How can we end political correctness?

[4T5]

The big thing that needs addressing is the difference between Political correctness and simple common courtesy. Claiming you don't pander to political correctness is not carte blanche to ignore common courtesy or claim you have a right to say whatever the hell you like and people have no right to be offended by it.

Well put and i totally agree with you.

 

[platypus]

Political correctness - we're all sick of it. Most of us anyway.

How can we stop it and bring back common sense into our lives?

We can't

Only by banding together in small on-line communities in which we all share common goals and values whereby we post on a daily basis can we hope to survive the madness.

 

[platypus]

The big thing that needs addressing is the difference between Political correctness and simple common courtesy. Claiming you don't pander to political correctness is not carte blanche to ignore common courtesy or claim you have a right to say whatever the hell you like and people have no right to be offended by it.

Aye, PC does irritate me, but one thing I just can't abide is rudeness.

 

[Shoseki]

PC just confuses the hell out of me. Unless true hatred is concerned, isn't most PC an over-exagerated form of over-compensating for what you really want to say?

Have to say, the workplace is an entirely different thing though... I have been warned at work about saying "derogatory" thing to my work colleagues even though I love them to bits, and they don't take offence...

 

[DavidMarq]

You are easily confused. I shall explain in simple terms. He is my mate a good mate and when he passes and has time spare he drops in to shoot the breeze. This can be more than once, i.e. Twice.


B&W.
I did not say Dirty anything. I have said before that my mate wants the plate PAK1 for his car, i think that says it all.

My own personal perception of the term "****" is that it is racist and offensive. On this basis I chose not to use it myself. Maybe I have been adversely conditioned by the PCLE.

I know many others who would disagree and have no problem using it as an abbreviation for Pakistani without racist intent.

It really does boil down to context and intent. Words are not offensive in themselves but become so according to the manor in which they are used.

Some people are over-sensitive and take offence just because life has conditioned them to do so. Like a Christian being offended by someone taking the Lords name in vain.

I would use the "C-word" in front of my mates but not in front of my mother. It is merely a case of judging when it is appropriate. Your use of the term "****" between yourself and your mate obviously is appropriate as no offence is caused.

As stated by others in the thread a bit of common sense is required. The politically correct do not allow for common sense.

 

[4T5]

It really does boil down to context and intent. Words are not offensive in themselves but become so according to the manor in which they are used.

Exactly.

 

[D.P.]

It's only racist if it's intended or taken as racist. Calling a welsh person sheep ******* (not sure on whether the word is allowed ) is technically racist, but I don't know any welsh person, myself included, who actually take it offensively. Even when used as an offensive term, we at least keep a sense of humour about ourselves, instead of labeling every man and his dog as racist for saying anything.

Of course, but unless you the person on a personal level you wont know if they will be offended by it.

**** is equivalent to ******, permisssible in certain situations, most noticibly between people of those ethnicities, or those of close firendship.

 

[Chronos-X]

The big thing that needs addressing is the difference between Political correctness and simple common courtesy. Claiming you don't pander to political correctness is not carte blanche to ignore common courtesy or claim you have a right to say whatever the hell you like and people have no right to be offended by it.

We do certainly need restrictions on "PC gone Mad", although as Arcade Fire pointed out, it's nearly always the media that make a storm in a teacup where that's concerned, but that doesn't mean we have to forget courtesy and some consideration for the feelings of others when we speak.

Now that's common sense. You've put into words what I was struggling to do.

 

[Efour]

You are easily confused. I shall explain in simple terms. He is my mate a good mate and when he passes and has time spare he drops in to shoot the breeze. This can be more than once, i.e. Twice.


B&W.
I did not say Dirty anything. I have said before that my mate wants the plate PAK1 for his car, i think that says it all.

No malc you seem to think that being visited by your mate more than once a day because he is Asian makes it sound like you are all the more in touch with the sub continent. Thats the only part of that post that was worth it the funny once, twice a day comment.

How you don't think that he accepts it because he is your mate is beyond me. Go down your local town go up to the Asian wide boys and call each one a ****, good luck.

