What does it mean to be politically correct?

Slugs

I just can't seem to get a grasp of it's definition, and wiki is being as vague as it usually is. Could someone explain please

Onesimus

well whatever you do dont ask a politician.

bonerm

It means to not have enough guts to vocalise any of your own opinions and instead go along with whatever the social consensus is wrt any given issue or demographic.

Slugs

bonerm wrote: »

It means to not have enough guts to vocalise any of your own opinions and instead go along with whatever the social consensus is wrt any given issue or demographic.

Isn't that conformity o.O?

liah

To go out of your way to make sure absolutely nobody ever gets offended by anything you say.

Bolag_the_2nd

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=political+correctness

Mike 1972

Disagreeing with anything the Daily Mail says.

Slugs

Bolag_the_2nd wrote: »

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=political+correctness

I think I get the picture from these. Cheers

FlutterinBantam

If you were at a large dinner party and unloaded a 'string of pearls'

That would be construed as 'politically incorrect'.

No physical damage done but not good manners.

4zn76tysfajdxp

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

If you were at a large dinner party and unloaded a 'string of pearls'

That would be construed as 'politically incorrect'.

No physical damage done but not good manners.

Shit, it's our anniversary next week. I need to buy her a new present.

Unique User Name

Oooh touchy topic, don't know if it'd be PC to give a response

orourkeda

It means being a pussy who will lie or dilute their comments rather than express their true feelings on a subject for fear of offending a person or group that they probably don't like anyway. It's quite cowardly in a way.

CreepingDeath

It means that you pretend that all people are equal.
Or if you want to be a bit more cagey with your answer, that you believe all people have equal potential, regardless of genetics or environment.

RonMexico

Dirty Harry is the perfect example of politically incorrect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnRkCemeV7k

sock puppet

orourkeda wrote: »

It means being a pussy who will lie or dilute their comments rather than express their true feelings on a subject for fear of offending a person or group that they probably don't like anyway. It's quite cowardly in a way.

Terms such as n*gger and f*ggot are regarded as politically incorrect. But yes anyone who doesn't use them is a coward:rolleyes:

stovelid

PC is also a catch-all phrase used by numbskulls to designate any political view that couldn't easily constitute part of a Sun editorial.

See: pinko, commie.

PK2008

IMO political correctness is the clinical and measured way of interacting with people.

Obviously more appropriate to politicians where different interpretations of something they say can lead to different diplomatic situations.

We can offend each other on the internet because there is little short or long term loss to us as individuals but politicians live and die by what they say in the short or long term so sometimes they need to be so precise as to rule out all interpretation or so vague that they can refute any interpretation.

Also a hidden element of it will be to bait an opponent into political incorrectness and therefore savage their credibility should they fall for it.

aDeener

sock puppet wrote: »

Terms such as n*gger and f*ggot are regarded as politically incorrect. But yes anyone who doesn't use them is a coward:rolleyes:

if you really really want to say those words but decide not to due to social pressures then yes that would be cowardly

starbelgrade

Political Correctness doesn't change us, it shuts us up.

nehpets10

To be politically correct is to not offend anyone in any way. There is a place for it in society IMO.

Son Of A Vidic

PC - refers to someone who is full of bullsh1t, spineless, lacking a true opinion and afraid to express an honest opinion to their peers. We all will hold opinions that will rightly or wrongly upset others, such is life. We cannot all agree on everything, all the time. To do so would render us all 'Borg' like.

Deus Ex Machina

The anit-pc sentiment is strong here, so I won't bother. I sure hope this is representative of the opinion held by the populace.

dlofnep

medicman2009 wrote: »

PC - refers to someone who is full of bullsh1t, spineless, lacking a true opinion and afraid to express an honest opinion to their peers. We all will hold opinions that will rightly or wrongly upset others, such is life. We cannot all agree on everything, all the time. To do so would render us all 'Borg' like.

No it doesn't.

greendom

Someone who is politically correct is worried that he might put his foot in it by saying the wrong thing. It's the avoidance of saying things that may offend. It's having a social conscience and caring about others.

starbelgrade

greendom wrote: »

Someone who is politically correct is worried that he might put his foot in it by saying the wrong thing. It's the avoidance of saying things that may offend. It's having a social conscience and caring about others.

