You know what I hate?

[conuly]

The phrase "politically correct". People use that phrase when they don't like something. Usually, however, the correct phrase for what they don't like is either closer to polite or to stupid than to "politically correct".

You don't like the name a group has picked for themselves? Calling them a name that they consider offensive isn't being un-PC, it's being rude. Call people what they want to be called. There's no crime in ignorance (does this person prefer "handicapped" or "disabled"? Is he black or African-American?) but when somebody tells you "I prefer this term", it's only polite to use that term. And, of course, some things we can guess are rude. Most people will automatically shy away from "crippled" or "nigger" without even thinking.

What about insults? You're so upset because your favorite insult is now a victim of the so-called PC police? You think that you should be able to say "gay means stupid" and "gyp and jew mean stealing"? Yeah, you need to knock it off. First of all, they're insults, they're rude anyway. Secondly, here's something important. Even though *you* think that you're not actually talking about gays or gypsies or Jews, nobody else knows that. Find a better word, one that doesn't imply that gays are stupid, or Jews and gypsies are thieves and stingy.

Some things derided as "politically correct" really *are* stupid, of course. I am too busy to list them, but I'm sure you can think of some. I still hate the term. Just say "that was stupid" not "OMG! THE PC POLICE ARE HERE!!!!" Please? It'll make you sound a lot less reactionary, and possibly more mature.

Course I can't stop you from saying what you will. I can just rant in my journal.

Comments

[farraige.livejournal.com]

"Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thieft" -- one piece of history, now considered un-PC, is lost.

"eenie, meenie, miney, moe, catch a nigger by his toe" -- yes, we just plough ahead re-making history.

=-=-=-=-=-
my sentiments are not meant to be in favour, or against, PC policies.

[conuly]

Farr, that was originally not even English. Nigger, tiger, nickle, none of those come into the rhyme because originally it was a different word altogether.

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I bow before your awesome wrath. You ranted the rant I've been wanting to rant for awhile but never found the words for. *applauds you*

[conuly]

No problem.

[yadfothgildloc.livejournal.com]

I lost all faith in PCness when a freind and I realized that "fucktard" was more PC than "retard."

[kynn.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The whole "anti-PC backlash" is basically just a way for people to say "I want to call blacks niggers, make fun of the cripples, bash the faggots, and otherwise berate bitches and hoes whenever I feel like it."

Anti-PC backlash is an expression of privilege.

--Kynn

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

am I the only person that did not connect 'I got gypped (spelled gipped over here, in Texasland at least) with the gypsies?

or that jew was another term for gip?

otherwise, yes.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

I didn't make the connection either, and I say "what a gyp" all the time... I don't think anyone thinks about gypsies when they say it, it's a commonplace word. o.O I've never heard of "jew" as a synonym either. Learn something new every day.

[feathered.livejournal.com]

People here spell it "jip." I never really made the connection at all...

[feralkoala.livejournal.com]

You are not alone. I've never seen it spelled with a G either, the few times I've actually seen it written anyway. Up until a couple years ago I had never known that The Roma were THE gypsies and not just another subset for the generic definition of traveling people. It's not something that I recall ever coming up in grade school.

[davidkevin.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear!

[xydexx.livejournal.com]

Remember the days when political correctness was called "consideration for others?" You know, manners, common courtesy, that kinda thing?

Unfortunately, being rude and offending people is trendy these days. -:(

It explains a lot how folks like Ann Coulter became popular.

[xydexx.livejournal.com]

i.e., the excuses people give that they're "just telling it like it is" or "I'm just saying what everyone else is afraid to say!" (No, everyone else has things like tact.)

[carakarena.livejournal.com]

*applause* I fully concur!

[push-the-limits.livejournal.com]

You have to admit, though, it gets very tedious when you have to remember to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."

At work today a checker got barked at by a customer for saying "Happy Holidays."

"It SHOULD be Merry Christmas," she said. Yikes. How the hell are we supposed to know what people prefer, when we spend all of 5 minutes with them, and deal with about 300 them a day?

Up here, they've even changed street signs and mountain names. "Squaw Creek Road" was changed to "Council Springs Road" a few years ago.

[conuly]

It's no more tedious to remember that than it is to remember to say "fine" when people ask you how you are... incidentally, don't ever ask me how I am. You'll be met with silence for a few seconds, and it's all very embarassing.

[threnody.livejournal.com]

I agree with part of what you said, but not all of it. If there's a perfectly good word to describe something, why change it?

I mean, when I see someone who's obviously of African descent, I'll say 'black' or 'coloured'. Those are two perfectly good terms, everyone knows what you're talking about, and they're not offensive words. I think African-American as it's used in general is really silly. I think it belongs to people who have immigrated here from Africa- whether they're black, white, brown, purple with yellow polka dots, whatever. People can call themselves what they want, but I still think it's silly. And also kidding yourself- if you're black and your family has been here for a couple of hundred years, I think you're as American as a white person who's been here a few hundred years. A white person who's been here two hundred years and calls themselve Anglo-American? I'll call them silly, too.

Similarly, I think 'Native American' is sort of silly. I was raised hearing 'Native', but I don't see the harm of 'Indian', except that it makes it really confusing when you could be talking about either Natives or Indians from India.

And I don't think 'retard' in itself is a bad term, but I recognise that usage has turned it into something offensive. I use 'retarded' among family/close friends, but I gave in to the 'mentally handicapped' thing long ago, when talking to people who don't know me well.

