a world where white, middle-class heterosexual men can feel free to insult anyone they want.
This isn't true. My mother had a real problem with this a while back, because she teaches Primary School teachers, who of course all came to her when the Daily Mail originally broke the story. The Daily Mail not exactly being renowned for its stellar journalism. The Times picked up on the Mail's story and printed it as fact but there is not a single grain of truth to it, children are not being taught 'baa baa rainbow sheep', nor are their teachers being instructed to teach them a new 'politically correct' version.FamoFunk said:
So while the rest of your story, fine, this is fear mongering from the Mail.
OT: As far as I can see a lot of the points you're using I haven't observed. Black people I know are fine with being called black, and if I called them 'African-American' they'd be offended because they are neither African nor American. Deaf and Blind people I know still call themselves deaf and blind, and having Manic Depression myself I still refer to it as Manic Depression and not BiPolar Disorder.
In some cases it's for ease of labelling. Bipolar Disorder for example is more medically sound, and a little less directly offensive than 'manic', Afircan-American is way of representing your cultural heritage for equal opportunities employment records, the same as a caucasian person has to list caucasian, or a Mexican person Mexican etc.
I think gender-neutral terms are entirely fair, after all, especially in the case of things like actor, waitor etc there isn't a 'man' on the end to confuse the issue. Again, I know plenty of people, including newspapers and news shows, which still use 'fireman' or 'firewoman' to differentiate when necessary, but they don't do it when it's not necessary, just using firefighter. If we don't need to know it was a man or woman, then why bother calling a woman a man when a perfectly acceptable term exists which neatly encapsulates the entire spectrum?
I think people who complain about political correctness gone mad are basically overexagerrating and making mountains out of mole hills. How far back would you like us to take the terms anyhow? Would you prefer if black people were still called niggers? Asian people still called 'yellow-men', or 'chiggers?' Since you don't want non-gender differentiated names would you prefer it if women just returned to the kitchen where men can keep an eye on them?
Political Correctness might sometimes go too far in individual issues, and I agree that if the 'blind/vision impaired' one is true everywhere, and not just for purposes of medical labelling, then it seems a little much, but generally Political Correctness if there to prevent people from being deeply offended by the words you use. I'm going to assume that you're a white, middle-class, heterosexual male with no significant mental or physical problems, and thus there aren't really that many terms to insult you with. Try to imagine if you were bullied at school though, and if every time anyone addressed you they were able and allowed to use all the terms that made you feel small at school. That's basically what Political Correctness is trying to avoid, a world where white, middle-class heterosexual men can feel free to insult anyone they want.
Doesn't exist. See above. If people are going to take such offence they could at least do proper research. The story was bogus, and decried as such when it was published in 2006.lacktheknack said:
I think that after the holocaust and the KKK, people became scared of the idea of being a racist or being identified as a racist, scared people. Same principal applied to sexism - well just about any kind discrimination, so political correctness was invented to ensure that if someone called you a [insert type of discrimination label here], then you could prove them wrong or at least convict them of false accusation
Political Correctness is a huge load of shit. People are different. A black man and a white man are different. There is no arguing this point. One is black, the other is white. Different does not mean one is inferior. It does not mean one is superior. It doesn't mean they are equal.
Instead of trying to teach people that everyone is the same why don't we teach them to respect the differences. People are not equal in all activities. We should not try to treat them as if they are. Everyone has an equal CHANCE but that does not mean they are equal. I cannot bench press five hundred pounds yet I don't go around bitching that I'm not the world's strongest man.
Instead of trying to teach people that everyone is the same why don't we teach them to respect the differences. People are not equal in all activities. We should not try to treat them as if they are. Everyone has an equal CHANCE but that does not mean they are equal. I cannot bench press five hundred pounds yet I don't go around bitching that I'm not the world's strongest man.