interesting definition

[GodPossessed]

Found this in a signature in another forum -

"Political correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical,liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

[Farren]

Political correctness is generally kindness of spirit writ large. Lets not forget it's purpose (even if it fails sometimes) is to increase the peace.

[ShottleBop]

Originally Posted by GodPossessed

Found this in a signature in another forum -

"Political correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical,liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

So, the writer of that definition would prefer that his/her condition be described as the clinically accurate "anencephalic", rather than the more euphemistic "mentally challenged"?

[ChuckF]

Why do you find this sig particularly interesting? By which end did you pick it up?

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by ShottleBop

So, the writer of that definition would prefer that his/her condition be described as the clinically accurate "anencephalic", rather than the more euphemistic "mentally challenged"?

Fucking retarded is more like it.

[viscousmemories]

I like livius' take on modern usage of "political correctness" m'self.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/for...8312#post98312

Originally Posted by livius drusus

From what I've read (which admittedly is not a whole helluvalot), the term "politically correct" entered the lexicon in the late sixties from Maoist circles, and they meant it quite literally: certain lines of thought were not deemed correct when measured against their political standards.

The wider leftist/progressive community then adopted it in an ironic sense to poke fun at the hardcore Maoist types and that's pretty much where it stayed for a while -- hovering around in perpetual air quotes -- until conservatives found it in the late 80s and began to parade "political correctness" as an exemplary strawman caricature of leftists positions in general, especially the ones related to minority empowerment and self-determination.

So you hear total bullshit like "vertically challenged", as if anyone had ever seriously proposed that we refer to short people as such, and my personal hardon and inspiration for this thread, the "I'm not PC therefore I am smugly self-justified in using whatever offensive language I like because I'm rebelling against THE MAN/liberal media/pinko commies trying to stifle my freedoms" excrescence.

I just could not hate that more. Whether it's laziness, ignorance or maliciousness which drives it, that dismissal of COMMON DECENCY and FUCKING MANNERS as nothing but playing politics while the dismisser's utter lack of giving a shit is presented as a principled stance makes me want to beat myself to death with my own shoe.

Figuring out that terms like "coloreds" or "negroes" are outdated and offensive isn't exactly brain surgery, after all, and I'm sick of hearing some bullshit leftist chimera which doesn't exist and never really did used as a justification for people's ethnocentrism/pathologically self-absorbed laziness.

Okay. Rant over. Carry on.

[Clutch Munny]

Oh, yeah. That was good.

[Dragar]

"I'm not dead, I'm just living impaired!"

Pratchett is teh funnies.

I never realised it was to poke fun at liberals. I thought it was just poking fun at a society that can, at times, be overly sensitive (e.g. Spotted Dick being renamed Spotted Richard for a time).

[yguy]

Originally Posted by ShottleBop

So, the writer of that definition would prefer that his/her condition be described as the clinically accurate "anencephalic", rather than the more euphemistic "mentally challenged"?

Personally I think such terminology is better applied to people who offer nothing but hollow, marginally witty derogation in lieu of substantive objections to a proposition...

...but to each his own.

[yguy]

Originally Posted by Farren

Political correctness is generally [cruelty posing as] kindness of spirit.

Well OK, that's not what you meant...but it is what you should have meant.

You're welcome.

[Farren]

I need to qualify what I wrote previously. Liv basically said it all. What is characterized as political correctness by bigots and haters is usually just sensible manners, decency and the kindness of spirit that informs those things.

[Javaman]

True. The underpinnings have always been an attempt to address the specifics (usually the differences) of people without sounding like a jerk. I can't imagine that, nowadays, you would hear a reporter say something like, "A local charity took a group of retards to the museum today." What followed the inception of PC was an effort to never, ever offend anybody. I never figured out where to draw the line.

I do know, however, that it still weirds me out when I'm in England and someone suggests going down to the 'chinky' to get some food. Also, it's nice to have some non-PC folks around just for the entertainment. Think Prince Philip:

Said to some British students in China, "If you stay here much longer, you'll all get slitty-eyed."

To a driving instructor in Scotland, "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them through the test?"

To a blind woman with a guide dog, "Do you know they have eating dogs for the anorexic now?"

And many, many more.

[Clutch Munny]

Originally Posted by Javaman

What followed the inception of PC was an effort to never, ever offend anybody.

I can't think of any reason to believe that.

For example, I'm pretty "PC" by the standards of most who use that phrase disparagingly. But I'm entirely willing to offend you, if it offends you that I see no reasonable grounds for the claim you've made. (I'd rather not offend you, mind -- you seem a decent sort, and I like to be on good terms with everyone. But if my pointing out a groundless claim offends you, well, so be it. So my PC-ness, whatever it's supposed to amount to, can't amount to an absolute nor even a very general unwillingness to offend.)

[Javaman]

Sure, sure. But I think it was more of an effort not to offend a group while discussing an individual. If a 'PC' person is trying to isolate, describe, or point out another person by drawing attention to what makes them unique, they'll avoid certain terms. Short, fat, ugly, beaner, etc. What spiraled was the use of more and more generic terms in case somebody might get offended. Obviously 'beaner' is bad but it's better than other terms. Perhaps we should use 'Hispanic'. Oh, wait! Ronald Reagan coined the term 'Hispanic' and that might make democrat Hispanics feel bad. What next?

Edit: I found out the Ronald Reagan thing was an urban legend. It predates him by a few years. NM

[Dragar]

Spotted Dick anyone?

[Javaman]

Are you drunk?

[Dragar]

The term is not drunk, but 'of limited sobriety'.

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by Javaman

True. The underpinnings have always been an attempt to address the specifics (usually the differences) of people without sounding like a jerk. I can't imagine that, nowadays, you would hear a reporter say something like, "A local charity took a group of retards to the museum today."

Connotations easily change over time. "Idiot," "imbecile," and "moron" were once neutral terms for a person of toddler, preschool, and primary school mental ages. As with Gresham's law, negative connotations tend to crowd out neutral ones, so the phrase mentally retarded was pressed into service to replace them. Now that too is considered rude, used commonly as an insult of a person, thing, or idea. As a result, new terms like "developmentally disabled", "mentally challenged," "with an intellectual disability" and "special needs" have replaced "retarded." A similar progression occurred with lame crippled handicapped disabled ...

wikisource

What do you all make of that? Is it just a natural evolution of the language? Cuz it's kind of stupid.

[ShottleBop]

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

wikisource

What do you all make of that? Is it just a natural evolution of the language? Cuz it's kind of stupid.

Yes. Natural evolution of language.

[Ensign Steve]

Too bad. Because it really is fucking retarded.

[Dragar]

So I wonder how long before 'disabled' becomes a word we all consider rude?

[Adam]

My guess is shortly after we start using "disabled" as an insult.

ETA: Ya'll are the most disabled bunch of retard posters who ever posted. Just doing my part.

[ZEZOZE]

political correctness sucks cock.

and when politics becomes the measure for what is correct...well...you have today.

[Listener]

What's P.C. for atheist?

[yguy]

Originally Posted by Javaman

What followed the inception of PC was an effort to never, ever offend anybody.

Would that there were no more to it than that, in which case it would not have received nearly so much opprobrium from the right, which could not help but note the proclivity of PC advocates to insist that others adopt their sensitivities.