Political Correctness,

[grannywils]

I think people act like animals on a regular basis, and I long for the days of self-censor, myself.

 

 

oops, just insulted most of the animal species,Myrmaad.... They don't behave nearly as badly as we do most of the time :wacko:

[Aurielius]

I think that exteriorly enforced Political Correctness is just another form of coercion. I agree with both Ginnyfizz and Lisnpuppy in that I object to being required to adhere to some one else's view of what is proper. Even if I did not agree or like someone ,common courtesy and good manners is enough to restrain any urge to be offensive. Example: I have always been fond of young girls over young boys being that my younger sister is elven years my junior and I took care of her quite a bit when we were young but if I make that statement in public ( to strangers) I must add the caveat "in a 1950's sort of way"

Another example of political correctness gone mad is the evolution of appellations for someone of Negroid ancestry in my life time it has gone through so many evolutions in order not to offend that it has been almost impossible to stay current for more than ten years, a good friend of mine who is black and a Constitutional Lawyer says that he finds it hysterical to watch others trip over themselves in order to find the most current politically correct format in public polite conversation. When we first met many years ago I asked him what form address did he prefer?.. his answer was "Steve"...lol

Edited March 24, 2011 by Aurielius

[WizardOfAtlantis]

I think people act like animals on a regular basis, and I long for the days of self-censor, myself.

Yes, I totally agree. Self-censor is exactly the crutch of the argument. While I believe everybody should be able to say whatever they want to, whenever, I hardly think that's the intelligent, wise, or *nice* thing to do on a regular basis. Still, that right sorely needs to be protected.

 

It's kind of like enforcing responsibility, when it comes from an outside force, though. How can you enforce responsibility? Do we need another law like the one that fines you if you don't wear your seatbelt? My mother, who worked in a state government, called it with great distaste, "legislating common sense," and I really think that gets the point across.

 

I fear that if things keep going this way, some of this mindless crap will get legislated, given enough time and changing "sensibilities". It might become illegal for me to wear a t-shirt with Mohammed on it, for example, even if that image derives from Islamic art in the 15th century. Or call a black friend of mine "black". That's not an insult. It's rather true, besides being how I grew up with the black friends I had. White people, black people. Simple color differences, for when they work well for description's sake. Sure, you don't always go around saying "my white friend" in the West, but that's only because of numbers. If you lived somewhere where "white" differentiated someone descriptively in someone else's mind, South Africa let's say, you might very well say, "Yeah, my white friend" and it might not seem so out of place like it might in Chicago.

[phoneyLogic]

Thanks guys and gals for all the replies.

There has been said that pc (political correctnes) is a loss of beeing able to handele the truth.

So usually, I'm against anything which jumps between your opinion and your speech.

If the opinion differs from the speech, or if one just states the opposite or sth different of that what he was originally thinking, we probably all would call it a lie.

 

So that's probably exactly what's pc doing. It jumps in and prevents you from telling exactly that, what came to mind.

 

On the other hand, it prevents us from being impolite and respectless, which in fact also is a huge part of our beings.

Is it more important to be honest or to be polite?

[Aurielius]

 

I love the conundrum that you have posed because on a case by case basis I could be on either side of the issue. However if one had to pick one side or another without quibbling then I guess I come down on the side of Honesty. Political correctness is used as a forced example of old fashioned good manners. So in many cases in life good manners have kept me from being impolite to someone that I found at moral odds with my perspective, it would have been simply bad manners to have vocalized my private view of them or the anathema of what they represent to my world view. So I am in favor of Honesty and Good Manners which are both consistent with a civilized perspective of conduct and have the virtue of being self imposed rather than imposed by some exterior group of know at alls.

