Poll: Politicly Correct my A**

[guntotingtomcat]

Freedom of speech is idiotic. Political correctness, equally so.
Words can hurt, and should be moderated, if only by common sense. There is nothing to be gained by giving people the right to slander or make inflammatory remarks.
On the other hand, the government has no right or purpose whatsoever to dictate right and wrong in any context, including words and opinions.

*snip*

Wait, wait, wait...government isn't supposed to moderate free speech, but people don't have the right to make inflammatory remarks? That's an inherent contradiction; either the state DOES regulate such speech or else people do have the RIGHT to make the remarks. Suffering consequences from non-government sources is not a violation of one's rights (in non-equal opportunity cases.) If a worker makes racist slurs and their employer fires them, that's not an infringement of rights as an employer is able to terminate employment for any reason.

To the extent government does NOT regulate communication, you have free speech. If government has no right to regulate free speech, then by definition you have unlimited freedom of speech. US constitutional law does place a few limits on free speech, most of them regarding either obscenity or else incitement to immediate violence. Most "censorship" in the US is actually done by the private sector. (Not allowing minors into certain movies, for example, is not a government policy but a voluntary decision by the MPAA.) The private sector cannot take your rights away, but they can cease doing business with you, which is -not- the same thing as censorship.

Edit: To clarify, if a hate-group wants to put out their message, they can under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, provided the message is not inciting -immediate- violence. So if the Klan wanted to post their screed, they can, but they can't say, "And let's go kill us some insert group we hate right now!"

Okay, when I talk about rights, I talk about moral rights, not government prescribed rights. For example, I don't believe people have the moral right to hurt people with what they say, but equally I don't believe people have the moral right to cheat on their partners. In both cases, I don't believe the government should intervene.
Government should do what's best for the majority, not dictate moral ideals, for while I don't believe in freedom of speech, I do believe in freedom of thought. To believe in TOTAL freedom of speech is to deny that speech can have a negative impact, which is obviously false.

 

[mikespoff]

Against for the most part.
Certain PC is understandable, but it is getting out of hand. There are African-Americans, Latin-Americans, Asian-Americans, and whites.

A perfect example of when PC obscures meaning more than it protects from offence.

What the hell does "African-American" mean when applied to someone whose family has lived in the USA for 100 years? Why do they need a modifier, whereas some white dude who immigrated last week is just called "American" - even if he was born in Africa?

 

[xdiesp]

I don't give a sh*t about people swearing or tearing each other's ideas apart.

What I don't like is the obsession of the US over "races". Races do not exist: people with different body features do, like skin color, and they actually divide themselves into populations (with their culture and country) and not "human subspecies" supergroups. In Europe there are no race checks on ID documents ever, that would be a highly degraded (almost bestial) concept of humanity.

Once you unscrew this idea from the ex-colonial countries, you will see how "political correctness" won't be needed anymore.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

oh quick question, 'Asian' wasn't really a popular term in the UK until the last 5 years or so.

We used to pretty much say 'Oriental' or 'Indian', and of course, that's pretty wide terms, but are they offensive? 'Asian' means of indian origin over here, whereas in the US it seems to mean more 'Oriental'?

I agree that "African American" is retarded tho...as a term it is fuckwitted, not being offensive here as I don't mean 'a bit dim' I mean medically mentally subnormal. Black people are black, it's a bloody idiotic term.

 

[Blind Sight]

What I don't like is the obsession of the US over "races". Races do not exist: people with different body features do, like skin color, and they actually divide themselves into populations (with their culture and country) and not "human subspecies" supergroups. In Europe there are no race checks on ID documents ever, that would be a highly degraded (almost bestial) concept of humanity.

I'm sure you'll enjoy this, Edward James Olmos at the U.N.:


SO SAY WE ALL.

 

[Chamale]

We joke about calling short people third-dimensionally impaired, or vertically challenged. But to actually implement it? That's insane. I think we should avoid slurs, but it's silly to call someone racist for using a term like "black" or "brown" or "Asian". I've seen American newspapers referring to "African-Americans" in France, for crying out loud. We need to be sensible about what words we use - and that goes both ways.

 

[Drakane]

IMO: most "battles" for PCness are conducted by soccer moms who are so worried about not offending anyone they are oblivious to what is actually offensive. Lets rally the troops over "white" collar crimes... because that infers that people of minority can't be in that class of criminal. A bit of joke but I can see it on the horizen.

Furthermore: Whats worse... I call you a *exploit deleted* as a friend... or a whobjab, a word that me and my friends have deemed demeaning and racist, that you dont understand but by context know what I infer?... A word itself is nothing unless we let it mean something.

 

[harv3034]

Freedom of speech is idiotic. Political correctness, equally so.
Words can hurt, and should be moderated, if only by common sense. There is nothing to be gained by giving people the right to slander or make inflammatory remarks.
On the other hand, the government has no right or purpose whatsoever to dictate right and wrong in any context, including words and opinions.

*snip*

Wait, wait, wait...government isn't supposed to moderate free speech, but people don't have the right to make inflammatory remarks? That's an inherent contradiction; either the state DOES regulate such speech or else people do have the RIGHT to make the remarks. Suffering consequences from non-government sources is not a violation of one's rights (in non-equal opportunity cases.) If a worker makes racist slurs and their employer fires them, that's not an infringement of rights as an employer is able to terminate employment for any reason.