He wants that plate because he has deep issues and uses Humour as a disguise for them. No one likes being picked on for anything and unfortunately you are only bolstering it up with the ****/gippo stuff seems so innocent on the outside.

Its not PC to pussy foot around everything but whats the point calling each other names for th sake of it... would your friendship suffer if you didn't abuse each other maybe once or twice a day (lool)

with 50 -60 years atleast of the word **** being used as a racist term it aint gonna change overnight in any context.

 

[4T5]

We do not abuse each other at all, we take the **** out of it all and laugh about it.
I think where i live puts me in a good place to judge as we have a large community of Asians. You picking and twisting what i said doesn't really help your cause as it's quite obvious i meant he visits sometimes a couple of times a day, not we abuse each other.

What is hilarious is you having a go at a non racist twisting statements to fit your own agenda. Now where have i seen that before

 

[B&W]

B&W.
I did not say Dirty anything. I have said before that my mate wants the plate PAK1 for his car, i think that says it all.

Yup I know, it used to be the same for me in school some of my m8s use to call me ****, as we were m8s it wasnt meant as offensive.

However in general it is considered a racist term.

If someone I have never saw calls me a **** I will consider it racist, I know a few people don't intend it as such but the vast majority who say it to someone they've never seen usually do it to insult.

Ask most asians they will feel the same way.

 

[Fergie]

I agree with Malc here, there's nothing wrong with a little racist banter between friends

Within my group of friends when I was in school there was a Pakistani girl and we used to say she was our token ethnic so we didnt seem un PC. It was all said in jest and basically just a satire on racism.

Saying that though a friend of mine called Alan once sent me a racist joke by text and I replied saying 'Don't be racist you little arab' (Clearly a joke I'm sure most sensible people could see) and instead of sending it to Alan I sent it to Anam, my pakistani friend. Bugger! que muchos explanations!

 

[DavidMarq]

No malc you seem to think that being visited by your mate more than once a day because he is Asian makes it sound like you are all the more in touch with the sub continent. Thats the only part of that post that was worth it the funny once, twice a day comment.

How you don't think that he accepts it because he is your mate is beyond me. Go down your local town go up to the Asian wide boys and call each one a ****, good luck.

Why would anyone go up to some random person in the street and insult them? That is an entirely different issue then banter between mates.

He wants that plate because he has deep issues and uses Humour as a disguise for them. No one likes being picked on for anything and unfortunately you are only bolstering it up with the ****/gippo stuff seems so innocent on the outside.

Rather bold statement to make about someone that you don't know.

Its not PC to pussy foot around everything but whats the point calling each other names for th sake of it... would your friendship suffer if you didn't abuse each other maybe once or twice a day (lool)

It is quite common for mates to use insults as greetings. It is a male bonding thing. Are you really not aware of this?

with 50 -60 years atleast of the word **** being used as a racist term it aint gonna change overnight in any context.

In your perception maybe, in the perception of others context can change the meaning of words.

 

[badgermonkey]

Racism > Efour2

 

[Fr0dders]

**** is a racist term, full stop. It is also incorrect. Someone from Pakistan is a reffered to as a Pakistani in English. Someone form india is reffered to as Indian. Quite simple isn't it.

so is calling irish thick, calling welsh sheep molesters etc.. doesnt stop people telling irish jokes though.

but you'll be shot down and have keyboard warriors beying for your blood if you make a joke about asians

There is far too much sensitivity around asians/black people. If the other party isnt offended by it, who are we to say the word is wrong ?

its only wrong if the other person is offended by it. Granted the vast majority of asians will be, and for that reason you wouldnt use it. But if the person can laugh about it, in the same way my half irish partner can when i joke about her tarmac laying family , then theres no problem.

 

[Van_Dammesque]

PC is the newest form of fascism, only it is far left, which I believe, no one has encountered before in history. If it were from a right wing government then you can imagine the outcry and it wouldn't have got this far ingrained into normal people's lives.

The only way to stop PC is for the the current government to change their main policy of racial discrimination against whites, IMO. Also using common sense instead of PC, remember the smackheads getting compo in jail, things like that are a disgrace.

