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Too Politically Correct?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
TOO POLITICALLY CORRECT?

I think so, i'm all for equal rights but kids aren't even allowed to say baa baa black sheep, its only a sheep that happens to be black, and your not allowed to say black board, but what happens if u say white board or white sheep....not alot? It's rediculous. they are only colours nothing is meant by it.

What do you think?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think those are bad examples.

    But, to a point I agree with you.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The intention of the P.C. police are good, but the actions are often stupid. Not to mention, I also feel a lot of this stuff violates the rights of the majority...in favor of some minority. Not flying The Union Jack is a good example of that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sorry, good examples;

    No camera's at school nativity plays.

    Boots not printing your pictures and destroying the film if you have pictures of naked children in them.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sorry but they were the best i could think of, another example is, a lecturer in a university said 'lets get down to the nitty gritty', nitty-gritty means to get to the point, but a women in his lectur found it affensive and tried to seu him, i don't know if she was successful but it's all getting abit silly! He obviously didn't mean it in that context so she could have let it go but thats only my opinion.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Indeed! The thing is that its not something we can legislate against (short of banning the daily mail.)

    Sorry to sound insulting and preach-ey but: Your Profile.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree abbey it is stupid. And often, it's a cover for getting at someone.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Another really daft PC episode was when a school canceled its sports day to 'spare the losers'.

    People have to use their commen sense.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The thing about examples of pc in the media is its often reported inaccurately as sensationalism sells papers. I remember reading about two Americans who published a book making up examples of pc terms for ordinary situations. Even those they stated this was intended as a joke, the British right wing media jumped all over it and made out that this was the latest propaganda coming out of radical U.S colleges. A bit like the stories they make up/twist about the EU or left wing councils.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    PC simply negates freedom of expression. Why can't people express offensive views? Besides, why defines what can or cannot cause offence?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree with Matadore (must be a first ;) ) about the stupidity of schools banning sports day and other such games to spare the losers' feelings. We are creating a generation of ultra-sensitive kids and I fear to think how they will cope in later life.

    I mean, when schools ban parents from attending egg & spoon races because kids who don't win "might be traumatised" by losing in front of their parents you know some people have lost the plot completely.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Aladdin
    I agree with Matadore (must be a first ;) ) about the stupidity of schools banning sports day and other such games to spare the losers' feelings. We are creating a generation of ultra-sensitive kids and I fear to think how they will cope in later life.

    I mean, when schools ban parents from attending egg & spoon races because kids who don't win "might be traumatised" by losing in front of their parents you know some people have lost the plot completely.

    i agree completely, are these kids going to grow up having tatrums or nervous breakdowns when something doesn't go their way? crazy people:crazyeyes
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I also have issues with the media creating this sense of the PC person or oragnisation as some kind of alien entity when it is phenomneon from within our society.

    Most of the tabloids are happy to advertise those tacky compensation firms whilst complaining when schools ban playtime because they are worried that the parents may sue if thier kid gets injured.

    I also take issue with constant reports of people suing for silly reasons but you rarely hear the verdict which in most cases I would imagine would end up with the silly person getting nothing.

    You might see it as good that more people have access to tghe legal system, there is nothing sinister about silly, greedy people you only have to worry if they start having results which I haven't seen proved..........
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Tis getting silly now. I mean the 'Baa Baa Black sheep' is just ridiculous. My Mum's a primary school teacher and they were told they had to sing "Baa Baa pink/or purple/or blue etc, sheep' Hmm so now the children will be confused....sheep aren't purple. The reason they use 'black' is because it's alliteration. A black board is named so due to its colour and the same for a white board - there are no racist connotations.

    About the sueing issue - at my school they've painted all the kerbs, edges of steps, rails etc. bright yellow. My guess is so that if kids fall, the school is covered. Another ingenious waste of money on cosmetic, pointless changes by the Head.

    You can't smother children in cotton wool, they're going to lose a race and they're going to fall over infront of their friends at some point - it's called life. The things people sue over these days - fucking ridiculous.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Re: Too Politically Correct?
    Originally posted by abbey
    TOO POLITICALLY CORRECT?

    I think so, i'm all for equal rights but kids aren't even allowed to say baa baa black sheep, its only a sheep that happens to be black, and your not allowed to say black board, but what happens if u say white board or white sheep....not alot? It's rediculous. they are only colours nothing is meant by it.

    What do you think?

    Kids are allowed to say Baa Baa Black sheep!!! I would let my kids say it...its a song.

    What Is wrong is if a kid says it in a derogatory way to put down someone who is black.
    thats all.

    If the intention behind your words is to denegrate another race or colour religion or sex then you are being a twat. If you are just singing a song then who cares.

    If you are doing or saying something to cause deliberate offence then you are a twat...and why the hell would you want to!

    Little kids in the park shout swear words because they think 'oldies' like me will be embarrassed or offended...I just marvel at their lack of language skills. I'm not going to tell them off for shouting fuck. However - if they attacked me with words and yelled' you ugly fucking bitch' i'd have them by the ears and take them to their parents for an apology!

