DigitalLisa inspired me to start this topic.

So, on to the topic...

Political correctness is a disease... it is a disease that was created by those who wish to control the minds of the public. So many people believe that you should be ashamed of yourself for having a dissenting opinion, or not liking what others like. It has gotten so bad that people are afraid to say what they think for fear of being looked down upon by others and called intolerant, a bigot, a racist, an asshole, insensitive or any number of other things that people with small minds will say about those who express their opinions. Political correctness tries to sweep reality under the rug and I believe that it is very harmful to humanity. By being afraid to express yourself, your mind is being controlled by those who do not want to see the truth.

I, for one, would like to see a world where people do not walk on eggshells all the time. People like what they like and don't like what they don't like... there should be no shame in that. You are not a bad person just because you don't like what others like and you are not wrong for expressing your opinions on things. This is something that those who would label you are unaware of... you cannot control people's thoughts and any attempts to do so will only make problems worse.

Political correctness is the tool of the thought police.

Political correctness is just not politically correct anymore...


It is just all messed up.

IceNine said:

For once I agree with you whole heartidly, People are afraid to speak their minds all, because of the P word... in my opinon people need 2 stop being so damn sensetive and see the truth for what it is, life and in life everything ain't gonna always be sugar coded, i'm sorry but that there is the truth

IceNine said:

Stop making sense

glad I could be a inspiration...
You just gotta know that everybody has a different opinion on certain subjects and we shouldn't be afraid 2 express how we really feel. 2 many are holding their tongue backs instead of stating the truth 2 themselves. It's nothing wrong with feeling however you may feel, just know I might feel differently and the only mutual agreement there should be is to respect other opinions.

Mizzunderstood said:

Right... the thing is that people who are so scared to speak their minds will often times fall in with the pack and condemn someone who speaks their mind simply because a small group of people are too stupid to understand the truth about what that person has said. When the PC police say that a person is intolerant, a bigot, a racist, an asshole, insensitive or whatever else, they really ARE those things to those who are too blind to see the truth and only want to please others. It doesn't matter if a person is really nothing like the small-minded, politically-correct idiots say, they will try to label and brand that person because they don't like what they have to say. This sort of attempted mind control is dangerous, as it compels many people to not speak their mind for fear of being labeled. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to be afraid to speak their mind.

Teacher said:

I'm sorry. I will try to say something really stupid now...

Doesn't this political correctness movement sound conspicuously like the thought police in Orwell's "1984?" Being guilty of thought crime would send you to the Ministry of Love for re-education in the book, whereas thought crime (being non-PC) will see you branded, labeled and scorned in today's society. How long will it be before free speech or free thought is a crime? Many people have had their lives ruined by the thought police in recent years. How is this different than in "1984" with Orwell's thought police?

Soon enough, the thought police will begin eliminating words from our language and replacing them with words that promote their agenda... the changes will continue until meaningful discourse is impossible.

George Orwell was RIGHT!

IceNine said:

So are you saying that if a person is a bigot, a racist, an asshole, insensitive or whatever else people who condemn that aren't right in doing so?
Do you think we should just accept that bigotry and racism and champion their ignorance to avoid falling into a category of political correctness?

IceNine said:

Can you give some well-known examples of this to illustrate?

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[This message was edited Tue Jul 15 6:01:46 PDT 2003 by langebleu]

Armageddicon said:

I am saying that there are many ignorant people who will brand someone a "bigot, a racist, an asshole, insensitive or whatever" when they are not any of those things and that they will cry a river about it because they are uncomfortable with the views of the person in question. Calling someone a racist is a convenient tool for the weak-minded, as there is a very large stigma attached to the word and it is easier to try to discredit someone than to discuss any issues. The PC thought police would have you believe that anyone who dislikes anything about any person or group of people is a "bigot, a racist, an asshole, insensitive or whatever" although the person is simply someone who speaks their mind.

Disliking certain aspects of people's behaviors, lifestyles, etc. is not wrong, but there are many who would say that it makes you a bad person... those people are ignorant and harmful to society.

