Ok, first off, this isn't an attack on PA or the silly goose rule. Although it did inspired it.
Im tired of our world not haven't the balls to say what we want to say. We live in fear of our own shadows, scared of offending anyone. We are afraid of political correctness. Before we go on, lets look at political correctness's definition. Wikipedia defines Political correctness as "a term denoting language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social offense in gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, handicap, and age-related contexts." Political is defined as "1: of or relating to government, a government, or the conduct of government b: of, relating to, or concerned with the making as distinguished from the administration of governmental policy. 2: of, relating to, involving, or involved in politics and especially party politics." in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. So "politically correct" isn't "politically correct". It should be "socially correct" or something right?
But before you grab your mind-control blocking tin hats, lets look at a case of political correctness that many know, Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays. 76.5% (159 million) of Americans claim to Christians. 60% of Americans prefer Merry Christmas over Happy Holidays. So why is Happy Holidays used by stores, TV channels, magazines, and the media? Because the 60% lost their voice. Too afraid that they would be seen as "bullies" and unfriendly, they let media take Christmas again and mess with it (Santa and commercialization of Christmas being the first time.) Political correctness is also used to made peoples' opinions seem wrong and even treasonous.
Dixie Chicks, a US country band, lead singer said at a concert in London "Just so you know, were on the good side with yall. We do not want this war, this violence, and were ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas." This statement was her opinion but many Americans called it "unpatriotic". People burned their CDs, T-shirts, and anything Dixie Chicks. How many of those people like Bush now?
But maybe political correctness is political. Is it censorship in disguise? I believe so. Patrick Buchanan wrote in his book, The Death of the West, "Political Correctness is Cultural Marxism, a regime to punish dissent and to stigmatize social heresy as the Inquisition punished religious heresy. Its trademark is intolerance." Marxism is the base of Communism, the same government that failed in Russia (Soviet Union) and is in China. Buchanan says there that Political correctness is an attempt to make everyone thinking the same. Which is against the First Amendment in the US. The First Amendment protects us from being force to think the same. To say what we want as long that no one gets killed over it. Its the foundation of all amendments, in my opinion. To lose it is a lose freedom. Now I know that many of you are thinking "Samurai is a crazy hillbilly, backwards American loon", and guess what, I am, but its because I have the right to be a crazy hillbilly, backwards American loon. And I would like to keep them. And my children (God Bless Their Souls if I have any) to keep those rights. But everyday we let someone tell us we can't say something because it will offend anyone that hasn't grown up and realise that you have opinions and rights too is a lost to your freedom.
So what's your opinion? Is it correct to be Politically Correct?
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You want to say Merry Christmas, go ahead, no one will stop you. Or care, for that matter.
Edit: Also, citing Pat Buchanan? Really? Now that is politically incorrect for a very good reason. (Hint: he's a nazi sympathizer.)
You silly, silly goose.
I want you to give me any example of political correctness being enforced by the law.
Because people choosing to say things one way to avoid potentially offending anyone, or companies deciding to do so, is so far away from anyone even coming close to touching "Your rights" that the idea that they are in any way related, and that you have to be "worried" about that is laughable at best. You can feel free to say "Merry christmas" to anyone you want at any time you want. You can say anything you want as long as it isn't one of the few exceptions to the first amendment that are purely in place for a public safety concern(by the way, none of which have anything relating to PCness).
To put it another way, just because the only insult we can use on this forum is "Silly goose" doesn't mean our first amendment rights are being affected in any way, because it turns out that this forum isn't in fact the U.S. Government
Yes. Also none of your complaints actually addressed what political correctness is. The 'problem' with the Dixie Chicks was with the content and intent of what they said not the words they used to convey that meaning. Stores, stock boys, and signage use 'Happy Holidays' of their own volition and primarily because it has a broader appeal in order to get more cash monies for their various enterprises. None of this involves any kind of law what-so-ever and so the notion of censorship or the First Amendment doesn't come into it in the slightest. So...I have no idea what you're going on about.
And frankly, if someone literally needs to be able to say n***** in order to get their point across or make your argument more compelling but feel that they aren't allowed to...well, that says quite a bit more about their views than it does about our society.
But, just in case you didn't know, Santa isn't actually German or whatever you believe.
But yeah, I'm going to go ahead and agree with the Cat.
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Do you truly believe in a tyrannical rule of the majority?
And yes, it is correct to be 'politically correct' in the sense that we should strive as a species to recognize and celebrate someone's identity. People who typically rage about PC-ing the world are usually upset they can't go around telling women to get back in the kitchen, gays to get back to San Fran and NYC, and blacks to get back in the cotton field. 'Old' beliefs are worth hearing, but not when they involve discriminatory language. But often, people attacking the notion of PC attribute false values and justifications to what PC means, straw-manning it if you will.