    Who on earth on these boards would actively encourage their kids to be offensive!?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think not having a sports day is disgraceful !!!!
    If I was a mother at that school Id make myself heard, its all about taking part and if our school cancelled sports day then I wouldnt be able to show myself up in the Mums race :D

    About not being allowed to say words, can anyone remember golliwogs? I had one when I was a kid and now we cant call them that purely because it could be classed as racial, but a golliwog is a bloody toy for gawds sake which were around for many years before they said " No you cant call them that"
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I had (And still have) a Gollywog but I think I was actively encouraged to call it a Golly rather than a Golly-wog.

    The thing is that whoever invented the name Gollywog was being subtly racist because Wog is a derogative term.

    However, habing said that - my golly was the only Black doll that I had in a sea of white ones and at least it made me aware of other races and colours.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd imagine the reason behind the banning of the 'black sheep' expression is perhaps because the colour black is often used to described negative things: black sheep, black Wednesday and many other such sayings.

    Still, I can't think of any children who could possibly associate black people with negativity because of the said expressions.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by byny
    The thing is that whoever invented the name Gollywog was being subtly racist because Wog is a derogative term.


    How long was the gollywog invented for before they said "No cant call it that", must be many years I reckon. I can never recall at anytime connecting my gollywog to a black person, it never crossed my mind, until people in higher places told me about it.

    And they had a gollywog on the packaging of marmalade(I think it was) so they had to remove it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the golliwog made its debut in England in 1895 as a book character created by Florence Upton. Although Upton was born in America, her work was best known in Britain where she spent most of her life. While living in England, Florence and her mother, Bertha Upton, collaborated on the children's book that introduced the golliwog. Florence did the artwork, while Bertha wrote the verses. Savino explained that Florence patterned the characters after her toys. She invented the name "golliwogg" and based the character on her black rag doll. The Dutch dolls in the book resembled her wooden peg dolls.

    In the 1960s the golliwog's popularity plunged due to racial concerns. Some black people disliked the character's exaggerated features. They suspected the letters "wog" at the end of its name were a derogatory reference to dark skinned laborers of Upton's era who wore armbands with the letters "W.O.G.S * " meaning "Working on Government Services."
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So really in effect black people actually at that time thought white people were being racist, when in effect as I say I certainly never clicked gollywog to be anything else other than my little toy, colour didnt even come into it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Re: Re: Too Politically Correct?
    Originally posted by byny
    What Is wrong is if a kid says it in a derogatory way to put down someone who is black.
    thats all.

    If the intention behind your words is to denegrate another race or colour religion or sex then you are being a twat. If you are just singing a song then who cares.

    Exactly. It's the thought that counts, as the old saying goes. As far as I'm concerned, calling someone black is just a description, one that's quicker and easier to say than person of colour/ethnicity, or whatever the PC mob want us to say. It's only if the context of what you say makes it clear that you think someone is automatically inferior because of their race that it becomes wrong.

    The whole political correctness phenomenon is bizarrely reminiscent of Orwell's "1984", at least to me. Don't want people thinking incorrect thoughts? Well then, just take the incorrect words out of the language and the thoughts will follow.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Re: Re: Too Politically Correct?
    Originally posted by byny
    Kids are allowed to say Baa Baa Black sheep!!! I would let my kids say it...its a song.


    Yea that's my point it's only a song but everyone seems to take things too much to heart! I would let kids say it too but in schools they can't say black sheep i think they have to say something like woolley sheep.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Re: Re: Re: Too Politically Correct?
    Originally posted by Darth Fred

    The whole political correctness phenomenon is bizarrely reminiscent of Orwell's "1984", at least to me. Don't want people thinking incorrect thoughts? Well then, just take the incorrect words out of the language and the thoughts will follow.

    I don't think that is a very good reference (no offence :p ) because in 1984 people were censured for having thoughts that would be harmful to the powerful people who ran the state.

    In this context it is to protect minorities from abuse, the motivation may actually be commendable if sometimes misplaced.......
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Re: Re: Re: Re: Too Politically Correct?
    Originally posted by Toadborg
    I don't think that is a very good reference (no offence :p ) because in 1984 people were censured for having thoughts that would be harmful to the powerful people who ran the state.

    In this context it is to protect minorities from abuse, the motivation may actually be commendable if sometimes misplaced.......

    Actually no, if you re-read the book, you will find that the state even censures some of its most loyal supporters, simply because they can.

    As for it not being a good reference, I made no claim about the thoughts being harmful to the people who came up with political correctness, merely that they were trying to strait-jacket our thought processes by messing with the language, as was done in "1984". Their motivations behind doing so are entirely irrelevant to my point. I was simply saying that what they are doing, however well meaning, is double-plus ungood :p

    And besides, I don't care what their motivations were for two main reasons. 1: I don't appreciate being told what I can and can't say (within certain bounds, of course. If others take language to be offensive, then I understand it being frowned upon, but really, how many black people object to being called black if it is not said in a derogatory tone?), and 2: I don't think it will work. Racism has been with us for a while now, and I don't think it's going away any time soon, no matter what words become "un-PC"
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