Political Correctness?

shellspeare

The media nowadays is fixated with political correctness. You cannot make jokes about race, religion, disability, gender, age, weight and many more subjects, without being slated by some institution created for that very purpose: to stop the humour.

Comdians such as Ricky Gervais have set-up their entire performance to counter-act this. In "Polictics", he constanty insults and degrades people different to him, and to what is considered "the norm". There is something notable about his performance.

It. Is. Funny.

The performance had me in stitches. He talks about stephen hawking, people working in sweat shops and even the holocaust. These are all "pc" subjects, and yet he finds humour in them.

What happened to the innocent jokes? What happened to the fun? There is nothing wrong with it, no malicious intent, no hidden deathly message.

This is not even a government enforced policy. It is us, the public, who have decided this is the way it will be. Some people speak out against it, and at last they are being heard. Unfortunately they are in the extreme minority.

What are your views on this subject?

Karl Hungus

Non-PC jokes will always have their place. If people have any degree of intelligence they can differentiate between having a laugh and presenting any sort of serious ideology. Political Correctness is becoming a joke these days on it's own. Just take a look at that "Unthinking Racism" twaddle. Some groups are just looking for excuses to point and shout racist. It's this generations version of shouting "Witch!" or "Commie!"

Although with PC and Multiculturalism reaching it's peak these days, I always find it ironic that it's so weighted on the physical attributes. God help the whole shebang if it was suggested that true diversity comes from personality rather than looking different. :rolleyes:

Oh, while I'm at it.

How many N****rs does it take to clean an oven?

None, that's the woman's job!

Damn I'm naughty!

Trojan

The extreme political correctness we are now used to has become unbearable for many. It demonstrates the nature of the totalitarian 1984 world we live in, where, unforunately, thought-crime is not just a fictitious concept. People particularly use political correctness to avoid talking about the real subjects of debate - e.g. the Myers issue.

Comedians like Gervais are reflecting, and taking advantage of the growing public (particularly middle class) disenchantment with everything PC.

4Xcut

political correctness should be abolished in all its evil, demonic forms. It is the tool of the devil that corrupts decent people. And another thing Do-Gooders, those ideal world livin' in head in the sand eegits. But political cforrectness is the worst.EVIL, EVIL i say
ABOLISH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

WizZard

Where are SuperFriends when you need them?? They'd do it!

WhiteWashMan

superfriends is really unfunny.

perhaps if i can come up with a new fad, people will like me better?

Infini

WizZard wrote:

Where are SuperFriends when you need them?? They'd do it!

By Amp.

pork99

Trojan wrote:

The extreme political correctness we are now used to has become unbearable for many. It demonstrates the nature of the totalitarian 1984 world we live in, where, unforunately, thought-crime is not just a fictitious concept. People particularly use political correctness to avoid talking about the real subjects of debate - e.g. the Myers issue.

Comedians like Gervais are reflecting, and taking advantage of the growing public (particularly middle class) disenchantment with everything PC.

Absolutely.

Most people are aware that racism and sexism are wrong and do not need to be preached at by po-faced holier-then-thou PC thought police who make no impact whatsoever on people who are genuinely extremely racist. I'm glad we have comedians like Gervais to take the p1ss out of it.

I still think Jim Davidson should be drowned in a vat of liquid manure though.

What a "diamond geezer" he is - http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/oct03/jim.html :rolleyes:

bizmark

4Xcut wrote:

ABOLISH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

^ Agreed

pork99

very very un-PC

http://www.sirpetermaxwell.com/

Gordon

There have always been taboo subjects. Not so long ago women couldn't wear skirts above the ankles and Russians couldn't tell Stalin to go and f*ck himself.

It's because our anal sphincters have and will remain tightly clenched.

Capt'n Midnight

The two Ronnies used to jokes about yokels because no one used to write in to say "I found your sketch on the 15th very offensive to us yokels"

Look at the Simpsons, when you consider it's target market it's very un-PC, TV is more a case of not going too far because of the general blandness/lowest common denominator rather than any real concern for PC I reckon.

DublinWriter

Brace yourselves...Sesame St. is axing Cookie-Monster because of the overtones of overeating and growing child-obesity problems in the states.

I kid you not! I nealrly crashed the car when I heard this today on George Hook's show on Newstalk 106.