You don't have balls if you go round telling Mexicans to make you some tacos and to get the hell back over the border, you're just a silly goose.
There's a lot wrong with your post but this really stood out to me. How did you come to associate people with tact with delusional, paranoid conspiracy theorists?
What, you don't agree? What we're doing is censoring people, therefore making them feel a) more entitled to be offended when non-PC terms are used, and b) creating a gap by making sure certain differences among us are only brought about in a ridiculously ass-backwards way or not at all. If I call a black friend of mine black, somebody in the room will call me out as being racist. If we didn't care so much about being non-offensive, we wouldn't offend so many damn people. This country needs to grow a thicker skin.
I'm fine with turning people who use racial or gender-based epithets into social pariahs.
Free speech is only for him, not those other people. They're all freaks and foreigners and hippies.
Why? Because they're wrong. I'm not offended as much as I am angry that they're so fucking stupid. The inverse of racism is not calling everything that can be construed as racism to be racist, it's to celebrate the differences between all of us. If we have to cover our mouths, how do you suppose we go about recognizing those differences?
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I've never understood the angst and horror over the "loss" of Christmas. Christmas is a holiday. Happy holidays therefore includes Christmas. There are other holidays as well. Happy holidays covers them to. Nothing is taken away at all.
"War on terror" vs. "Conflict on terror". Our government was too afraid to say that we are fighting a war that they demoted it to a conflict. Do you think it matters to a Marine who is fighting a "conflict" in Iraq against enemies who blow them up and we can't hold them for war crimes as we aren't at war? It might not be my rights in harm's way, but enemies are being released back to their homelands so they can kill more of our friend's and families.
This thread is headed places, I tells ya.
Putting words in my mouth doesn't serve the goal of having a civil discussion.
Also, really? Happy Holidays complaining? I hope you're okay when I wish you a Happy Ramadan this year
I don't think you really know what you're talking about.
Not only is our government totally unafraid to say "War on Terror," but they've got such a hard-on for the idea that both wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, are officially considered to be one war, "The Global War on Terror."
I've got a little ribbon on my uniform. It is for serving in the "Global War on Terror." It is not the "Global Conflict on Terror."
Also even if what you were saying was true, which it's not, it does nothing to support your point because the government does not censor other people who call it the "War on Terror."
Yeah, I should have expected this.
It ain't celebration, but I shouldn't be afraid to say my black friend is black (and no, I don't mean "you're such a black!" or any other thing like that, but identifying his skin color as being black) because it's considered non-PC. If you want to be PC, use it in politics. I'm not in politics, therefore I will not be PC. If you're old and fat, I'm not going to be afraid to say your old and fat.
You have no idea what you're talking about, it's called a conflict so they don't have to follow the Constitution vis a vis war-declaring approval
Also, enemies aren't being released back to their homelands. That's a republican bullshit talking point. If we want to stop our enemies from killing our deployed troops we should stop torturing middle easterners and hold them to fair trials, not pretend to make a big fucking issue out of being PC
I'm also polite when it warrants it.
Wait what's the issue?
So you're actually just an idiot. Guess what, pretending we're actually at war with an international criminal syndicate strengthens them and enhances their status. So does pretending that blowing up a plane would be some sort of massive blow to our way of life and institutional resiliency.
Also, if it doesn't matter to a Marine what we call it, why not call it a term that more accurately portrays the situation while simultaneously degrading the efforts of the various terrorist networks and highlighting the barbarity of their tactics? Seems like he'd be better served in the long run by having fewer people shooting at him.
Really? So you think the best way of socializing with someone is to point out every perceived deficiency in everyone you meet.
Furthermore you find it repugnant that anyone should be offended by this behavior.
Really.
There's basic good manners and then there's becoming a social pariah because you're not using the correct, PC terminology. It's getting so bad in places that people are identified as being featureless, genderless, colorless entities.
But assume whatever you want about me, I think you're a crazy bitch and your opinion doesn't really mean much to me.
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One thing that raises sympathy for the political correctness camp, if there was such a camp is the prominent people who go on record attacking 'it'. So for example if Pat Buchanan comes down on political correctness, I'm going to assume that he is probably on a mad rant, as per normal. If the leader of the BNP (British Whites Party of some kind) or the Bishop of Destiny's Church (NZ fundamentalist group) do the same then the same rule applies
Pretty sure that anyone that freaks out about you calling your friend black if they don't care is in a very, very tiny minority that you're way too focused on.
So what was Desert Storm? The Vietnam War? Politically Correct "conflicts". Because America doesn't want to say we ever lost a war.
I look at people as people. People have skin and genders. I'm not a criminal to recognize these things.
Quid: Yes, I am, but it's my opinion on the growing focus of "being PC" in America. I live in a very conservative place and God forbid you say something that may offend a group of people who are nowhere to be found, but instead it's the white guy over there yelling at you for being such a racist.