Political Correctness

[Thumpalumpacus]

As for the first point, I would never, say, call a black/African American person a nigger. I just wouldn't (I'm white, btw).

Here's the thing. Not using a racial slur is not PC, it's simple consideration. If someone needs a code to tell you to be considerate, that someone is probably an asshole. You don't need a code, because you're a decent person.

Another thing: if PC ran the roost here, you'd be crucified for typing out the word "nigger", even in the context we're using, simply because many of these PC assholes are actively seeking butthurt when they cannot find a natural rash.

Finally, PC is so overreaching that a few years back, a couple of politicians got into trouble, on different occasions, for using the word "niggardly" (etymologically unrelated to the slur; it means "stingy" or "tight-fisted"). They got into trouble because an entirely unrelated word sounded like an offensive term.

I'm going to leave off with one of my favorite Carlin clips, the first part of which is pertinent.

[Clueless Morgan]

PC debates always arise this time of year, because people get "offended" by words like "Christmas" or manger scenes in yards.  It's a little ironic because PC is meant to be speech to make all feel inclusive, but in reality it's rephrasing to exclude that which people find offensive and in turn offending others.  It's a not a "holiday" tree lighting ceremony.  it's a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.  It's not a holiday menora, it's a Hanukkah Menora.  Call it what it is.

When people start having hissy fits over this stuff, I go out of my way to call them "holiday" trees and - though I've never in my life heard of it before right now - a "holiday" menorah just to piss them off.

My coworker went on a rant about a month ago saying that now that our lone Jewish employee no longer worked at our office that she wasn't going to call our winter office party a "holiday" party anymore, she was going to call it a Christmas party, damn it!!  And though I don't really care what it's called (calling things "Christmas" trees or "Christmas" presents don't irk me at all) I added her discussion item to the office meeting agenda as "Holiday" party simply because her ranting about it annoyed me.

Calling it a Holiday Tree or a Christmas Tree or Pagan Tree or a Shmoogleoffenmieser Tree is simply a stupid argument to have to me - it's a nice, seasonal decoration/decorative motif, who really gives two craps what it's called? Is it really that important? And getting bent out of shapes because someone wished you "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" is, to me, juvenile and culturally self-centered.  IMO, saying "Happy holidays" encompasses Thanksgiving, one's seasonal holiday of choice, and New Years so when I say it I'm not merely wishing someone a nice single day, I'm wishing them a nice winter season with whomever they celebrate their holidays with.  And when someone says it to me, I assume they mean roughly the same thing; and besides, they don't know what holiday I celebrate, be is Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, solstice, Festivus, or whatever.

[paulpablo]

It isn't the word that does the damage. 

Yeah, it is. These words serve to dehumanize. And once someone is seen is sub-human, then they are outside the umbrella of protection of "civilized" fold-- you know, good guys. Like. . . white and stuff.

It's hard to point a flame thrower at Korean civilians. It's easy to point one at "fucking Gooks." It's hard to attack a homosexual person. It's easy to beat up a "fucking faggit." Same thing goes for "fucking niggers."

In those situations it isn't the word that dehumanises them, the word is interchangeable to the dehumanisation.
The word can help a person dehumanise another person, or it could be used to flirt with that person, or joke with them. I've been called a Brit before by American girls on chat rooms who are flirting, and I might called a Scottish person I like a Scotty, but if I use the word paki in work id get fired because people say this word is racist.
I got called honkey by my ex girlfriend who was Bengali and I called her chocolate cheeks, the word negro is considered racist but it's derived from a word that means black.
I get your point words can be used to dehumanise and antagonise but the individual words don't make a difference.
The words nigger paki or honkey might not even exist in 1000 years time and it's not important if they do or don't but attitudes are important.
And I don't think it would be easy to harm random homosexuals, black people or Koreans no matter what name you give them and I don't think you would either.

[paulpablo]

It isn't the word that does the damage. 

Yeah, it is. These words serve to dehumanize. And once someone is seen is sub-human, then they are outside the umbrella of protection of "civilized" fold-- you know, good guys. Like. . . white and stuff.

It's hard to point a flame thrower at Korean civilians. It's easy to point one at "fucking Gooks." It's hard to attack a homosexual person. It's easy to beat up a "fucking faggit." Same thing goes for "fucking niggers."