Nuttzz

they arent axing him, he now sings that cookies are a "sometimes food"

CathyMoran

Think that PC went to far years ago - though I do draw the line at religious, ethnic and disability based jokes which are NOT funny. In terms of gender I would believe in giving as good as I get - all this changing of titles (Chairman to Chairperson etc), really annoys me. I do think that there should be freedom of speach so that people can make their own minds up even if I may find some jokes unfunny. The problem is that while un-PCness is well and good there is a thin lin between it and taunting - would rather that caution was used (this is from someone who is always sticking her foot in it).

Moriarty

A muslim woman walks into a bar.

Boom.


Marginally more seriously, I think PC has actually reached it's peak and is on an almost imperceptable decline. People have grown tired of it. As was mentioned up ^^ a bit, the people that PC style brow-beating is aimed at are generally the sort that understand the reasons for it's existance in the first place anyway.

No doubt there'll be a new stick with which to beat people over the head with dreamt up by the moral conservatives of the western world within another few years. It'll be intresting to see what they use.



Am I going to hell now Cathy?

CathyMoran

I believe in freedom of speach - I do have a very strong sense of humor and it is sometimes hard not to laugh at un-PC jokes but as long as they are not said with malicious intent - so no Moriarty. I have met moral conservatives and tbh they scare me far more than liberals ever could - I was brought up in a very liberal household where no TV or reading material was censored as long as it could be discussed - maybe I am rebelling a bit but I would still like to have that set up if and when I have a family. I would hate to see PCness run rampage but I do find some extreme religious jokes offensive - that is just me - in terms of blonde jokes etc, I collect them - if you can laugh at yourself then...

Kingsize

Personally i think PC only existed among radical students in the mid 90's but was brought into the popular culture by right wing journalists so that they could have a bit of a rant (richard "you couldnt make it up" little john etc etc)it replaced the phrase "LOONY LEFT" in the tabloid press.
OF Course the phrase POLITICALLY CORRECT is still used to backlash against by people who want to spread thier hate filled ideas.
but mostly it is used by people out of context,e.g. Gerry ryan has annoying habit of blaming political correctness on stuff he doesnt particularly like.e.g" i know its not politically correct to eat mars bars at 9 in the morning"

I do however agree that there is a "NEGATIVE BIAS" movement who advocate prosecution for "thought crime".These are usually the type of people who wont have a halting site in their backyard but protest against deportations.

The problem with lashing out against something like this is that you get Ricky Gervais-very clever & funny man & jim Davidson - not very clever or funny & generally abhorrent -put togetether in the same category.Some things that make people laugh just arent funny but will get a reaction- i think some "comedians"play on this.Also there are some folks who really enjoy being offended/humiliated ( but i dont get that at all)


Every can of alphabet spaghetti contains the "N" word -doesnt make it racist though.btw i hate the phrase ""N" word" but this forum censors the actual word.

Sleepy

Look at the under 25's and you'll see the future of PC. None of us have any respect for Political Correctness. In fact this lack of respect for it has made multi-millionaires out of Seth McFarlene (creator of Family Guy), Matt Groening (The Simpsons), Trey Parker & Matt Stone (South Park and Team America: World Police) and countless stand-ups.

Our generation simply doesn't tolerate political correctness. This doesn't mean that we tolerate racism any more than previous generations, just that we see being PC as merely being racist but pretending not to be. If you can take the piss out of some cultural difference between yourself and someone else (whether it's your cultural habits you're laughing at or theirs) it's indicating that you don't see that difference as being of any importance. Des Bishop does this to great effect, making us Irish laugh at our own idiosyncrasies.

PC is just something else to laugh at afaic.

seamus

Moved from AH.

Eoghan-psych

4Xcut wrote:

political correctness should be abolished in all its evil, demonic forms. It is the tool of the devil that corrupts decent people. And another thing Do-Gooders, those ideal world livin' in head in the sand eegits. But political cforrectness is the worst.EVIL, EVIL i say
ABOLISH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

So you consider it "evil" that it is no longer seen as appropriate to use the word "******" to describe a black person?

It is "evil" that "**** off paddy" is no longer regarded as acceptable?

It is "evil" that it is no longer acceptable to fire women for refusing to sleep wiith the boss?

Yes, terrible thing that pc stuff.

Shabadu

I don't mind slaggings as long as there's no serious animosity behind it- It does seriously bother me when a complete chauvinist is making derogotary comments about women, or when a Stormfront gobsh!te is making racist jokes.

Kingsize

YOU SHOULD SEE DES BISHOP WHEN HE PLAYS IN ENGLAND
uniintentionally or not the audience really enjoy the "dumb paddy" jokes
I did & I was disgusted I never felt more ashamed/afraid.
Afterwards i felt like going to one of his Dublin shows & burning the American flag.