Politically Correct

Prince Of Dorkness

BinauralJam wrote:

Mccarthyism was a bad analogy, guess what i ment was Politically Correct has become the new ism.
Sorry your angry.

Well, it's a bit hard NOT to be angry when you're told that standing up for the rights and protections of your family is just like Senator McCarthy blacklisting people who knew people who went to a communist meeting once.

pandora

For me the idea behind politically correct is kindness and that's a very good thing.

To be accepting of others and understanding of their feelings, to live and let live,
not call people demeaning names, nor judge them for their choices.

To be open to our differences while following our own convictions.

Politely correct better describes it and I wish people would do so,
be polite and loving to each other and refrain from judging and categorizing.

puremagic

I agree with cincy, however, the term ‘politically correct’ automatically brings up the discussion of minority groups and related issues. As cincy observed, we get caught up in the heated discussions that only fuels or reaffirms a person’s reason to hate, instead of how we as a community/society can correct the issues.

To this extent, the term ‘politically correct’ is now being utilized by politicians to regenerate ‘fear’ to advance their own political agendas. McCarthyism is the singling out of a group of people by a common issue to generate fear so that group of people can be controlled. McCarthyism was not about race, it was about Communism which allowed politicians to go after a wide-range of people and their affiliations. This same principle is now being applied by today’s politicians using the term ‘political correctness’ as a shield. Here is a good example of how it is being done.

What does being politically correct have to do with unions, nothing, you’d think.

What if, as a politician, I stand before you and tell you that I know it’s not politically correct but, we have a lot of lazy public workers.

Now as a politician I stand before you and tell you our budget is in bad shape and these lazy public workers get paid benefits.

--So you’re now thinking only your taxes pay for these overpaid lazy workers’ benefits.

Now as a politician, I tell you the State has to get rid of these benefit packages because they are costing the taxpayer and keeping the State in the red; and the only way to do that is to get rid of the unions.

--So now see your neighbor as a ‘free loader’ getting fat off your taxes because of the union.

Now as a politician, I’ve gotten rid of the union and the workers are under my ‘control’, even though the State is still in the red and now I can start assessing State fees for public services your taxes alone previously covered.

This is how the buzz phrase political correctness is being used as modern day McCarthyism and it’s spreading from State to State.

mysticweed

bennett13 wrote:

I believe he's referring to the whole witch-hunt aspect of McCarthyism. The reluctance to speak one's mind for fear of being labled with one of the many "isms."

ok now i get it

brandon10

pandora wrote:

For me the idea behind politically correct is kindness and that's a very good thing.

To be accepting of others and understanding of their feelings, to live and let live,
not call people demeaning names, nor judge them for their choices.

To be open to our differences while following our own convictions.

Politely correct better describes it and I wish people would do so,
be polite and loving to each other and refrain from judging and categorizing.

This part of politically correct (not calling people demeaning names) annoys me a little. Take the word "retard" for instance. This word was perfectly fine to use until PC crowd changed it's views. So now the PC term is mentally challenged. But once people start calling their buddies mentally challenged, the PC crowd will come up with a new term. It's all a little ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the" Negro", "Black", "African American" terms. Or the "Indian", "Native American", and now "First Nations" terms.

pandora

brandon10 wrote:

pandora wrote:

For me the idea behind politically correct is kindness and that's a very good thing.

To be accepting of others and understanding of their feelings, to live and let live,
not call people demeaning names, nor judge them for their choices.

To be open to our differences while following our own convictions.

Politely correct better describes it and I wish people would do so,
be polite and loving to each other and refrain from judging and categorizing.

This part of politically correct (not calling people demeaning names) annoys me a little. Take the word "retard" for instance. This word was perfectly fine to use until PC crowd changed it's views. So now the PC term is mentally challenged. But once people start calling their buddies mentally challenged, the PC crowd will come up with a new term. It's all a little ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the" Negro", "Black", "African American" terms. Or the "Indian", "Native American", and now "First Nations" terms.

it was never perfectly fine to the mentally challenged population and those that loved them...it was mean and ignorant

Jason P

Still confused, am I. Yes, hmmm.

brandon10

pandora wrote:

brandon10 wrote:

pandora wrote:

For me the idea behind politically correct is kindness and that's a very good thing.

