OT: Politically correct

SVTKate opined in news:R%L6b.12216$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com:

Anything that tries to be gender neutral by removing "man".

We are all part of the genus, "man". It should be, itself, gender neutral when used in conjunction with a position of authority.

English is a beautiful language to USE if not in sound by it's simplicity.

Why make it clunky, like French.

Mine is the use of the hyphenated American terms like African-American, Hispanic-American, Italian-American, Arab-American etc. We're all Americans plain and simple. The only acceptable term to me is Native-Americans for those who were here before all us hyphenated ones arrived and took everthing they had. It is the continual division of people into ethnic groups by the political parties and political activists that irritates the hell out of me. This country would be much better off if we all treated each other as true equals and ditched the hyphens. There's nothing wrong with keeping heritage alive but too many times it's just used to spread bitterness between groups.

I loved the speechs and dialog made by Warren Beatty > Stemming from a recent post:

snip

I had a (white) customer stop by my store about 9 months ago who had just moved to Alabama from South Africa. Her Great-Grandparents had immigrated there. She was among the third generation born in Africa. When she first immigrated to the U.S., she got into an argument with a black government employee because she wanted to choose "African-American" on some form. It seemed logical. She couldn't justify the use of that label for someone who had no family memory of Africa.

I had to admit, she had a point.

I've long since been sickened of business "jargon". Buzzwords, sales clichés and generally contrived words used in the office. Though not specifically a "PC" issue it does crossover into that territory with its euphemisms quite often.

I have this on my MSWord.

explains it pretty well. I was involved in business seminar where the speaker talked about eliminating steps in office processes or any work process for that matter ( great idea). He went on to say that the Japanese called it "mooda" (IIRC) which means "waste" Well geez? Like I need to say waste in Japanese? I UNDERSTAND IT IN ENGLISH! For some reason I guess he believed it gave the concept some metaphysical quality and that saying the Japanese word suddenly made it a worthwhile tenet.

StuK

As a definite change from the usual urban concept of "politically correct", I'm going to zero in on having to candy-coat replies to appease someone's sensibilities.

A spade is, and always has been, a spade.... I can call it a shovel, I can call it a gardening utensil, I can ascribe any number of descriptive terms to it in order to avoid calling it what it genuinely is..... a spade.

Similarly, there are some very, very basic elements that a new driver or DIYer need to have a solid grasp on. To simply assume all it takes is turning a key or a wrench is stupidity at a primordial level and should be recognized as such..... anything else will only propagate the idea that mediocrity is good and we should never strive for anything better.

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

at 07 Sep 2003, SVTKate [ snipped-for-privacy@excite.competitive] wrote in news:R%L6b.12216$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com:

You're opening a can'o'worms hon. ;-)

Personally I think PC is a load of bovine excrement. As said earlier, wording something different, like handicapped instead of crippled, does not make things better or change them. It's like 'positive discrimination'. There is no such thing, which is why PC now calls it 'affirmative action'. Still makes no change to the fact that it's discrimination to eg say a child is gifted with a score of 300 and higher if (s)he is caucasian and 280 and higher if (s)he is african american. (True here in Fla.) That's measuring with two measuring sticks, ie. discrimination, and could even be called racism as the AA child gets favoritism based on race/culture.

Least favorite PC term? African American. Would that make me and you European Americans? As that is where both our families come from? I never heard that ter being used. Which it should if African American is the PC term for colored (is that still an acceptable term?) people...

Ok, I'll go quietly of my soapbox now... :-)

issue it does

to say that

need to say

believed it gave

suddenly made it a

Now, THERE'S a trait that bothers me. An American taught the Japanese how to use statisical quality methods to reduce costs. Twenty years later, the concept was "introduced" to America and embraced by management as some sort of life-saving invention of the Japanese. I have the same problem with the perception that German engineering is superior to American engineering. I spent decades as a Machine Designer and learned to spot German designs on sight. German manufacturing tools are WAY overdesigned with lots of ground and dowelled pieces for no good reason. The stuff looks make-work and kludgey. German engineering? Bah!