There's a HUGE difference between having a social conscience & caring about others, than being ruled by the PC police. Political correctness can be a form of linguistic fascism, and it would send shivers down the spine of the generation who went to war against fascism.

PK2008

starbelgrade wrote: »

and it would send shivers down the spine of the generation who went to war against fascism.

Its lucky you're here to speak for them so

desertcircus

A neutral description of political correctness would explain that it's a mindset which seeks to minimise offence. Some non-neutral people so far have derided it as nonsense for cowards. With the greatest of respect, that's cowardly nonsense.

Being PC - and I'm going to point out right now that the vast majority of "PC" has nothing to do with preposterous fringe ideas like "herstory" - involves recognising that the words we use can hurt other people, and trying to minimise that hurt by using less loaded words. Additionally, it sometimes involves a recognition that the words and phrases we use tend to colour our thinking of a particular thing. Saying that the George is filled with shirtlifters and poofs allows us to think of it in purely derogatory terms: saying that the George is a gay bar is simply a statement of fact, and means we're less likely to associate gay bars with negative undertones - not just us, but the people who hear us speak.

Hearing people laugh at PC and treat it as a universally bad thing is one of the few socially acceptable things that really f**ks me off. It started as a serious effort to improve relations between people, and barring a diversion in the 1980s which has since been treated as the sum total of the legacy of the idea of PC, it's done a damn good job of it. You don't get to say kike, or spic, or the infamous N word anymore without being made immediately aware of how repulsive a mindset the use of those words indicates you possess. It's because of PC that jokes about "nig-nogs" are no longer used as cheap laughs on TV. It's because of PC that something like Enoch Powell's rivers of blood speech couldn't happen today. It's because of PC that people think about the words they use and their power to hurt other people. What the flying f**k is wrong with that?

greendom

starbelgrade wrote: »

There's a HUGE difference between having a social conscience & caring about others, than being ruled by the PC police. Political correctness can be a form of linguistic fascism, and it would send shivers down the spine of the generation who went to war against fascism.

Your'e definition of the word obviously is different to mine.

People are offended by certain expressions. Not using them is politically correct and more to the point, it's the right thing to do. There are other ways of expressing yourself without being politcally incorrect in the process

El Siglo

Not starting threads like this...

sock puppet

aDeener wrote: »

if you really really want to say those words but decide not to due to social pressures then yes that would be cowardly

How so? The reason people don't say them is because they're offensive. Do you always voice your thoughts aloud? Of course not. It's manners not cowardliness.

starbelgrade

desertcircus wrote: »

A neutral description of political correctness would explain that it's a mindset which seeks to minimise offence. Some non-neutral people so far have derided it as nonsense for cowards. With the greatest of respect, that's cowardly nonsense.

Common sense, not political correctness, is a mindset that people use to minimise offence to others.

What political correctness tries to do is to legislate tolerance, which is the wrong way to do so. You do not teach a child that his manners are innapropriate by banning innapropriate behaviour.

In that very same way political correctness does not change opinions, it just attempts to stop you from expressing them. It stems from a self-appointed group of vigilantes imposing their views on others, though they will never see it as such.

Words have the power to offend. And so they should, because words should have power, otherwise they are worthless. You see, you cannot face hate speech until you have heard it. What political correctness tries to do is cover this up & promote a one sided argument, where only one opinion is acceptable.

As Selma James said "We have needed to define ourselves by reclaiming the words that define us. They have used language as weapons. When we open ourselves to what they say and how they say it, our narrow prejudices evaporate and we are nourished and armed."

bronte

At one point this thread was under the "God hates fags" thread. :pac:

Dudess

IMO, political correctness has gone the way of feminism - originally great (see desert circus's post) but after morphing into something far less pleasant. I think it has gone from tolerance and respect to, as others have suggested, the practice of ensuring nobody is even remotely offended ever; being OTT "right on" - e.g. appeals for respecting FGM because "it's their culture" (extreme example I know).

It's a phrase used to jeer at mere tolerance and open-mindedness.

greendom

But does the politically correct brigade, police or bandwagon really exist ?