To be accepting of others and understanding of their feelings, to live and let live,
not call people demeaning names, nor judge them for their choices.

To be open to our differences while following our own convictions.

Politely correct better describes it and I wish people would do so,
be polite and loving to each other and refrain from judging and categorizing.

This part of politically correct (not calling people demeaning names) annoys me a little. Take the word "retard" for instance. This word was perfectly fine to use until PC crowd changed it's views. So now the PC term is mentally challenged. But once people start calling their buddies mentally challenged, the PC crowd will come up with a new term. It's all a little ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the" Negro", "Black", "African American" terms. Or the "Indian", "Native American", and now "First Nations" terms.

it was never perfectly fine to the mentally challenged population and those that loved them...it was mean and ignorant

I may be wrong here. But didn't it mean the same thing? Mentally challenged/mentally retarded?

And how long were they being called retarded before it changed to challenged? I am really trying to learn here. I don't know the answer.

Jeanwah

brandon10 wrote:

I may be wrong here. But didn't it mean the same thing? Mentally challenged/mentally retarded?

And how long were they being called retarded before it changed to challenged? I am really trying to learn here. I don't know the answer.

Medical terminology has changed in the last few years to challenged, or disabled.
Yeah, "mentally retarded" was the term they used in the past, but they've changed it most likely due to societal pressure because people throw the term around in a derogatory fashion. Have you not noticed that calling someone a fag or queer is just plain wrong? Well, then consider how someone with a disability may feel when they hear "retard".

Jeanwah

I think that politically correctness can sway from using respectable terms to describe someone / something, to going overboard with holiday wishes. The whole "Happy Holidays" general PC drives me nuts.

pandora

Jeanwah wrote:

brandon10 wrote:

I may be wrong here. But didn't it mean the same thing? Mentally challenged/mentally retarded?

And how long were they being called retarded before it changed to challenged? I am really trying to learn here. I don't know the answer.

Medical terminology has changed in the last few years to challenged, or disabled.
Yeah, "mentally retarded" was the term they used in the past, but they've changed it most likely due to societal pressure because people throw the term around in a derogatory fashion. Have you not noticed that calling someone a fag or queer is just plain wrong? Well, then consider how someone with a disability may feel when they hear "retard".

yes it was used in a derogatory way ...like many shortened versions of other words .... used to show hate or be demeaning to others

brandon10

Jeanwah wrote:

brandon10 wrote:

I may be wrong here. But didn't it mean the same thing? Mentally challenged/mentally retarded?

And how long were they being called retarded before it changed to challenged? I am really trying to learn here. I don't know the answer.

Medical terminology has changed in the last few years to challenged, or disabled.
Yeah, "mentally retarded" was the term they used in the past, but they've changed it most likely due to societal pressure because people throw the term around in a derogatory fashion. Have you not noticed that calling someone a fag or queer is just plain wrong? Well, then consider how someone with a disability may feel when they hear "retard".

I get what you are saying. But it just seems like we as a society are getting too sensitive. I work in the restaurant industry, I know plenty of gays. And I can tell you a lot of them could care less if you called them fags. And they may even call you a fag. It's just a word. People need to settle down a little sometimes. Try to relax and enjoy life.

It's when we as a society try to take away rights of gays and lesbians (or anyone else) that we should be getting upset. Not over words.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

Jason P

Jeanwah wrote:

I think that politically correctness can sway from using respectable terms to describe someone / something, to going overboard with holiday wishes. The whole "Happy Holidays" general PC drives me nuts.

Bingo. Also, someone getting offended by someone saying "God Bless You" after a sneeze deserves a good waterboarding .

Actually, this movie basically sums everything up:

brandon10

Jeanwah wrote:

I think that politically correctness can sway from using respectable terms to describe someone / something, to going overboard with holiday wishes. The whole "Happy Holidays" general PC drives me nuts.

I think this is exactly what I'm getting at. But I wasn't expressing it properly. We are letting those most sensitive in our society make everyone feel all hot and bothered of silly words and terms.