The problem with Japanese engineering is a total lack of foresight. If they build a dozen machines over a one year period, each will be a very slight evolution of the last with no (obvious) leap of improvement.

Having worked among Japanese engineers, I thought that your speaker's impression is funny. The Japanese have only a tiny fraction of our vocabulary. For instance, we Americans might walk, run, stroll, saunter, sashshay, frolic, lumber, stride, shuffle, slink, hop, jump, skip, mosey, amble, sneak, tip-toe, limp, pace, sprint, gallop, march, side-step, and so on (and on). The Japanese have no such richness of terms with suttle shades of meaning. Once, I described the cause of a problem to a couple of Japanese engineers as a "snag". They stopped to try to look up the defintion. I had to illustrate what "snag" meant. They were delighted! They had no word for "snag".

Bingo! If people want to be equals why do they work so hard and making themselves different?

MadDAWG

My biggest PC complaint is why is it only white people can be racist? All you here about is affirmative action or other crap along those lines. Why is it if you take a job or collage spot away from a white person and give it to a minority its ok, but yet if the opposite happens you end up getting sued over it? I have a very simple solution to all this crap. Why do applications for jobs and collages have race on them? If they didn't, it wouldn't be an issue. I just think someone should be chosen on merit.

My second is this America and we speak english. If you speak something else thats fine, but if you want to communicate at work, school, or out inpublic you do it in english. Of course I'm just a dumb racist white boy.

MadDAWG

You don't really need race designations, just look at these names: Jamal Bethea, Abdalla Yaghe, Tomeka Mfume, James Johnson (all are real names). Just guess which one is the caucasian.

Actually the vast majority of LEGAL American citizens agree with you, it's only the ILLEGAL aliens and the gutless politicians trying to buy their votes that disagree with you.

::delurks::

hmm... lets see... PC on the whole annoys me. Discrimination I find to be loathsome, but I also think many cases of it are over blown. I can't do anything about the fact that I couldn't go to UM because they only offered me $6000 while a Cuban-American was given $20,000... and I had better grades. blah... but FIU pays me to go there so... HA!

But, for terms, I despise the Whatever-American garbage. Damnit, if you born here, raised here, or went through the trouble of becoming a citizen, you're an American. Be proud of that. I'm not saying not be proud of heritage, I love my European background (and will milk scholarship opportunities from them for all they're worth), but I'm American first (see the Parking for Americans only sign in my computer room).

What I absolutely love though ::cough cough hack:: is when you insult a person, and they make into a whole racist thing. You can't call anyone stupid or a moron or an idiot, with out them making a federal discrimination case. Most frustrating... because there are times a moron is a moron and they needed to be told that (often times morons are unaware of aforementioned condition), no matter if they are white, black, hispanic, or green with pink polka dots.

::dons flame retardant suit:: now, if anyone doesn't like that.... they can bite me. how's that for politically correct?

*grab's her fire extinguisher and stands next to Patricia*

I've got your back girl!

Kate

| > What is your opinion on political correctness when it comes to language? | > What is (are) your least favorite politically correct term (terms)? | >

| > Kate | >

| >

| |

MadDAWG opined in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Ummm...MAybe because you cant be a "victim" of the establishment without showing you're NOT part of the establishment?

Thats what Walter E Williams says, anyway.

I think that I like you....

discrimination

Nuttz to you Kate, I was enjoying the view.. move over please.

Seriously, we've got the same thing here in Canada.

Yeah what he said!

Jafo... she said she was standing *next* to Snowy... not directly behind her... you can continue your observation. ;-)

I'm still waiting on a dissenting opinion.....

JS

*reads from deadjournal*

All this and she can whoop me bowling or shooting pool too? The former is harder than the latter....

*drools*

;-)

JS

I knew there was a reason i liked this group ^_^