It only ever seems to be used pejoratively with expressions like the above or even more commonly, with the classic politcal correctness gone mad
(copyright The Daily Mail)

aDeener

sock puppet wrote: »

How so? The reason people don't say them is because they're offensive. Do you always voice your thoughts aloud? Of course not. It's manners not cowardliness.

because they are afraid...

il voice my thoughts that i really want to. read my post, i said if someone really wants to

PK2008

Dudess wrote: »

IMO, political correctness has gone the way of feminism - originally great (see desert circus's post) but after morphing into something far less pleasant. I think it has gone from tolerance and respect to, as others have suggested, the practice of ensuring nobody is even remotely offended ever; being OTT "right on" - e.g. appeals for respecting FGM because "it's their culture" (extreme example I know).

It's a phrase used to jeer at mere tolerance and open-mindedness.

Not everything is about feminism you know...sheesh, women!!

j/k


*legs it*

starbelgrade

greendom wrote: »

But does the politically correct brigade, police or bandwagon really exist ?

It only ever seems to be used pejoratively with expressions like the above or even more commonly, with the classic politcal correctness gone mad
(copyright The Daily Mail)

Yes it does exist. One recent example was on the BBC, where Frankie Boyle walked off the set of Mock the Week, having been censured for some of his jokes & then he refused to complete the filming of the series.

The jokes, were relatively mild - one of them was a comment about Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington, saying that she had a face that resembled "someone who's looking at themselves in the back of a spoon".

Look at Fawlty Towers - one of Britain's finest comedies. Under the current regieme of political correctness, it would be deemed racist, sexist, ageist & rife with ritual humiliation & intimidation. It would not be made in this age of mortal fear of "causing offence".

Long gone are the "Paddy Englisman, Paddy Irishman & Paddy Scotsman" jokes... the closest thing to that you'll see is -

'An Englishman, an Irishman, a Pakistani and a Jew go into a bar together." (Pause)

"What a wonderful example of the cosmopolitan society we now live in."

sock puppet

starbelgrade wrote: »

Look at Fawlty Towers - one of Britain's finest comedies. Under the current regieme of political correctness, it would be deemed racist, sexist, ageist & rife with ritual humiliation & intimidation. It would not be made in this age of mortal fear of "causing offence".

Yeah you wouldn't ever see anything offensive now

starbelgrade

sock puppet wrote: »

Yeah you wouldn't ever see anything offensive now

I'm not saying that satire doesn't exist, or comedy that could cause offense, I was simply pointing out an example of where the BBC have recently brought in the PC police.

And Jackass is neither satire nor offensive. It's just plain stupid.

Duggy747

Common sense is knowing where to draw the line.

Politically correct is being a wimp. A form that tries to settle for everyone's tastes, which is impossible.

sock puppet

starbelgrade wrote: »

I'm not saying that satire doesn't exist, or comedy that could cause offense, I was simply pointing out an example of where the BBC have recently brought in the PC police.

And Jackass is neither satire nor offensive. It's just plain stupid.

I don't like Jackass myself but I think it's mildly offensive in a crass kind of way. The BBC definitely seem to have a problem with what their presenters like Boyle and Ross say though. BBC did air Little Britain though so it's not like they have a problem with anything controversial in general.

argonaut

The whole concept of "political correctness" is a right-wing strawman that isn't actually subscribed to be anyone.

People tend to bring it up by saying "I'm not politically correct! [insert racist/ otherwise offensive statement here]!" and try to pretend they're fighting against the libruls.

EDIT: Or, in other words, I agree with this:

stovelid wrote: »

PC is also a catch-all phrase used by numbskulls to designate any political view that couldn't easily constitute part of a Sun editorial.

See: pinko, commie.

starbelgrade

sock puppet wrote: »

I don't like Jackass myself but I think it's mildly offensive in a crass kind of way. The BBC definitely seem to have a problem with what their presenters like Boyle and Ross say though. BBC did air Little Britain though so it's not like they have a problem with anything controversial in general.

I hear ya! I think the Beeb started clamping down on percieved offensiveness after Ross & yer man, whose name I can't remember, got into hot water for their phone prank.

It wasn't even really offensive - but like Jackass - as you say, crass (& definitely very adolescent in it's humour).

Dudess

It's also sometimes used completely incorrectly in an attempt to sound clever.

