Political Correctness/Annoying Television Ad

@Bonaventurian,

Khethil;78167 wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why some are so steamed about being courteous. Where's the harm in it?

Most people are incapable of genuinely facing their own prejudices, much less altering them. Instead, it's much easier to turn around and call those who call attention to prejudices annoying, tyrannical, etc. Look at all the people here who are against "political correctness": none of their responses even consider the possibility of personal responsibility. It's all about lashing out at others.

@Theages,

Theages;78474 wrote:

Most people are incapable of genuinely facing their own prejudices, much less altering them. Instead, it's much easier to turn around and call those who call attention to prejudices annoying, tyrannical, etc. Look at all the people here who are against "political correctness": none of their responses even consider the possibility of personal responsibility. It's all about lashing out at others.

Hum, so because people are certain of what they are saying enough to not put it in doubt, that necessarly means they are actually wrong?

I think I got this wrong. What exactly you mean with "possibility of personal responsibility" here?

@manored,

manored;78663 wrote:

Hum, so because people are certain of what they are saying enough to not put it in doubt, that necessarly means they are actually wrong?

Nice try, but go back and read it again.

Quote:

What exactly you mean with "possibility of personal responsibility" here?

Thinking "Hmm, maybe I am perpetuating male dominance by using the generic masculine pronoun" for example (mutatis mutandis for other problems). There has been no consideration of the "maybe" here. There has only been defensiveness, which is not the hallmark of clear and thoughtful consideration.

@Theages,

Theages;78695 wrote:

Nice try, but go back and read it again.

Thinking "Hmm, maybe I am perpetuating male dominance by using the generic masculine pronoun" for example (mutatis mutandis for other problems). There has been no consideration of the "maybe" here. There has only been defensiveness, which is not the hallmark of clear and thoughtful consideration.

using the male pronoun to me is referring to humanity (should we add a new word to the dictionary 'womanity'?) and i dont worry about it, it is in the language. changing the word 'mailman' to 'mailperson' was hilarious to me. so even if i think i perceive some insult, i look for all the maybes first.

i feel there is an element of personal responsibility to be taken for what a person says as well as what he hears in what others say.

@Theages,

Theages;78695 wrote:

Nice try, but go back and read it again.

I dont see how this is an answer for the question I made.

Theages;78695 wrote:

Thinking "Hmm, maybe I am perpetuating male dominance by using the generic masculine pronoun" for example (mutatis mutandis for other problems). There has been no consideration of the "maybe" here. There has only been defensiveness, which is not the hallmark of clear and thoughtful consideration.

This is the point I dont quite understand, you seem to mean that the fact these considerations werent exposed here mean that they didnt happen.

salima;78718 wrote:

using the male pronoun to me is referring to humanity (should we add a new word to the dictionary 'womanity'?) and i dont worry about it, it is in the language. changing the word 'mailman' to 'mailperson' was hilarious to me. so even if i think i perceive some insult, i look for all the maybes first.

Personally I dont see the point about worring about chanding all the "mens" into "persons". If it is supposed to happen it will happen naturally: I am waiting for the mailman, then a mailwoman comes, next time I will be more likely to be waiting for either a mailperson or a mailwoman.

@Bonaventurian,

I think when chairman was changed to chairperson was going too far and blackboard was changed to something, (i forget), so is saying whiteboard racist against whites?

@Caroline,

Caroline;78782 wrote:

I think when chairman was changed to chairperson was going too far and blackboard was changed to something, (i forget), so is saying whiteboard racist against whites?

This is what I dont want to happen, people deciding that anything that could in any way be offensive to someone should be changed. It will just create an endless and absurd cycle of renaming things.

@Bonaventurian,

I believe the whole blackboard thing was never anything other than a myth perpetrated by those who sought to undermine or ridicule what they perceived to be a politically correct movement.

It was never the actual aim of any such "movement" to rename whiteboards or blackboards.

