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"Politcal Correctness" - False Victim hood or Real issue.

Is Political Correctness real?

  • Yes PC is real and is rampant. People are too sensitive.

    Votes: 38 67.9%

  • Yes and No - It depends. (Explain in your post)

    Votes: 11 19.6%

  • No PC is a made up escape goat. It is a catch phrase used to distract from a real issue.

    Votes: 7 12.5%
  • Total voters
    56
I picked yes and no. Do people choose specific language to deliberately avoid offending specific groups? Definitely. Is there an evil conspiracy to suppress conservatives and advance a Marxist agenda? Of course not. And the people who complain most about "political correctness" are really just butthurt that they can't openly denigrate or stereotype minorities and other special interest groups without being called out on their bigotry.
 
Logicman said:
How do you know? You live in la la land with the Looney Left.
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Thank you for your "contribution" to the thread. Considering you also consider healthier school lunches "PC," I think it's safe to say you have no earthly idea what you're talking about.
 
tres borrachos said:
My kids are emphatically not allowed to say it in school.
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More idiocy being taught in the schools by idiotic policies from the PC militia.

How is this NOT suppression of the right to free speech? Suppression by peer pressure, and suppression by the teachers, an authority figure in the schools? All from the liberal / progressive indoctrination we already know is part and parcel of the education system.
 
tres borrachos said:
My kids are emphatically not allowed to say it in school.
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Some of the silly examples of PC or religion suppression are from school administrators misinterpretting case law. There is no reason to limit children's speech to prevent use of Merry Christmas is not required by law.
 
eohrnberger said:
More idiocy being taught in the schools by idiotic policies from the PC militia.

How is this NOT suppression of the right to free speech? Suppression by peer pressure, and suppression by the teachers, an authority figure in the schools? All from the liberal / progressive indoctrination we already know is part and parcel of the education system.
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Personally, I think many folks are so indoctrinated into PC that they no longer recognize when their civil liberties are being violated.
 
Zinthaniel said:
With the introduction of social media it has become more and more difficult to escape the "news" no matter what it's covering. As a result discussions of every little thing under the clear blue sky is becoming more and more a common past time, for all ages.

With that the intrinsic social issues that are rampant throughout societies world wide- women rights, male rights, gay rights, racial rights, etc - get a lot of air time. And as a result there are some who appear to be weary of issues that seem to never go away. So in comes the new or reintroduced "it" phrase. "Political Correctness".

It appears that now, regardless if the issue has any merit and is in fact morally or ethically insidious , those who are sick of discussing it dismiss it as "political correctness". They insist that the everyone is too "Sensitive" and that "it's not that big of a deal".

The phrase is so over used and simplified that it is become a tired argumentative fallacy. Instead of engaging and honestly addressing an issue, those who refuse to see for what it is simply cry "PC" and go on their merry ol' way.

It's rampant on this forum as well. It reeks of false victim hood, where those who belong to a privileged class that often is contributing to the misfortune of another people essentially cry out because they are being stripped of their right to subjugate, harass, alienate, or otherwise mistreat others. It's silly.

But that's my perspective, what's yours?

Is PC a real thing? Are people too sensitive? Or is PC a cop out excuse used to sweep pressing issues under the rug?
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Yes and No.

There is such a thing as "political correctness", but not just the "liberal" one you're describing. There is right-wing/conservative "political correctness" as well, just that it is usually not called that way.

I agree that the term "political correctness" is mostly a fighting word invented by the right to smear certain left-wing claims.

But the same mechanism works the other way, just that liberals have not yet found a similarly catchy phrase yet.

There are certain things that are considered unquestionable truths by right-wingers, and dare you ever question them, they'll jump at you -- just like liberals jump at people who question their values and unquestionable truths.
 