K-9

starbelgrade wrote: »

Yes it does exist. One recent example was on the BBC, where Frankie Boyle walked off the set of Mock the Week, having been censured for some of his jokes & then he refused to complete the filming of the series.

The jokes, were relatively mild - one of them was a comment about Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington, saying that she had a face that resembled "someone who's looking at themselves in the back of a spoon".

Look at Fawlty Towers - one of Britain's finest comedies. Under the current regieme of political correctness, it would be deemed racist, sexist, ageist & rife with ritual humiliation & intimidation. It would not be made in this age of mortal fear of "causing offence".

Long gone are the "Paddy Englisman, Paddy Irishman & Paddy Scotsman" jokes... the closest thing to that you'll see is -

'An Englishman, an Irishman, a Pakistani and a Jew go into a bar together." (Pause)

"What a wonderful example of the cosmopolitan society we now live in."

Fair point, I don't think the best comedy film ever made, Blazing Saddles could be done either, studios wouldn't take the risk. Probably be sh*te anyway.

PCness seems to cause huge inconsistencies. You have the above case but plenty of comedians get away with other stuff, so I don't think its as prevalent as people make out.

I'd agree with argonaut, it has kind of been hijacked by the extreme right wing loons to a large extent, as some way to make their views seem ok.

K-9

starbelgrade wrote: »

I hear ya! I think the Beeb started clamping down on percieved offensiveness after Ross & yer man, whose name I can't remember, got into hot water for their phone prank.

It wasn't even really offensive - but like Jackass - as you say, crass (& definitely very adolescent in it's humour).

Think this is where PCness gets blamed for a lot. That was just bad taste. The reaction has more to do with the obsession over celebrities than PCness in my opinion. Think there was more stuff at work there too than just PCness.

orourkeda

bronte wrote: »

At one point this thread was under the "God hates fags" thread. :pac:

He also hates queens and queers

MikeC101

argonaut wrote: »

The whole concept of "political correctness" is a right-wing strawman that isn't actually subscribed to be anyone.

I'm inclined to agree that not many people really subscribe to the idea, but it does seem to exist on some level (often in odd, self imposed directives from say, government departments and so on, for fear of offending someone).

I can't find the link at the moment, but New Scientist (or similar) had a good article of the presence of political correctness in surveys leading self censorship by the authors.

For example, if a study shows that black students are likely to have lower test scores than white students, that result tends to be suppressed, or even self censored by the authors - because of the fear of appearing racist. It then leads to causes - which were poor teaching, lack of funding, poverty - basically nothing whatsoever to do with race, and everything to do with socioeconomic levels - being ignored, and the problem continues.

But to be honest, like liberal, conservative, feminist etc, it's been used to strawman positions and fit personal defiinitions to the extent that it's almost meaningless.

Edit: In case anyones interested, I think the study referred to was on sickle-cell anemia.

Nick Dolan

To me free speech means everyone gets to say what they want, not what just what i think they should be allowed say. Political Correctness erodes free speech, by definition it stops you using your chosen words. In my view its either total free speech or none, and hopefully for every knumbskull who gets up and roars whatever abusive term there will be twenty voices who disagree. And anyway, PC is entirely subjective : Using homosexual slurs causes huge consternation, labelling Priests as paedophiles is now commonplace.

leedsfan88

Slugs wrote: »

I just can't seem to get a grasp of it's definition, and wiki is being as vague as it usually is. Could someone explain please

It means "to not offend minorities" and/or Women in essence from what I've experienced i think people can get a little carried away with the whole PC thing tbh

K-9

Nick Dolan wrote: »

To me free speech means everyone gets to say what they want, not what just what i think they should be allowed say. Political Correctness erodes free speech, by definition it stops you using your chosen words. In my view its either total free speech or none, and hopefully for every knumbskull who gets up and roars whatever abusive term there will be twenty voices who disagree. And anyway, PC is entirely subjective : Using homosexual slurs causes huge consternation, labelling Priests as paedophiles is now commonplace.

Total free speech doesn't work. It creates noise and ad hominem attacks. Nobody cares after a while, reading through the sh*te. Its anarchy on the internet.

A good example is boards.ie vs. politics.ie.