Or one of the main 3 parties to change. Hardly likely to happen? Who does that leave? Draw your own conclusions on that one.

For me PC is mainly allowing whites to be racially discriminated but not the opposite (I am not advocating racism but it seems that white people only suffer institutional racism). The media are a perfect example, such as the BBC, this allows the perpetuation of racism (disguised of course) but let me show you an example:
EDIT: taken from the radio times website:

Exploring his hypothesis that the British countryside is too white, black farmer Wilfred Emanuel Jones takes nine black children to a Devonshire farm to see if they can make it as farmers. For five weeks, the children must get up early, muck out, milk the cows and mingle with the locals. For the two best recruits, jobs in the farming empire are on offer.

Now here is a test I use to determine (if I was in doubt) if it were racism; to replace the above quote with the terms white with black, asian or orientals. (Notice I am still using the PC words, although I do not disagree with this terminology, as Dolph has said it is merely politeness).

Exploring his hypothesis that the British countryside is too black, white farmer Paul Smith takes nine white children to a Devonshire farm to see if they can make it as farmers. For five weeks, the children must get up early, muck out, milk the cows and mingle with the locals. For the two best recruits, jobs in the farming empire are on offer.

Now this would not be acceptable, due to PC the former is allowed and the latter isn't!
OK, let us take that one step further let us make this example more realistic and still see if it would be acceptable:

Exploring his hypothesis that the British Corner Shopkeepers is too asian, white business man Paul Smith takes nine white children to a Luton to see if they can make it as Shopkeepers. For five weeks, the children must get up early, sell sweets, order stock and mingle with the locals. For the two best recruits, jobs in the shop keeping empire are on offer.

Hands up if you think this is racist and the first example is not, if so you have been contioned by the PCLE!

 

[InSanCen]

Ive spent time in an extremely un PC place and I thought it was a much better setup than a PC world..

The Branch I work in (I know, I know...) is bout as Un-PC as it gets... the "respect for colleagues" went right out of the window on the first day. We use common sense... you know who is likely to get upset by what, so don't say it (well, i do, but that's me)...

I don't need a handbook to tell me what I can & can't say. Most people know I make all manner of Sexial Innuendo's... but that's just me, having a laugh. And most people just accept it in the manner it's intended.

Use some Common sense... (oh, and vote UKIP).

 

[badgermonkey]

These forums are much better than some that I'm on that are all PC and stuff.

 

[MNuTz]

**** is a racist term, full stop. It is also incorrect. Someone from Pakistan is a reffered to as a Pakistani in English. Someone form india is reffered to as Indian. Quite simple isn't it.

Perhaps the best way to solve the exccessive PC problem is attempt to educate those lacking in knowledge of what equates to things like racism.
The term **** has been deemed racist for over 50 years now. if some people are too slow to learn that simple fact then PC will always be in the news.

**** is short for pakistani, just like when someone calls me a brit which is short for british. Is brit racist?

**** itself isnt a racist word, if describing a mugger to a police officer and you said he was a **** its just a descriptive word used to descrive someones colour (although the officer would be forced to correct you and then arrest you if you carried on using it). If used in the following sentence " **** off you ******* ****" that is someone using your race against you as an insult and is indeed racist.

The main problem being faced is telling those people from pakistian from those from india, its like calling a Canadian a yank

 

[D.P.]

**** is short for pakistani, just like when someone calls me a brit which is short for british. Is brit racist?

**** itself isnt a racist word, if describing a mugger to a police officer and you said he was a **** its just a descriptive word used to descrive someones colour (although the officer would be forced to correct you and then arrest you if you carried on using it). If used in the following sentence " **** off you ******* ****" that is someone using your race against you as an insult and is indeed racist.

The main problem being faced is telling those people from pakistian from those from india, its like calling a Canadian a yank

That is incorrect.
Yes, **** is short for pakistani, and orginially was an acceptable word. But during the 60s it was used as a racial insult against the former British colonies. Since then it is recognised as a racist and degoratory term which should not be used.


Thereby one must use the correct word Pakistani.

Yes, Brit is short for British. But he word Brit has not recieved derogratory status nor been used in insulting or racial means.