The truth behind Political Correctness is not very nice.

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   aka-djposted 10 years ago

   I dislike PC.
   It stifles free speech, and free thought.
   It turns people agains each other, through altered forms of communication, and creates confusion through altering the meaning of words, and phrases.
   
   What are your thoughts on it?
   
   http://www.truenews.org/Liberalism/poli … ntrol.html

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      wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Stripping the article of it's obvious and repugnant conservative and religious slant, there is some truth there.
      
      PC is almost an effort by some to find offense where none is intended; the constant changing of what is acceptable can have no other real reason behind it. 
      
      PC is also a very definite effort to make something negative sound positive.  "Illegal alien" morphing into "undocumented immigrant" is a good example.
      
      Both are pathetic and pitiful efforts to control others by use of language rather than rational thought or conversation.  Both are an effort to play on the emotions of others rather than offer reason, truth or reality.

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         aka-djposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I had no intention of "spiritualising" the topic, but, true to form, you threw it in anyway.

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   2. 61

      Silverspeederposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I believe the councils in the UK have a special department for making sure all its officer adhere to the politically correct code.
      My local councillor has all sorts of weird and wonderful double speak for what was considered acceptable not so long ago.
      A short conversation with him was like speaking to someone who replied in a foreign language. I happened to mention people with disabilities and he immediately corrected me with "they are not people with disabilities they are people with differences," after busting my guts laughing I decided the conversation was over.
      People who come up with such phrases obviously have no real work to do.
      
      Apparently the BBC have a whole department dedicated to making sure its program makers stick to their politically correct rules. It seems programs like Monty Pythons or the Goodies would be totally unacceptable now.

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         aka-djposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Sounds to me like it's censorship gone STUPID.

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   3. 74

      aliasisposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It's really a shame that "PC" has become such a "bad word". It has nothing to do with freedom of speech or thought. You can still spout horrible stereotypes or use derogatory language if you want - people just have the right to call you out on the things you say. Being criticized for being offensive isn't an attack on freedom of speech.
      
      Why would someone so passionately want to use language that is offensive and hurtful, anyway? I wonder what the justification is. Why is it a bad thing to encourage everyone to use language that treats human beings like human beings and minimizes prejudice and stereotypes? Especially, say, in the workplace or when talking with strangers.
      
      Does the "PC" movement sometimes go too far? Sure, even I think so, complaining about tiny things or picking battles in the wrong places. But if you're a white, straight non-disabled man, you've got to realize that you probably aren't affected by derogatory language in the same way that a lot of other people are, so even if something isn't offensive to you that doesn't mean it's not offensive. I find that I hear complaints about PC stuff almost always from people who aren't affected, and usually about stuff that is legitimately offensive to either a racial group, women, LGBT people, etc.
      
      It's just not censorship. It isn't. Again, you can say what you want to say. But what you say might have consequences, and if that consequence is "hey, you saying the word b*tch around me is offensive, please stop?" then just... deal with it?

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      1. 66

         aka-djposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         To this example, (which I think is a good one) I can only add, that the word has been incorrectly used, or redefined, to make it offensive.
         A bitch is a female dog. Correct meaning.
         Misused, it is intended to hurt, even if the person using it doesn't direct it to a specific individual.
         
         But, even the word "gay" has been redefined.
         I cannot say, about myself, or another heterosexual male, "I, or he, is gay".
         It becomes offensive in reverse.
         So, which version is correct, and which one is PC.
         
         Based on current meaning, it's correct under PC meaning.
         
         However, according to the article in the OP, it's the trend that is disconcerting, as the author points out, that we end up with opposite meanings being adopted.

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         Silverspeederposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Firstly in the UK there are laws against such freedom of speech Aliasis, there are many reports of people being taken to court for using non PC language to describe others.
         Secondly what if someone falls into a particular stereotype, I for instance had a beautiful mop of red hair (those were the days) when I was at school and was called ginger all the time, I didn't find it upsetting or even derogatory yet the new PC brigade say it is derogatory to call someone ginger and there was a case where a school expelled a student for just such action.
         Thirdly we have organisations here in the UK where there are whole departments dedicated to making sure everything is politically correct. Most of these organisations are government funded.
         Here in the UK its not a case of you shouldn't say that, its a case of you cant say that which really is censorship. I must admit that morally some things are not acceptable, especially when the person on the receiving end has no control over the position they find themselves in.

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            John Holdenposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Actually this site is the most PC place I frequent, far worse than my country, however bad you try to make it seem Silverspeeder.

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               Silverspeederposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               What? The site or the country?
               
               I don't have to make the country seem bad John.

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      psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think workplaces and other places you really have to be in should not be places you get called racial slurs and other derogatory descriptions based on who you are.  Acting like a jackass with your language should have consequences.  That is the basis of "PC" and I agree with it. What people do with friends they associated with freely is their own affair.

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      Brenda Durhamposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Wow.
      I neglected to read the article til now!
      And I'm so glad I did read it.
      Fantastically simple and truthful article!
      