And then you have the fact that a lot of this has had an effect on history and how we view it. I love history, warts and all. Some parts of it are ugly, but that's the way things are. *shrug*

I guess, bottom line (since I'm being all random now)? I don't believe in sugar-coating things so no one is offended. I really hate the PCness of society. I recognise and accept that some things need to change. It's not right to be calling someone something that is offensive, no matter if it's 'nigger' or 'gay' (if gay=stupid) or 'asshat' (if we're going to get technical). But if a suitable (accurate, not offensive) name/label/term is already in place, why feel the need to use something perhaps *not* all that accurate, just to make people 'feel' better? I say to the world: grow up.

[conuly]

Except that words grow to take on offensive connotations. It doesn't hurt you to call somebody African-American if that's what they wish to be called. There is no harm done. So why not simply do so? It is polite to call people by the terms they prefer, to do otherwise is rudeness.

[farraige.livejournal.com]

"Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thieft" -- one piece of history, now considered un-PC, is lost.

"eenie, meenie, miney, moe, catch a nigger by his toe" -- yes, we just plough ahead re-making history.

=-=-=-=-=-
my sentiments are not meant to be in favour, or against, PC policies.

[conuly]

Farr, that was originally not even English. Nigger, tiger, nickle, none of those come into the rhyme because originally it was a different word altogether.

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I bow before your awesome wrath. You ranted the rant I've been wanting to rant for awhile but never found the words for. *applauds you*

[conuly]

No problem.

[yadfothgildloc.livejournal.com]

I lost all faith in PCness when a freind and I realized that "fucktard" was more PC than "retard."

[kynn.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The whole "anti-PC backlash" is basically just a way for people to say "I want to call blacks niggers, make fun of the cripples, bash the faggots, and otherwise berate bitches and hoes whenever I feel like it."

Anti-PC backlash is an expression of privilege.

--Kynn

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

am I the only person that did not connect 'I got gypped (spelled gipped over here, in Texasland at least) with the gypsies?

or that jew was another term for gip?

otherwise, yes.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

I didn't make the connection either, and I say "what a gyp" all the time... I don't think anyone thinks about gypsies when they say it, it's a commonplace word. o.O I've never heard of "jew" as a synonym either. Learn something new every day.

[davidkevin.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear!

[xydexx.livejournal.com]

Remember the days when political correctness was called "consideration for others?" You know, manners, common courtesy, that kinda thing?

Unfortunately, being rude and offending people is trendy these days. -:(

It explains a lot how folks like Ann Coulter became popular.

[xydexx.livejournal.com]

i.e., the excuses people give that they're "just telling it like it is" or "I'm just saying what everyone else is afraid to say!" (No, everyone else has things like tact.)

[carakarena.livejournal.com]

*applause* I fully concur!

[push-the-limits.livejournal.com]

You have to admit, though, it gets very tedious when you have to remember to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."

At work today a checker got barked at by a customer for saying "Happy Holidays."

"It SHOULD be Merry Christmas," she said. Yikes. How the hell are we supposed to know what people prefer, when we spend all of 5 minutes with them, and deal with about 300 them a day?

Up here, they've even changed street signs and mountain names. "Squaw Creek Road" was changed to "Council Springs Road" a few years ago.

[conuly]

It's no more tedious to remember that than it is to remember to say "fine" when people ask you how you are... incidentally, don't ever ask me how I am. You'll be met with silence for a few seconds, and it's all very embarassing.

[threnody.livejournal.com]

I agree with part of what you said, but not all of it. If there's a perfectly good word to describe something, why change it?

I mean, when I see someone who's obviously of African descent, I'll say 'black' or 'coloured'. Those are two perfectly good terms, everyone knows what you're talking about, and they're not offensive words. I think African-American as it's used in general is really silly. I think it belongs to people who have immigrated here from Africa- whether they're black, white, brown, purple with yellow polka dots, whatever. People can call themselves what they want, but I still think it's silly. And also kidding yourself- if you're black and your family has been here for a couple of hundred years, I think you're as American as a white person who's been here a few hundred years. A white person who's been here two hundred years and calls themselve Anglo-American? I'll call them silly, too.

Similarly, I think 'Native American' is sort of silly. I was raised hearing 'Native', but I don't see the harm of 'Indian', except that it makes it really confusing when you could be talking about either Natives or Indians from India.

And I don't think 'retard' in itself is a bad term, but I recognise that usage has turned it into something offensive. I use 'retarded' among family/close friends, but I gave in to the 'mentally handicapped' thing long ago, when talking to people who don't know me well.

And then you have the fact that a lot of this has had an effect on history and how we view it. I love history, warts and all. Some parts of it are ugly, but that's the way things are. *shrug*

I guess, bottom line (since I'm being all random now)? I don't believe in sugar-coating things so no one is offended. I really hate the PCness of society. I recognise and accept that some things need to change. It's not right to be calling someone something that is offensive, no matter if it's 'nigger' or 'gay' (if gay=stupid) or 'asshat' (if we're going to get technical). But if a suitable (accurate, not offensive) name/label/term is already in place, why feel the need to use something perhaps *not* all that accurate, just to make people 'feel' better? I say to the world: grow up.

[conuly]

Except that words grow to take on offensive connotations. It doesn't hurt you to call somebody African-American if that's what they wish to be called. There is no harm done. So why not simply do so? It is polite to call people by the terms they prefer, to do otherwise is rudeness.