In those situations it isn't the word that dehumanises them, the word is interchangeable to the dehumanisation.
The word can help a person dehumanise another person, or it could be used to flirt with that person, or joke with them. I've been called a Brit before by American girls on chat rooms who are flirting, and I might called a Scottish person I like a Scotty, but if I use the word paki in work id get fired because people say this word is racist.
I got called honkey by my ex girlfriend who was Bengali and I called her chocolate cheeks, the word negro is considered racist but it's derived from a word that means black.
I get your point words can be used to dehumanise and antagonise but the individual words don't make a difference.
The words nigger paki or honkey might not even exist in 1000 years time and it's not important if they do or don't but attitudes are important.
And I don't think it would be easy to harm random homosexuals, black people or Koreans no matter what name you give them and I don't think you would either.

[paulpablo]

My phone messed up a bit there hence the two replies

[Tiberius]

PC debates always arise this time of year, because people get "offended" by words like "Christmas" or manger scenes in yards. It's a little ironic because PC is meant to be speech to make all feel inclusive, but in reality it's rephrasing to exclude that which people find offensive and in turn offending others. It's a not a "holiday" tree lighting ceremony. it's a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. It's not a holiday menora, it's a Hanukkah Menora. Call it what it is.

I agree to some degree. If the manger scene is in someone's yard, then call it what you want, I don't care how offended people get. However the government of the United States is supposed to be secular, so I understand the people getting "offended" (I don't think that's the right word) by a state sponsored religious event, because the government isn't supposed to get involved with religious events.

So a "holiday" tree lighting ceremony makes sense if the government is sponsoring it, because a "holiday" tree isn't the same thing as a Christmas tree.

[Kingpin]

PC debates always arise this time of year, because people get "offended" by words like "Christmas" or manger scenes in yards.  It's a little ironic because PC is meant to be speech to make all feel inclusive, but in reality it's rephrasing to exclude that which people find offensive and in turn offending others.  It's a not a "holiday" tree lighting ceremony.  it's a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.  It's not a holiday menora, it's a Hanukkah Menora.  Call it what it is.

I agree to some degree. If the manger scene is in someone's yard, then call it what you want, I don't care how offended people get. However the government of the United States is supposed to be secular, so I understand the people getting "offended" (I don't think that's the right word) by a state sponsored religious event, because the government isn't supposed to get involved with religious events.

So a "holiday" tree lighting ceremony makes sense if the government is sponsoring it, because a "holiday" tree isn't the same thing as a Christmas tree.

That I agree with and have said as much before.  The government either needs to be inclusive and sponsor all religious events without exclusion (and some local governments do) or they need to not be associated with any religious events.

[Clueless Morgan]

As for the first point, I would never, say, call a black/African American person a nigger. I just wouldn't (I'm white, btw).

Another thing: if PC ran the roost here, you'd be crucified for typing out the word "nigger", even in the context we're using, simply because many of these PC assholes are actively seeking butthurt when they cannot find a natural rash.

A forum I belonged to before this one was very language censored and I would use the word "snigger" as in another way to say snicker, simper, chortle and when I hit the "post" button it would change the word to "s******" because it contained the word "nigger" and that was a bad word so it couldn't be seen even in the context of a legitimate other word that had nothing to do with the word "nigger."

I'm going to leave off with one of my favorite Carlin clips, the first part of which is pertinent.

While I enjoy Carlin and think he makes some good points in this video, there's some in there that I disagree with. For instance, when he lists of the terms that have changed in his lifetime like motels becoming motor lodges, used cars becoming previously owned vehicles, etc. I mean, c'mon, some of those are marketing ploys, not matters of being politically correct.

Also, calling it PTSD instead of Shell Shock means that the diagnosis can apply to more than just combat soldiers who have seen action without having to invent more terms to cover all situations - you can suffer PTSD due to lots of different kinds of events than just war, so while the argument from absurdity is funny and the change from Shell Shock to more euphemistic terms like Battle Fatigue may be legitimate, calling it PTSD has more clinical usage.

It's still a funny segment tho.

[dyresand]

Political correctness stops progress all in all it's hypocritical as well.

[Edwardo Piet]

Don't take PC too far:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ZQED7bLhw