- 01 Feb 2017 11:39
#14770600
Didn't know quite where to put this, so I plonked it here.
Definition - the avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.
I have used the term several times in previous posts, and it would appear that that there are those who believe it is another term for politeness, well it's not, as being polite was around an awful long time before pc.
Despite the above definition the subject is quite subjective. It is my belief that the concept of pc was derived in the US, unfortunately another one of it's less desirable exports. I remember many years ago being told about what was going on in the states, and people in the UK denying it could never happen over here. Women used to have their bottoms pinched on trains, now if a man even as much as whistles at a woman it is classed as sexual harassment. Black boards are now called chalk boards, gollywogs are now golly people, and the black and white minstrels are no longer allowed to be shown on TV. We can call Scottish people "Jocks", we can call Welsh people "Taffs", but if you dare call a person from Pakistan "P*ki" you get arrested. I support a football team called Tottenham Hotspur, and their nick name is "Yids". Only recently there was a legal case challenging the supporters right to challenge this, albeit the term was used as a badge of honor, and in a positive way. Fortunately, and unusually, the courts found in favor of the supporters and threw it out. This doesn't detract from the fact the law case should never of happened in the first place.
Political correctness originates from the fact some people are over sensitive, and some people stick their nose in where it isn't wanted, believing other people outside their own community may be offended by certain language. It's time we all remembered what our mother's told us when we were kids, "sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never harm us". Now, this doesn't give anyone the right to be abusive, whether it is to somebody's face or in the general media. For example, I believe if I were to refer to a black person as a "ni**er* in a conversation with my friends, this I believe to be acceptable, however it wouldn't be appropriate if a black person was in listening distance unless that person was a friend. In fact, I have a friend who is half Asian and amongst his circle of mates he is quite often called "pa*i". Again, pc is all about the over sensitivity of individuals, and in my belief this is the problem of the individual, and shouldn't be the problem of society.
Embarrassingly my son is a liberal, and for some strange reason liberals love the pc concept. Only the other week I referred to his dog as a "puff", and believe it or not he took offence to the language. Fortunately pc is still quite restricted throughout the world, with the US and the UK leading the way. Let's hope it doesn't go viral !!
Definition - the avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.
I have used the term several times in previous posts, and it would appear that that there are those who believe it is another term for politeness, well it's not, as being polite was around an awful long time before pc.
Despite the above definition the subject is quite subjective. It is my belief that the concept of pc was derived in the US, unfortunately another one of it's less desirable exports. I remember many years ago being told about what was going on in the states, and people in the UK denying it could never happen over here. Women used to have their bottoms pinched on trains, now if a man even as much as whistles at a woman it is classed as sexual harassment. Black boards are now called chalk boards, gollywogs are now golly people, and the black and white minstrels are no longer allowed to be shown on TV. We can call Scottish people "Jocks", we can call Welsh people "Taffs", but if you dare call a person from Pakistan "P*ki" you get arrested. I support a football team called Tottenham Hotspur, and their nick name is "Yids". Only recently there was a legal case challenging the supporters right to challenge this, albeit the term was used as a badge of honor, and in a positive way. Fortunately, and unusually, the courts found in favor of the supporters and threw it out. This doesn't detract from the fact the law case should never of happened in the first place.
Political correctness originates from the fact some people are over sensitive, and some people stick their nose in where it isn't wanted, believing other people outside their own community may be offended by certain language. It's time we all remembered what our mother's told us when we were kids, "sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never harm us". Now, this doesn't give anyone the right to be abusive, whether it is to somebody's face or in the general media. For example, I believe if I were to refer to a black person as a "ni**er* in a conversation with my friends, this I believe to be acceptable, however it wouldn't be appropriate if a black person was in listening distance unless that person was a friend. In fact, I have a friend who is half Asian and amongst his circle of mates he is quite often called "pa*i". Again, pc is all about the over sensitivity of individuals, and in my belief this is the problem of the individual, and shouldn't be the problem of society.
Embarrassingly my son is a liberal, and for some strange reason liberals love the pc concept. Only the other week I referred to his dog as a "puff", and believe it or not he took offence to the language. Fortunately pc is still quite restricted throughout the world, with the US and the UK leading the way. Let's hope it doesn't go viral !!
I have never met a Liberal who isn't a hypocrite