To the extent government does NOT regulate communication, you have free speech. If government has no right to regulate free speech, then by definition you have unlimited freedom of speech. US constitutional law does place a few limits on free speech, most of them regarding either obscenity or else incitement to immediate violence. Most "censorship" in the US is actually done by the private sector. (Not allowing minors into certain movies, for example, is not a government policy but a voluntary decision by the MPAA.) The private sector cannot take your rights away, but they can cease doing business with you, which is -not- the same thing as censorship.

Edit: To clarify, if a hate-group wants to put out their message, they can under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, provided the message is not inciting -immediate- violence. So if the Klan wanted to post their screed, they can, but they can't say, "And let's go kill us some insert group we hate right now!"

Well, there's this clause in the first amendment that outlaws "fighting words"
or speech given with the sole purpose to incite violent action those who hear it.

 

[internetzealot1]

It's just the crazy, leftist subaru-hippies trying to infringe on our free speech.

yeah, they should be like the rightist and just try and enslave and kill, sigh, what is the world coming to

I must've missed that slavery bill the Republicans tried to pass.
OT: PC is fine when you're trying to be, you know, polite to someone who is standing next to you. But it goes too far when you try to erase words just because they have a negative connotation.

 

[randomsix]

But being a black sheep has nothing to do with race or anything else political. How one could seriously argue to change such a phrase is beyond me.

 

[Mordwyl]

To hell with that. You can't take away the word black from me.

 

[Madara XIII]

Here is how politically correctness works... If your a white guy, and speak to a person of the other race that might be mildly insulting, your racist... The same goes for if you argue with someone of the other race, it's because you hate their race and not the individual..


Honestly these days, racism is thought as "Insulting someone of the other race" instead of "Insulting someone BECAUSE they're the other race."

^ This...Political Correctness is just...UGH!!

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

I support Political Correctness to a degree, but I also believe in calling a spade a spade.

You don't call a black man a ****** (seriously, don't ever use this word, I hate it, it's one of the worst things in the entire English langhuage), but you can call him a black man, because he is, the same way that I am a white man and take no offence to being described as such.

I do waver on things like 'fat' though. I would describe myself as fat but I know I am using the term derogatively, and if someone else described me as fat I would assume they were using it derogatively. There's nothing wrong with 'overweight' in my mind, but 'big-boned' and 'differently-sized' are too far. For one thing, big-boned is a thing in itself, that you have greater bone density than other people (which I co anyway curiously enough), and there are plenty of people with 'big-bones' who are not overweight, because having big-bones does not automatically make you overweight, sloth and bad eating make you overweight. (As I do as well)

So half and half, I tend to draw the line at derogatory, and it is situationally dependent. I will call myself fat but I won't call someone else fat and I wouldn't want someone else to call me fat. If I was talking to someone of any particular minority, (other race, mentally or physically handicapped, overweight, whatever) I would not mimc their use of any derogatory terms they used for themselves. For example, I have a friend in a wheelchair who refers to herself all the time as various deviations on 'cripple' but I don't think I've ever used any term to refer to her apart from the purely descriptive 'she is in a wheelchair.'

 

[FoAmY99]

Political Correctness is the second worst thing humanity has ever come up with, right behind organized religion. But thats a discussion for another time.

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

I hold the same policy I have always held. To quote the ancient prophet of the greek gods, Everything in moderation. Besides there should always be a line where common sense take over, I'm just a bit upset that the line is getting thinner and thinner every day.

This needs to be in a book somewhere. This is an amazing post. Something that you would read in a book of quotes one day.

 

[Snake Plissken]

You should never, EVER, hide behind words just to spare somebody's feelings. Everyone could use a thicker skin. I don't care how thick your skin is, it can stand to be thicker. Being offended is the only true way to gain introspection on ones self.

 

[thedoclc]

*snip*

*snip*

Well, there's this clause in the first amendment that outlaws "fighting words"
or speech given with the sole purpose to incite violent action those who hear it.

This decision to outlaw words which incite violence directly comes from Supreme Court decisions and interpretation of the First. The First states very simply, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." That's it. Whole text. The idea that video games and movies are protected as "speech," that words which may threaten national security are not protected, the clear and present danger criterion, and the "fighting words" clause are all from the Court.

 

[Madara XIII]

Political Correctness is only to be used to look professional, but to incorporate that in every day society!? NO!! NO NO!!!

No matter what you say you're going to offend someone so why bother with your idiotic delusions and just say it for the love of God!?

 

[Icarion (aka Stockholm)]

Here is how politically correctness works... If your a white guy, and speak to a person of the other race that might be mildly insulting, your racist... The same goes for if you argue with someone of the other race, it's because you hate their race and not the individual..


Honestly these days, racism is thought as "Insulting someone of the other race" instead of "Insulting someone BECAUSE they're the other race."

^ This...Political Correctness is just...UGH!!

Yep this again. I honestly hate some of the black people in my school. Because they have a huge sense of entitlemnet. Does that make me racist? I'd say no I hate the individual. And how the HELL is it incorrect to call black people black when thats what they refer to themselves as? Should people call me a person of semetic descent because I'm Jewish, and at one point that had a negative connotation? I'd punch anyone who tried to call me that in the face for being a dick. Only people who think they are (truly) superior (socially at least) use PC. Really its just people who think they'll offend you BECAUSE you're a minority and THAT is racism

 

[Madara XIII]

You should never, EVER, hide behind words just to spare somebody's feelings. Everyone could use a thicker skin. I don't care how thick your skin is, it can stand to be thicker. Being offended is the only true way to gain introspection on ones self.

^ What this awesome dude of awesomeness said about such a not-so-awesome Topic