@Dave Allen,

Dave Allen;78834 wrote:

I believe the whole blackboard thing was never anything other than a myth perpetrated by those who sought to undermine or ridicule what they perceived to be a politically correct movement.

It was never the actual aim of any such "movement" to rename whiteboards or blackboards.

Nice, world isnt as stupid as I though it was then =)

@Dave Allen,

Dave Allen;78834 wrote:

I believe the whole blackboard thing was never anything other than a myth perpetrated by those who sought to undermine or ridicule what they perceived to be a politically correct movement.

It was never the actual aim of any such "movement" to rename whiteboards or blackboards.

So it didn't actually happen?

@Caroline,

There was a campaign to change those names... that was just as real as Obama's Kenyan citizenship and his ineligibility to be POTUS.

@Caroline,

Caroline;78848 wrote:

So it didn't actually happen?

As far as I know - no. Maybe some particularly sensitive individuals don't like to use the term - but no group has ever seriously advocated using words for blackboards other than blackboard as a policy.

My hunch is that the idea of changing such terms actually originates with those who have a dislike of the concept of political correctness, and therefore invented a rather ludicrous fictional example in order to reduce the credibility of actual examples of campaigns to foster good relations by (amongst other things) not using derogatory terms.

As far as I am aware when it came down to actually finding a school where teachers had been asked to refer to blackboards as something else no one could come up with examples.

@Bonaventurian,

Yes I couldn't think of any examples neither. Im beginning to think i imagined it all! Smile

@Bonaventurian,

_________________________

---------- Post added 07-29-2009 at 12:41 PM ----------

I'd like to point out that the scope of stem cell research expands beyond the foetus. In fact, viable [and pluripotent] stem cells are contained in the amniotic fluid (which is usually discarded after birth). Just to point out, harvesting stem cells does not necessarily cause destruction of life, as many types of stem cells are not used. Pluripotent stem cells (cells that can become nearly any other type of cell) are produced after the blastocyst is formed, and a large percentage of them yield no use once the baby is born. Also, progenitor cells, an alternative form of stem cells, have the same capabilities as stem cells.

Though I must agree that wimps with sensitive minds are the only people who are offended by pejoratives. It's a word with no real meaning other than to 'offend' people. Pejoratives are mostly used by peabrained dolts to convey their narrow views. Pejoratives don't mean anything in the long run. They are an idiot's vernacular; merely a substitute for an extensive english vocabulary.

@Leonard,

Leonard;80200 wrote:

_________________________

---------- Post added 07-29-2009 at 12:41 PM ----------

Though I must agree that wimps with sensitive minds are the only people who are offended by pejoratives. It's a word with no real meaning other than to 'offend' people. Pejoratives are mostly used by peabrained dolts to convey their narrow views. Pejoratives don't mean anything in the long run. They are an idiot's vernacular; merely a substitute for an extensive english vocabulary.

Definition

pejorative Show phonetics
adjective FORMAL
disapproving or suggesting that something is not good or is of no importance

uh, leonard....with all due respect, havent you just used a lot of pejoratives? i think you just called yourself a pea-brained dolt!

@salima,

salima;80301 wrote:

Definition

pejorative Show phonetics
adjective FORMAL
disapproving or suggesting that something is not good or is of no importance

uh, leonard....with all due respect, havent you just used a lot of pejoratives? i think you just called yourself a pea-brained dolt!

YA =)

But he merely forgot to add the other reason to use pejoratives, wich is to irritate people for fun. There lies the origin of the trolls =)

@salima,

salima;80301 wrote:

Definition

pejorative Show phonetics
adjective FORMAL
disapproving or suggesting that something is not good or is of no importance

uh, leonard....with all due respect, havent you just used a lot of pejoratives? i think you just called yourself a pea-brained dolt!