      Yep,  "PC" is really nasty and insidious.
      And as the author points out,  it can come from people who seem nice and who really think they're right.    He mentioned Bob Beckel.   Beckel is a pusher of PC.  And could also be a victim of it!   His behavior is indicative of extreme fear of being called a racist if he were to say anything against Obama.  I can't figure why Fox has him on their network, except that they supposedly try to be "fair and balanced".   Well, Bob makes it totally unbalanced!    And as much as I love the personality of another one of The Five (can't think of his name right now........)  he is just a softer version of Bob at heart.    Yep,  if Bob isn't the most confused man I've ever seen a network give a seat to, he's definitely in the running for that.
      
      Obama and his cronies and supporters have succeeded in instilling fear into a majority of Americans from the evidence in the media and in social networking.    And that's what PC is based on and what it's goal is--------instilling fear.

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   6. 69

      wrenchBiscuitposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I have defined Political Correctness as follows:  a form of "soft" fascism; promoted by well funded groups of special interests seeking to influence the political,moral,and social  attitudes of the mainstream.Of course,this is not the definition you will find in your dictionary.
      
      Political Correctness is usually portrayed as  a "friend" to groups that have suffered various forms of discrimination,but such a definition is nothing more than a smoke screen.For instance,reducing a 6 letter racial epithet to an acronym followed by an identifier (N -word) has done very little to help improve the condition of African Americans,especially in the inner cities.
      
      Social pressure may influence how a person may present himself  in public,but it certainly does not change the inner man; if anything,it creates  resentment.So what is the point? I am all for making the world a better place, but the insincerity that has become fashionable as a result of Political Correctness is like the morphine given to a cancer patient.It makes everybody "feel good" while they continue to be  consumed and affected by bigotry and hate.
      
      If  the mere absence of a word from the common vernacular could save the world,then I would immediately demand that all of the dictionaries be re-written, with all offensive words being removed. Rape,murder,incest,racism,theft,paralysis,capitalism,George Bush,Janet Reno,sickness,deafness and blindness,would all be stricken from the record.These words would not be seen or spoken, and thus the actions,conditions,and miscreants they identify would no longer exist.But of course,this is pure fantasy,and so is Political Correctness.PC is just one more mechanism used by the state to reinforce and promote submissive behavior.State Oppression is not unlike bodybuilding,in the sense that results are realized through a program of frequent repetition,or in this respect: brainwashing.Such a program will make a muscle bigger; it will also make a citizen more apt to follow than to think for themselves.
      
      Osiyo!

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   7. 71

      rhamsonposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      PC is all about judgment for one's opinion devoid of any in depth discussion of the facts. It is a quick way to marginalize someone when you wish to argue language rather than content.

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         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Except when it isn't.  Some language is just not acceptable.

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            rhamsonposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            And then there always is the Freudian slip......

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      EncephaloiDeadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The article is little more than an intolerant rant from a bible thumper.
      
      I pretty much laughed the whole way through it.
      
      PC does not stifle free speech or free thought, that is just plain silly. It doesn't turn people against each other, unless you're an intolerant bible thumper.

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2. 86

   Zelkiiroposted 10 years ago

   "People get mad at me when I use racial epithets, and call me out for the racist I am! I shouldn't have to face consequences when I objectify and dehumanize those who are different from me! Responsibility and civility are stupid and dumb!"

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   1. 74

      aliasisposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      YEP.
      
      Rants about "Politically Correctness" are so obnoxious. Okay, I get that a tiny minority might take it too far, but seriously. Yes, you have a constitutional right to say the n-word and call gay people the f-word and women the c-word. That doesn't mean it's appropriate in professional or, well, almost any setting. And having rules of etiquette is not a bad thing, nor is avoiding using words that offend others. Why would you so desperately want to offend people, anyway?
      
      Heaven forbid we have standards.
      
      (And I pound my head against the table every time someone says "PC" infringes on their right to free speech. ughhh)

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      1. 95

         wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I'd agree, but it changes too much.  As if those involved are actively looking for a reason to be offended.
         
         I'm old enough to have gone through the ni-word, negro, colored, black, and now the oxy-moron of "African-American".  Only one of which was ever intended as an insult (and not always even then), but all were taken as offensive by those apparently wishing for an excuse to cry foul.
         
         I'm sick of everything being "challenged"; a blind person is not "visually challenged"; they are blind.  I'm even sicker of "undocumented immigrant" as it is used in a futile effort to make an "illegal alien" into something they are not.  When being PC means spinning reality it's gone too far.

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   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   I think the basic motivation is for people to show respect for each other and not attack or discriminate against those who are different from them.  It can go too far but the basic idea is hard to argue with.

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      EncephaloiDeadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly. The origin of PC was to do away with words that were created to be derogatory, often words that were slanted from an original word. The fact that we think the original idea has gone too far may only represent how many words we use that are derogatory and how poorly we understood things from a position of respect.

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