Maybe using gays.and mentally challenged wasn't the best way for me to express that.

bennett13

The right to free speech trumps the right to not be offended. Come to think of it, there is no right to not be offended.

Jeanwah

brandon10 wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

brandon10 wrote:

I may be wrong here. But didn't it mean the same thing? Mentally challenged/mentally retarded?

And how long were they being called retarded before it changed to challenged? I am really trying to learn here. I don't know the answer.

Medical terminology has changed in the last few years to challenged, or disabled.
Yeah, "mentally retarded" was the term they used in the past, but they've changed it most likely due to societal pressure because people throw the term around in a derogatory fashion. Have you not noticed that calling someone a fag or queer is just plain wrong? Well, then consider how someone with a disability may feel when they hear "retard".

I get what you are saying. But it just seems like we as a society are getting too sensitive. I work in the restaurant industry, I know plenty of gays. And I can tell you a lot of them could care less if you called them fags. And they may even call you a fag. It's just a word. People need to settle down a little sometimes. Try to relax and enjoy life.

It's when we as a society try to take away rights of gays and lesbians (or anyone else) that we should be getting upset. Not over words.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

If you knew anyone with any sort of disability, you certainly wouldn't call them Retard to their face. It's rude and cruel. And by using that word to describe a buddy of yours, you're referring to the person who is disabled. It's not about being sensitive, it's about respect.

Do you realize that many who are disabled need support from you "normal" people to be justified in society? But that doesn't happen as much as it should because people continue to use derogatory terms as if they're harmless. BTW, I'm temporarily disabled from a car accident. Let me tell you, being in a wheel chair out in public draws a lot of stares. The stares are sometimes out of curiosity (children) and sometimes out of pity and simply being different. How would you feel to be it that situation suddenly, and have people call you rude and callous names, because you're disabled?

brandon10

Jeanwah wrote:

.

If you knew anyone with any sort of disability, you certainly wouldn't call them Retard to their face. It's rude and cruel. And by using that word to describe a buddy of yours, you're referring to the person who is disabled. It's not about being sensitive, it's about respect.

Do you realize that many who are disabled need support from you "normal" people to be justified in society? But that doesn't happen as much as it should because people continue to use derogatory terms as if they're harmless. BTW, I'm temporarily disabled from a car accident. Let me tell you, being in a wheel chair out in public draws a lot of stares. The stares are sometimes out of curiosity (children) and sometimes out of pity and simply being different. How would you feel to be it that situation suddenly, and have people call you rude and callous names, because you're disabled?[/quote]

You are not understanding what I am saying because you are too sensitive. A good friend of mine happens to be in a wheelchair for life. Not just temporarily. He happens to be in the Ten club actually. And I'm pretty sure he could care less if I called him a retard. And I think it's because he's confident within himself. Would he appreciate if some stranger called him a retard to his face? Not a chance, in fact he'd likely roll up to you and punch you in the groin. But would he care if you called your friend a retard? Not in the slightest.

Jeanwah

brandon10 wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

.

If you knew anyone with any sort of disability, you certainly wouldn't call them Retard to their face. It's rude and cruel. And by using that word to describe a buddy of yours, you're referring to the person who is disabled. It's not about being sensitive, it's about respect.

Do you realize that many who are disabled need support from you "normal" people to be justified in society? But that doesn't happen as much as it should because people continue to use derogatory terms as if they're harmless. BTW, I'm temporarily disabled from a car accident. Let me tell you, being in a wheel chair out in public draws a lot of stares. The stares are sometimes out of curiosity (children) and sometimes out of pity and simply being different. How would you feel to be it that situation suddenly, and have people call you rude and callous names, because you're disabled?

You are not understanding what I am saying because you are too sensitive. A good friend of mine happens to be in a wheelchair for life. Not just temporarily. He happens to be in the Ten club actually. And I'm pretty sure he could care less if I called him a retard. And I think it's because he's confident within himself. Would he appreciate if some stranger called him a retard to his face? Not a chance, in fact he'd likely roll up to you and punch you in the groin. But would he care if you called your friend a retard? Not in the slightest.