I thought about that, but I said to myself that peabrained dolt isn't a pejorative. It only has its one meaning as an insult. You don't call someone who has a pea in their brain peabrained. It's only meaining is as an insult. A pejorative, on the other hand, is a word that has lost its original, genuine meaning and has taken on an insulting meaning instead (such as gay). Said word would then be referred to in a news article or television or in some media to convey something negative and it would then adopt that meaning. Gay was meant to describe happiness when it came into use, but now it means homosexual or it's used to insult someone. Queer meant unusual or odd, but it has the same meaning as gay now. There was no previous, harmless meaning of dolt or peabrain. They have always been used to describe what they do!

Also, If I call someone an idiot, I don't call them unimportant or bad. I call them absentminded and lacking an extensive vocabulary, which is entirely different.

---------- Post added 07-30-2009 at 08:14 PM ----------

To elaborate, words that are pejoratives aren't simply insulting, they have undergone amelioration, or a change in semantics. Pejoratives are distinct from profanity (or insults, which is what I was using) in the sense that they are used to show disapproval or shunning rather than rudeness and instigation of anger.

in⋅sult-verb (used with object)
1.to treat or speak to insolently or with contemptuous rudeness.; affront.
2.to affect as an affront; offend.
3. Archaic. to attack; assault.

(What I was meaning when I insulted wimps is in bold.)

Sorry if I overdid that, but i'm trying to prove my point.

@Leonard,

Leonard;80439 wrote:

I thought about that, but I said to myself that peabrained dolt isn't a pejorative. It only has its one meaning as an insult. You don't call someone who has a pea in their brain peabrained. It's only meaining is as an insult. A pejorative, on the other hand, is a word that has lost its original, genuine meaning and has taken on an insulting meaning instead (such as gay). Said word would then be referred to in a news article or television or in some media to convey something negative and it would then adopt that meaning. Gay was meant to describe happiness when it came into use, but now it means homosexual or it's used to insult someone. Queer meant unusual or odd, but it has the same meaning as gay now. There was no previous, harmless meaning of dolt or peabrain. They have always been used to describe what they do!

Also, If I call someone an idiot, I don't call them unimportant or bad. I call them absentminded and lacking an extensive vocabulary, which is entirely different.

---------- Post added 07-30-2009 at 08:14 PM ----------

To elaborate, words that are pejoratives aren't simply insulting, they have undergone amelioration, or a change in semantics. Pejoratives are distinct from profanity (or insults, which is what I was using) in the sense that they are used to show disapproval or shunning rather than rudeness and instigation of anger.

in⋅sult-verb (used with object)
1.to treat or speak to insolently or with contemptuous rudeness.; affront.
2.to affect as an affront; offend.
3. Archaic. to attack; assault.

(What I was meaning when I insulted wimps is in bold.)
Sorry if I overdid that, but i'm trying to prove my point.

no problem,leonard. i guess the cambridge dictionary online leaves a little to be desired. i wondered why anyone would bother to use the word pejorative if all it meant was name calling.

@salima,

Because pejorative denotes a sort of uneducated name calling - through the ignorance of the actual meaning of the term. Also, it conveys a greater degree of insult. For example, using "gay" for name calling not only badgers the individual to which it is directed, but homosexuality in general.

Though, I have to disagree with leonard in that pejoratives are typically intended to be rude and to instigate an angry response. I also disagree that a sensitive mind is wimpy - a sensitive mind is the hallmark of a deep thinker. One need not be a wimp to be a deep thinker.

@Bonaventurian,

Pejorative is simply a sort of "double insult" rather than an insulting word.

By sensitive mind I meant sensitive to buying into all sorts of politically correct brainwashing.

Maybe I should have been more blunt and simply said that it takes a gullible person to buy into politically correct junk. I didn't say that pejoratives are meant to be rude. I said that being rude is the difference between a pejorative and an insult.

Although sensitive mind may mean open to change, or open to new ideas. Which is a good thing, unless you are falsely informed that calling something "gay" is the same as calling someone an idiot.

But if you want to anger someone, point out their errors and be logical; use insults instead of calling someone something they may not be, such as using the pejorative gay. Pejoratives aren't evil, but it isn't too smart to use one, i'd have to say.

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