MadLib said:
What do you mean by "not allowed?"
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Not allowed. Can't say it. Are corrected when they say it. Are reprimanded when they say it again. Can not say the words. Can only say "Happy Holidays" or worse yet, "Season's Greetings".
 
tres borrachos said:
Not allowed. Can't say it. Are corrected when they say it. Are reprimanded when they say it again. Can not say the words. Can only say "Happy Holidays" or worse yet, "Season's Greetings".
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By the teachers? I'm not familiar with NE schools - is it school board policy or just informally put into place by teachers and administration? And would they be punished if they said it in defiance of classroom rules? (I'm not questioning that this is true, I'm actually curious as to what's happening)

I'd figure that's something most liberals wouldn't condone. It seems to me that's more of a result of the stupidity of bureaucracy than of anything wrong with liberalism.
 
MadLib said:
By the teachers? I'm not familiar with NE schools - is it school board policy or just informally put into place by teachers and administration? And would they be punished if they said it in defiance of classroom rules? (I'm not questioning that this is true, I'm actually curious as to what's happening)

I'd figure that's something most liberals wouldn't condone. It seems to me that's more of a result of the stupidity of bureaucracy than of anything wrong with liberalism.
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Yes mostly by teachers, although one of mine got in trouble in 6th grade when he was waiting in the guidance office for some papers he was bringing back to his class. It was right before Christmas break, and he said "Merry Christmas" to the secretary when he left, and she called me. I was fuming (at her, NOT my kid).

I think in my town's case it was implemented by the school board, which is surprising given how non-liberal my town is (we went about 82% for Romney in 2012).

It annoys me.
 
tres borrachos said:
Yes mostly by teachers, although one of mine got in trouble in 6th grade when he was waiting in the guidance office for some papers he was bringing back to his class. It was right before Christmas break, and he said "Merry Christmas" to the secretary when he left, and she called me. I was fuming (at her, NOT my kid).

I think in my town's case it was implemented by the school board, which is surprising given how non-liberal my town is (we went about 82% for Romney in 2012).

It annoys me.
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Was it implemented at the board level? If not, I would have sarcastically said something like, "the poor child took pity on those who do not deserve kindness."
 
Fiddytree said:
Was it implemented at the board level? If not, I would have sarcastically said something like, "the poor child took pity on those who do not deserve kindness."
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I don't know. I meant to get the full scoop after it happened but I decided to wait until after the new year so I didn't appear so Grinchy over the break. Then I forgot about it. Periodically I think about it and every Christmas season I mean to ask. Some of our friends say our school board is filled with lunatics so it could be. Our superintendent is a flaming jackoff so it may just be his thing.

I told Mrs. xx to have a Merry Christmas when I hung up with her that day. I'm sure she was pissed at me.
 
SheWolf said:
I honestly have a hard time understanding what PC is and what it is not. A lot people who complain about PC tend to be conservative, and I am not sure what they upset about not being able to say. Just don't say anything offensive, sexist, or racist. I don't find it hard.

I know Palin gets upset about people saying retard, and it's understandable. Other than that, conservatives get upset about "Happy Holidays."

I am confused if Happy Holidays is PC or if Merry Christmas is PC. I just know conservatives are the sore asses on the issue... lol
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Most of the PC individuals I have come across are liberal, Biblically-challenged, or milquetoast Christians. That's where a lot of PC comes from.

Have you ever really sat down and studied the Bible in depth?
 
Logicman said:
Most of the PC individuals I have come across are liberal, Biblically-challenged, or milquetoast Christians. That's where a lot of PC comes from.

Have you ever really sat down and studied the Bible in depth?
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Is there much in the bible about saying Merry Christmas or political correctness? Or are you just trying to derail this into another Jesus thread like you always do?
 
RabidAlpaca said:
Is there much in the bible about saying Merry Christmas or political correctness? Or are you just trying to derail this into another Jesus thread like you always do?
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Most Christians understand that 'Christmas' is the day that is set aside to honor the birth of Christ, even though he most likely wasn't born on that day. So to diss Christmas is to slight Christians.

And it's an appropriate post to make, so take your hostility on down the road.
 
Logicman said:
Most Christians understand that 'Christmas' is the day that is set aside to honor the birth of Christ, even though he most likely wasn't born on that day. So to diss Christmas is to slight Christians.