IceNine said:

How do you distinguish between the person who calls someone racist because it is simply a convenient tool, and when someone is called racist because they are racist?

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[This message was edited Tue Jul 15 6:06:00 PDT 2003 by langebleu]

langebleu said:

There have been a good number of people in the public eye who have fallen victim to this... I saw a documentary on Howard Cosell and it showed a bunch of people calling him a racist asshole because he said "look at that little monkey go" when referring to a football player running down the field. Little did these people know that Howard Cosell referred to everyone in that way... they showed film of him referring to white kids, friends, etc. in the same way. This did not change the fact that he was a vile racist in the views of many.

Well, you can't love everybody, that's for sure, but, isn't it easier to hate and disregard or individual's opinion based on his background. I think this is more dangerous and cancerous than being politically correct. Don't get me wrong sometimes people bite their tongue when someone deserves a tonque lashing out of fear of being labled one of the names you mentioned and this isn't healthy either, because it builds up more anger and resentement of those that this tool of the thought police protects. Would you call it victimization, that you're not allowed to say what you want to say; because you're made to feel guilty that someone might be offended by your opinion? There are other people on the other side you your words.Shit this is a small world and for us to co-exist in some type of peace we can't all run around making reflexive comments because there will be ramifications in some form for them. Example.

Racist fliers evoke anger from Riverwest residents
Police investigating source of message
By ALLISON L. SMITH
alsmith@journalsentinel.com
Last Updated: July 12, 2003
Police are investigating the source and legality of racist fliers stuffed anonymously into mailboxes and fences of several Riverwest homes this weekend.

A group or individual self-described as the "Riverwest Anti-(racial slur) Movement" typed a note that said, "We are taking back our neighborhood. . . . We call on all good, moral white people to do what is good. . . . Do not befriend the blacks. . . ."

The note closed by demanding that African-Americans "go west of Holton St. and don't come back." The note also contained anti-Arab and anti-Semitic language.

Police said they received numerous complaints Saturday afternoon about the flier, initially found in the 2700 block of N. Weil St. Not sure the extent of its distribution area, police said it may have spread throughout the east side.

Although some forms of hate speech are protected under the First Amendment, police said they were unsure whether the flier's contents were legal.

A city ordinance requires all people who distribute hate material - legal or otherwise - to include their group or individual names with their phone numbers. The flier distributed in the Riverwest area was signed without contact information by "The Citizens of the Riverwest Community."

Area residents reacted angrily to the note.

"I can't believe that's coming out of this neighborhood," said a seven-year Riverwest resident, who identified himself as "Maury."

"I've been around here 21 years and never heard any kind of racist slurs," neighbor Alexandria Realms said.

Now if you were of any other ethnicity you probably won't be offended by this, but if you were black or arab, I'm sure you would be totally pissed off. I don't think this makes black people in this neighborhood like white people more, though it's only one individuals opinion.

It's about respect and I don't think that the thought police were created without need, people should be held accountable for the things that they say, especially if what they're saying is slanderous or disrespectful. It's a big effort to try and understand where a individual comes from and what has shaped his opinion, because it's much easier to give them the finger and to keep on walking, but that wouldn't be civilized now would it?

I feel what you're saying in your thread Ice, but we have to draw the line somewhere.
[This message was edited Tue Jul 15 6:33:01 PDT 2003 by sinisterpentatonic]

IceNine said:

Read this carefully IceNine, cos I will say it only once (freely adapted from " 'Allo 'Allo" ) :

This is a good thread, and u are right.
There, I said it
Now would u please before I start even liking u?

IceNine said:

which basically means you can be who you are and what you are, but alot of times people are not given that opportunity 2 all because of... political correctness. So in other words, there's alot of people frontin' out there, for whatever reason that maybe , frontin' meaning fakeness

langebleu said:

It is very convenient to call someone a racist, as it is for them impossible to prove otherwise. How do you prove that someone is or is not a racist? Does giving money to the NAACP prove that you are not a racist? Does dating a white woman mean that you are not racist if you are black? Does helping a Chinese person with their groceries prove that you are not a racist?

