The Big Picture: Correctitude

[MrGalactus]

Fantastic episode. WORDS MEAN THINGS should be remembered.

words only mean what we decide they mean. i really think whoever decided that our language (i.e. our most used means of COMMUNICATION) should have more control over us than us over it, was just an idiot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRSLmlFqExU

Well, of course words only mean what we decide they mean. Language is just arbitrary sounds and symbols used to convey meaning, a meaning which we designate. I'm not sure I understand your point? I realise that words are just noises or letters, but now we have a long established language, a lot words are limited in terms of interpretation.

 

[Bambi Puce]

The whole issue I have with 'being PC' is you're just stopping to replace one possibly offensive phrase with another possibly offensive phrase...
"She's Indian..."
"You mean Native American..."
"No, I mean Indian... she comes from India."
"Indian American...?"
"That presumes she's a legal immigrant..."

I used to like Jeff Dunham, mostly because of Peanut, and then I started to notice how racist his characters are... and how he covers for the lack of humor in his jokes by laughing at them himself...

 

[SamElliot'sMustache]

I notice that a lot of sport shows seem to pussy foot around matters so that they wouldn't be labeled as not being PC. I saw when this Michael Vick thing happened anyone who spoke badly about Vick was labeled as not being PC or as a racist. Personally if I don't like it's not because of Race! It's because they are MORONS, bigots themselves or scum of the earth.

Really? Did I slip in from some alternate universe where everyone was calling him a scumbag, and Vick was a pariah? There was even a comedian, D.L. Hughley, who said, and I quote, "O.J. at home right now, going 'I'm glad I didn't fuck with the dog.'" Didn't ever hear anyone saying that if you didn't like Vick you were racist.

The whole issue I have with 'being PC' is you're just stopping to replace one possibly offensive phrase with another possibly offensive phrase...
"She's Indian..."
"You mean Native American..."
"No, I mean Indian... she comes from India."
"Indian American...?"
"That presumes she's a legal immigrant..."

That part is really infuriating. Still would rather take that over the jingoistic mouthbreathers that populate this country.

 

[Bambi Puce]

"the hick", "the pimp", and "the muslim terrorist"

Bubba J., Saweet Daddy D, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist, in that order.

 

[Sir Prize]

I'm pretty much in agreement here, whilst Political Correctness can go a bit overboard sometimes not everyone who is being non-offesensive is trying to be PC. Most of the time people are just trying to be level-headed or polite, which is a good thing.

 

[lumpenprole]

I'm late to this party, but just wanted to Bob to know (as if he's reading this far in) that I agree totally. My favorite on this subject:

George Carlin would have a fucking field day with "women who worked as prostitutes"

As he'd probably say it's bullshit redundancy so that people could cushion themselves from reality (maybe not in those words).

Yeah really? You think making fun of people who's children had been murdered would have been his play? I met him once, and he didn't seem like that kind of guy, but maybe you're right.

 

[TheMich88]

Aw, come on, Jeff Dunham is not mean. And he's funny, all right.

 

[Donbett1974]

I like how P.C. fighters where Democrats but the Republicans where jerks. Someones bias is showing.

 

[roostuf]

huh, well all i got to say is im voting for bob for president for human rights in the EU.

 

[Smokescreen]

It does indeed sound like you got your feathers ruffled Bob. Not that this is a bad thing; you still present your argument well.

 

[metalmanky306]

Well, of course words only mean what we decide they mean. Language is just arbitrary sounds and symbols used to convey meaning, a meaning which we designate. I'm not sure I understand your point? I realise that words are just noises or letters, but now we have a long established language, a lot words are limited in terms of interpretation.

my point is just that the problem with PC and, in some ways society (in my view) is the fact that some words are offensive regardless of context when context is one of the most important things in communication and when it's ignored it just causes problems most of the time. in other words, while as you pointed out, there needs to be some limit to interpretation for a language to work, i think the limitations have gone too far in some cases.

 

[head desk tricycle]

The N word was invented by American pro-white hate groups as a dehumanizing term for blacks, so if a white person uses that word, it would be understandable for a black person to assume that said white person sympathizes with those groups. Sure, racial wounds heal over time, but the state effectively assisted those groups in persecuting blacks as recently as fifty years ago; the Holocaust is almost twenty years older.
Also, is there anyone who slams on the world of right wing punditry like this who has any direct experience with it at all, other than brief clips of Fox News carefully selected by The Daily Show? Because I've never met them.