And it's an appropriate post to make, so take your hostility on down the road.
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Lol, ok, so it's as I thought, the bible has absolutely nothing to do with this topic, you just like making everything about Jesus because you feel lost everywhere else.
 
RabidAlpaca said:
Lol, ok, so it's as I thought, the bible has absolutely nothing to do with this topic, you just like making everything about Jesus because you feel lost everywhere else.
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Still waiting for a decent argument from you...
 
Zinthaniel said:
With the introduction of social media it has become more and more difficult to escape the "news" no matter what it's covering. As a result discussions of every little thing under the clear blue sky is becoming more and more a common past time, for all ages.

With that the intrinsic social issues that are rampant throughout societies world wide- women rights, male rights, gay rights, racial rights, etc - get a lot of air time. And as a result there are some who appear to be weary of issues that seem to never go away. So in comes the new or reintroduced "it" phrase. "Political Correctness".

It appears that now, regardless if the issue has any merit and is in fact morally or ethically insidious , those who are sick of discussing it dismiss it as "political correctness". They insist that the everyone is too "Sensitive" and that "it's not that big of a deal".

The phrase is so over used and simplified that it is become a tired argumentative fallacy. Instead of engaging and honestly addressing an issue, those who refuse to see for what it is simply cry "PC" and go on their merry ol' way.

It's rampant on this forum as well. It reeks of false victim hood, where those who belong to a privileged class that often is contributing to the misfortune of another people essentially cry out because they are being stripped of their right to subjugate, harass, alienate, or otherwise mistreat others. It's silly.

But that's my perspective, what's yours?

Is PC a real thing? Are people too sensitive? Or is PC a cop out excuse used to sweep pressing issues under the rug?
Click to expand...

It's three things now.
1. Simply another term for the proper etiquette of the day, no different than in any country or period of history. Richard Pryor in an interview spoke about how back in the comedy nightclub days of the 70's, any comedian who swore was removed from the stage instantly. There's no era in human history when there wasn't that thing you just didn't say. Believing otherwise is no different than believing absolutely in the Norman Rockwell vision of America in the fifties.
2. An abuse of #1, allowing people to intimidate others from harmless speech at best, or even necessary speech at worst. These instances thoroughly embarrass the rest of us who believe that society should be more pluralistic and tolerant. If there was any story that earned the Picard facepalm jpg the most, it was the one of the vegan who lived in a Muslim community and demanded a sign advertising bacon be taken down. What earned the jpg of both Picard and Riker doing a facepalm was the business complying.
3. What has absolutely saturated the national dialogue however is this most insidious of use of the PC term, the rallying cry of people who resent social backlashes for their legitimately repugnant behavior. You can't log on to the internet without reading another story about how the PC thought police are shutting some guy down because he said the "n" word fifty times in a row on public television and now his business is being boycotted.
 
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Zinthaniel said:
Is PC a real thing? Are people too sensitive? Or is PC a cop out excuse used to sweep pressing issues under the rug?
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Both of these are true. I guess you could say what we traditionally refer to as political correctness started out as good intentions, such as not being racist, sexist, or homophobic, taken to absurd proportions, such as claiming that penmanship is a sexist term, or saying Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays is insulting.

It's worth noting that political correctness is in no way new: each ideology has its own version of political correctness, and it is very present on the right as well as certain segments of the left. Try mentioning abortion casually to a tea partier and you'll be met with a very emotional response probably containing the words "child murderer" or something like that. Christmas is another good example: the absurd idea that saying Merry Christmas is offensive to atheists somehow spread and was met by a very vocal reaction by conservatives, including the equally absurd claim that saying Happy Holidays is offensive to Christians. So yes, absurd debates like this one are generated out of oversensitivity, but any of the media coverage political correctness receives is too much. It gets way more attention than it deserves (it deserves none from the general public) and many people are going to vote Republican or Democrat in no small part because of PC non-issues. Things like this being manifested into issues that people actually care about is one of the problems with American politics.

If you want to see a party essentially generated as a result of political correctness, check out Sweden's Feminist Initiative:

Feminist Initiative (Sweden) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I don't give a crap about political correctness. I don't think it brings any value to our culture or society.
 
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