But if the person is speaking their mind and that persons comments are bigoted or insulting to an entire race of people, is that person not a racist?
It almost sounds as if you're saying there are no racists, just people who speak their minds and make other people uncomfortable in doing so, thus being labeled "racist."
Perhaps it's a term that gets thrown around freely, but perhaps in some cases the person is genuinely a racist. Surely you don't think they shouldn't be in some way confronted about that? Isn't silence in some situations a way of being guilty by association?
Perhaps it's hard to prove someone is not a racist, but it's not so hard to prove someone is.

sinisterpentatonic said:

The example you gave is clearly segregationist and racist and I do not support that kind of thing.

sinisterpentatonic said:

These statements are, in my opinion, ignorant and racist. There is no reason in the world not to befriend blacks, as the vast majority of all blacks are good people. Telling blacks to go away is also not right, as they have the right to live where they wish.

The simple fact remains that the people who wrote the note have the right to say what they believe, although I do not agree with it. If they act against others, they should be arrested, but you cannot stop people from expressing their beliefs. I am unsure about the laws relating to distribution of hate literature, but the note was certainly not nice. There are also various black groups who distribute hate literature as well. These groups have the right to their beliefs and I do not think that they should be told that they cannot hold their beliefs.

I absolutely understand your point, Sinister... and it is food for thought.

Listen... Before making a remake or expressing yourself,it's important 2 think about what are your intentions.It's 2 improve someone's state of mind or is it just 2 harm someone?

Political correctness is a disease... it is a disease that was created by those who wish to control the minds of the public
it sounds too much like the right wing/ conservative/ anti liberals conspiracy's theory crap for me
leftist see fascists everywhere ( soulpower where are you?)
right wing people see Big Brothers everywhere ( poor Orwell)

Armageddicon said:

It is very hard to prove that someone is or is not a racist. How do you prove that someone is a racist? I would agree that a person was a racist if they said "all white people are the devil." I would not agree that a person was a racist if they said "some white people are total assholes who live in trailer parks, beat their wives, drink a lot of beer and have big trucks with gun racks." There is a very real difference between disliking traits or characteristics of some blacks, whites, Asians, Mexicans, etc. and hating ALL of them based solely on their race or ethnicity. That is what many people seem to miss in all these discussions. There is nothing wrong with disliking rednecks, gangstas, nerds, rappers, rockers, intellectuals or idiots. Disliking subsets of society is not racism and only small-minded people think that it is.

jn2 said:

To make an educated and informed comment on this topic you need to have experience living in the US for an extended period.
I'm sure things are much different in Europe.

IceNine said:

well said!!

Here's a question that is rarely asked, and even more rarely answered; I offer it as a challenge:

Virtually no one likes the concept of "Political Correctness." Nearly everyone is turned off by it. So...who started it, and how did it gain so much momentum?

teller said:

i think it's based in good intention, and wasn't called "political correctness" until later, and the term has always had a negative connotation.

what fascinates me is that humanity still struggles so much with how people should relate to each other and the rest of the natural world. you would think that the case for compassion had been made by now...

It is very hard to prove that someone is or is not a racist
Not agree, it's relatively easy to see if someone is racist ( althought someone can be fascist but not nazi ) , but indeed difficult/impossible to prove that you're not racist imo
As I've read somewhere, it's very difficult/ impossible to prove a "negative" thing in general: how can you prove that aliens from outer space don't control radio stations or that pigs don't fly at nights?
-

jn2 said:

I agree in principle.

You can NEVER prove that you are not racist, but you can be shown to be racist if you say that all members of another race are inferior, etc. You are right.

What I was saying is that it is impossible to prove that someone is a racist if they do not say that all members of another race are inferior. It is not racist for a black man to say that rockers are stupid because they have long hair and listen to loud rock music and you couldn't prove that he was a racist for saying so.

IceNine said:

well, by the same token, how do you prove that political correctness is "It has gotten so bad that people are afraid to say what they think for fear of being looked down upon by others and called intolerant, a bigot, a racist, an asshole, insensitive or any number of other things that people with small minds will say about those who express their opinions"? How do you prove that this is people being policed?