Edited April 24, 2011 by Aurielius

[myrmaad]

I wanted a more succinct definition of the topic under discussion because what I consider politically correct, is not any more social tyranny than has been used by social groups to enforce the mores and values for being a competent member of a society for millenia. Consider Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

 

I found this quote, which I relate as a very close approximation of my idea of what the subject is:

"The expression "politically correct" came about in the 1970's and was intended to mean "inclusive." It referred to the use of language that would not cause an individual of any demographic (social or cultural) group to feel excluded, offended, or diminished.. It now seems to have been redefined by those who prefer an exclusive culture and dominance for themselves or their group. The distortions were made popular by comedians who observed the change in U.S. culture toward more inclusiveness and the struggle many people had in breaking exclusionary habits."

 

The term "politically correct" has now, in my opinion, been coopted politically to mean a threat of legal enforcement of laws that infringe upon an individual's rights instead of as a societal enforcement of shared values. We have so little common or "community" culture left in modern western society, we have become all about "me", the Me Generation grew up and seems to be running the political show nowadays. I find it morally reprehensible, myself, to live that way. But on most occasions I'm too polite to mention it.

[grannywils]

 

I love the conundrum that you have posed because on a case by case basis I could be on either side of the issue. However if one had to pick one side or another without quibbling then I guess I come down on the side of Honesty. Political correctness is used as a forced example of old fashioned good manners. So in many cases in life good manners have kept me from being impolite to someone that I found at moral odds with my perspective, it would have been simply bad manners to have vocalized my private view of them or the anathema of what they represent to my world view. So I am in favor of Honesty and Good Manners which are both consistent with a civilized perspective of conduct and have the virtue of being self imposed rather than imposed by some exterior group of know at alls.

 

Aurielius, how is it that you always manage to read my mind. You are supposed to be the "moderate conservative" in this bunch. Yet, here I am agreeing with you again and with Myrmaad,by the way, who is the "raging Liberal" in group. Have I fallen into an alternate universe????

[marharth]

 

I love the conundrum that you have posed because on a case by case basis I could be on either side of the issue. However if one had to pick one side or another without quibbling then I guess I come down on the side of Honesty. Political correctness is used as a forced example of old fashioned good manners. So in many cases in life good manners have kept me from being impolite to someone that I found at moral odds with my perspective, it would have been simply bad manners to have vocalized my private view of them or the anathema of what they represent to my world view. So I am in favor of Honesty and Good Manners which are both consistent with a civilized perspective of conduct and have the virtue of being self imposed rather than imposed by some exterior group of know at alls.

 

Aurielius, how is it that you always manage to read my mind. You are supposed to be the "moderate conservative" in this bunch. Yet, here I am agreeing with you again and with Myrmaad,by the way, who is the "raging Liberal" in group. Have I fallen into an alternate universe????

Possibly, even I agree with you guys.

[Harbringe]

 

I love the conundrum that you have posed because on a case by case basis I could be on either side of the issue. However if one had to pick one side or another without quibbling then I guess I come down on the side of Honesty. Political correctness is used as a forced example of old fashioned good manners. So in many cases in life good manners have kept me from being impolite to someone that I found at moral odds with my perspective, it would have been simply bad manners to have vocalized my private view of them or the anathema of what they represent to my world view. So I am in favor of Honesty and Good Manners which are both consistent with a civilized perspective of conduct and have the virtue of being self imposed rather than imposed by some exterior group of know at alls.

 

Aurielius, how is it that you always manage to read my mind. You are supposed to be the "moderate conservative" in this bunch. Yet, here I am agreeing with you again and with Myrmaad,by the way, who is the "raging Liberal" in group. Have I fallen into an alternate universe????

Possibly, even I agree with you guys.

 

@ Granny

 

It's your Universe , aren't you happy ,you win.

[evilneko]

Political Correctness is a worn-out concept that's been taken way too far, way too often.

 

And I love tomato's conundrum too. I think it would be fun to apply it to politicians--you know, the guys who came up with the whole idea. When a politician says "hispanic" but is in his mind thinking "wetback" ...that's dishonest. I think it'd be best if he actually said "wetback" when he's thinking "wetback" and let his constituents sort out whether they care that he used a racial slur or not.

 

Also I wonder what Bill O'Reilly would talk about every holiday season if it weren't for "political correctness." :teehee: