Political Correctness

[Tis_Bearself]

As a working class white dad, I am offended by your double standard. The character of Homer Simpson is extremely racist, stereotypical and bigoted. Homer is a character that furthers the stereotype of the overweight, dim witted, beer drinking middle class male. This character is used over and over from shows like Family Guy to King of Queens. Homer has to go.

As a single older woman who owns multiple cats, I myself am offended by the “crazy cat lady” stereotype on the Simpsons and elsewhere in the culture. My cats and I are planning a protest march soon.

 

[exnihilo]

Political correctness is from the communists. It is a completely awful thing that destroys society. If you can’t say bad things about groups those groups will act worse because they can get away with it. It is only human nature.

 

[Pup7]

A couple years ago I was banned from a news site for using the word “thug”, which to me is a perfectly good English word for generations, to refer to a white criminal who had robbed and shot someone with no question that he was the guilty party. The same news outlet routinely would not print complete descriptions of crime suspects that we were supposed to be watching out for, because they didn’t want to state the race or ethnicity of the suspect, even though it was in the police bulletin that was clearly stated on the police website that they ganked their news from (heaven forbid journalists would have to go out and get a story by pounding the pavement instead of sitting in Starbucks cobbling together stuff from the web). When I’m not even allowed to know the physical description of a rapist running loose in my neighborhood, we’ve left the bounds of intelligent discussion.

This is the kind of stuff I’m talking about. It gets ridiculous to the point you can’t possibly predict the myriad of things that might offend someone.

Who else remembers the uproar on CAF a month or so ago because someone used the word “female”? Hate to tell the females who got bent out of shape, but it’s a totally acceptable term, and it’s accurate. If you are not male, and you are a woman, you are assuredly female.

That sort of stuff.

I have a theory that it’s not just phones and electronics that are creating barriers to face to face communication. It’s an unwillingness and reluctance to deal with the potential drama when you inadvertently offend someone by saying something as innocuous as the word “female” to refer to, well, a female. It’s too ridiculous and people truly just don’t want to be bothered with the fallout.

 

[Hereiam]

Its both.

People are often too sensitive, and just as often, too offensive.

“I won’t say that so as not to hurt their feelings”, versus, “Put on your big boy pants because my opinions can be expressed without regard to offending your sensitivities”.

We can be honest and even brutally honest without being offensive, and we should be able to accept criticism without our noses being out of joint.

 

[Pup7]

Yes!

Poliical correctness isn’t a cover for blatant stupidity and disregard for common courtesy.

Nor is it a rock to hide behind when one’s feelings get hurt.

 

[Benadam]

I think PC emerged from a political success story. One that is now for the most part unnecessary. The laws it demanded are in place. It is needlessly ongoing among the population that sense a loss of meaning and are addicted to the high of that political success. Now it is a political movement without a cause searching for a problem that doesn’t exist. It’s become the pot calling the kettle black. IMO

 

[Jump4Joy]

Which is worse? How do you know who is too sensitive and who is too offensive? There are people who believe they can say anything they want to you regardless and if you show any sign of offense you’re weak minded. It’s utterly impossible in their eyes that they could be disrespectful.

 

[Theo520]

To play the devil’s advocate, isn’t making people not feel bad or whatever using politically incorrect words does more important than humor

Sometimes it’s healthy to make people uncomfortable, to feel bad.
It also enables a real discussion, someone can respond to what you said with sincerity.

Everyone saying the “correct” thing is just false, it doesn’t allow real discussions to happen.

 

[Canvas]

Which is worse? How do you know who is too sensitive and who is too offensive? There are people who believe they can say anything they want to you regardless and if you show any sign of offense you’re weak minded. It’s utterly impossible in their eyes that they could be disrespectful.

I have seen some posters on CAF like that.

 

[Jump4Joy]

I agree. Real discussions are meant to bring up uncomfortable feelings. The issue some people cannot deal with their inappropriate feelings. They don’t want to feel judged.
I’m not sure when playing devil’s advocate turns into guilt tripping or a way for someone to feel morally superior.

 

[Jump4Joy]

For some any sign of offense or pain, is a sign of weakness of character

 

[Jump4Joy]

I guess there is no way to have discussions about race, gender, sexuality, etc without anticipating a myriad of emotions. Are emotional responses such bad things anyways?

 

[Zaccheus]

Are emotional responses such bad things anyways?

Not in themselves.

 

[Hereiam]

Sometimes it’s healthy to make people uncomfortable, to feel bad.

It is healthy to be honest, but doing so to make someone feel bad is uncharitable, so honestly cannot be an excuse, nor is it healthy if the intent is to hurt feelings…and especially if used to validate one’s own opinion while dismissing the opinion of the other party.

 

[Jump4Joy]

Why are people so fearful of them? I’m assuming that’s why people avoid conversations about sensitive topics. Just because something makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it should be avoided.
I’m not good with this. I’m not sure what to do with my feelings during such discussions. Obviously you cannot attack someone for feeling differently than you do.
It does make me feel or judge a person differently if I know their beliefs

 

[Canvas]

For some, they just think they are morally or intellectually superior to everyone else. If someone if offended, they are obviously not as moral or unable to cope with a different opinion because of their inferior intellect.

Some people just like to offend others.

 

[Jump4Joy]

These are the people I try to avoid. I’d rather not show any sign of vulnerability around such people. It’s bait.

 

[Theo520]

I agree. Real discussions are meant to bring up uncomfortable feelings. The issue some people cannot deal with their inappropriate feelings. They don’t want to feel judged.

I’m not sure when playing devil’s advocate turns into guilt tripping or a way for someone to feel morally superior.

Doesn’t that depend on how one responds?

You can try make the person feel wrong for what they said, or you can respond to what they actually said.

Let’s take a real world example - If I said something that indicated I didn’t believe in “global warming”

• the standard response seems to be calling me a ‘denier’, which is about making me feel bad and really shutting down any discussion through intimidation. It’s pounding down the nail that stands up.
• the better response would be to understand what I meant, and why

In truth, I believe in global warming but not the catastrophic projections, and my reasoning is well based in actual science. But my reasoning never gets a chance to enter a discussion, I’m just labeled a science denier.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

In truth, I believe in global warming but not the catastrophic projections, and my reasoning is well based in actual science. But my reasoning never gets a chance to enter a discussion, I’m just labeled a science denier.

This is why it’s often pointless to discuss stuff. One can vote and pray, and no discussion is needed for either.

 

[Pup7]

But the thing is - that’s not healthy, and it creates problems.

If you live in a world where you cannot discuss anything, nothing will ever happen - except stagnance.