Dude. Maybe using myself as an example wasn't very effective since me and your buddy are only physically disabled. I also have a daughter with Down syndrome. People with developmental delays cannot usually protect themselves from insensitive people like you. Am I being sensitive now? Maybe you'd think so, but that's because you know no one who is mentally challenged. If you did, you'd change your tune. I'm not being sensitive here, you're being INsensitive.
My daughter can't defend herself like your buddy and I can. She relies on us "normal" caring people to defend her from hurtful labels.

Listen, this is your problem that you can't seem to respect those who are different from you by ceasing to use words like 'retarded'. YOUR problem. It's not about sensitivity, it's about RESPECT.

brandon10

Jeanwah wrote:

brandon10 wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

.

If you knew anyone with any sort of disability, you certainly wouldn't call them Retard to their face. It's rude and cruel. And by using that word to describe a buddy of yours, you're referring to the person who is disabled. It's not about being sensitive, it's about respect.

Do you realize that many who are disabled need support from you "normal" people to be justified in society? But that doesn't happen as much as it should because people continue to use derogatory terms as if they're harmless. BTW, I'm temporarily disabled from a car accident. Let me tell you, being in a wheel chair out in public draws a lot of stares. The stares are sometimes out of curiosity (children) and sometimes out of pity and simply being different. How would you feel to be it that situation suddenly, and have people call you rude and callous names, because you're disabled?

You are not understanding what I am saying because you are too sensitive. A good friend of mine happens to be in a wheelchair for life. Not just temporarily. He happens to be in the Ten club actually. And I'm pretty sure he could care less if I called him a retard. And I think it's because he's confident within himself. Would he appreciate if some stranger called him a retard to his face? Not a chance, in fact he'd likely roll up to you and punch you in the groin. But would he care if you called your friend a retard? Not in the slightest.

Dude. Maybe using myself as an example wasn't very effective since me and your buddy are only physically disabled. I also have a daughter with Down syndrome. People with developmental delays cannot usually protect themselves from insensitive people like you. Am I being sensitive now? Maybe you'd think so, but that's because you know no one who is mentally challenged. If you did, you'd change your tune. I'm not being sensitive here, you're being INsensitive.
My daughter can't defend herself like your buddy and I can. She relies on us "normal" caring people to defend her from hurtful labels.

Listen, this is your problem that you can't seem to respect those who are different from you by ceasing to use words like 'retarded'. YOUR problem. It's not about sensitivity, it's about RESPECT.

Actually I know plenty of people who are mentally and physically challenged. I know two people with downs and my first cousin has cerebral palsy. And my tune isn't changing. You only feel the need to defend from "hurtful labels" because you let labels become hurtful. The end

Jeanwah

brandon10 wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

brandon10 wrote:

You are not understanding what I am saying because you are too sensitive. A good friend of mine happens to be in a wheelchair for life. Not just temporarily. He happens to be in the Ten club actually. And I'm pretty sure he could care less if I called him a retard. And I think it's because he's confident within himself. Would he appreciate if some stranger called him a retard to his face? Not a chance, in fact he'd likely roll up to you and punch you in the groin. But would he care if you called your friend a retard? Not in the slightest.

Dude. Maybe using myself as an example wasn't very effective since me and your buddy are only physically disabled. I also have a daughter with Down syndrome. People with developmental delays cannot usually protect themselves from insensitive people like you. Am I being sensitive now? Maybe you'd think so, but that's because you know no one who is mentally challenged. If you did, you'd change your tune. I'm not being sensitive here, you're being INsensitive.
My daughter can't defend herself like your buddy and I can. She relies on us "normal" caring people to defend her from hurtful labels.

Listen, this is your problem that you can't seem to respect those who are different from you by ceasing to use words like 'retarded'. YOUR problem. It's not about sensitivity, it's about RESPECT.

Actually I know plenty of people who are mentally and physically challenged. I know two people with downs and my first cousin has cerebral palsy. And my tune isn't changing. You only feel the need to defend from "hurtful labels" because you let labels become hurtful. The end

You're either lying or you're one insensitive person. :roll: