Donate SIGN UP

Are We Becoming A Nation Of Neurotics?

Avatar Image
naomi24 | 12:56 Sat 05th Sep 2020 | Society & Culture
41 Answers
John Cleese has said, “PC stuff started out as a good idea, which is, ‘Let’s not be mean to people’, and I’m in favour of that despite my age,” “The main thing is to try to be kind. But that then becomes a sort of indulgence of the most over-sensitive people in your culture, the people who are most easily upset.”

He continued: “I don’t think we should organise a society around the sensibilities of the most easily upset people because then you have a very neurotic society.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-cleese-political-correctness-comedy-woke-bbc-fawlty-towers-a9702986.html

Should we be treading on eggshells in order to indulge those who are most easily upset - or who claim to be?

Your thoughts?
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 20 of 41rss feed

1 2 3 Next Last

Avatar Image
To judge from many of these posts, it would seem so
11:05 Tue 08th Sep 2020
I agree with John Cleese. I believe in kindness, tolerance, respecting our differences. But when we need to start pussyfooting or feel we are walking on eggshells due to the sensitivities of others, then it's gone overboard.
Over the past year or two, this has become so prevalent, we are in danger of losing the right of free speech, which is far more more precious than individual sensitivity.

Just live your life as you (legally) please, if others don't like it there are other ways for them to look.
I can't add anything of value to Pasta's excellent reply. I worry very much about the current trend of being afraid to offend people. And where to disagree is interpreted as insulting . I lived through the 1930s and I am reminded of how such attitudes can take hold.

I really don’t like John Cleese but have to say I agree with him. And with you too, Pasta, free speech is indeed very precious.
the most innocuous comment is likely to upset a snowflake somewhere
I've been watching Last of the Summer Wine recently, they'd not even be able to make that these fragile days. How offensive that Compo is always trying to get physical with Nora Batty, that the ex-Army character mimics what the people of Borneo said to him, pass me the smelling salts, I may need counselling.
Based on your post, looks like he's stated how it is, in a nutshell.

Unsure about "becoming" though.
I think he's missed the point. With:
//He continued: “I don’t think we should organise a society around the sensibilities of the most easily upset people because then you have a very neurotic society.”//- Most of the time it's some TROB "woke" pillock taking offence of behalf of a group they think might be offended, often that group don't give a rats April.
As a nation no but there is a minority who are obsessed with what they see as PC.
I, too, am not keen on John Cleese, but he expressed exactly how I feel about this.
I don’t think we’re becoming a nation of neurotics. Not yet, anyway. There are enough of us around still who roll our eyes over some ‘woke’ or ‘snowflake’ pronouncement about someone possibly being offended somewhere.
Question Author
Danny, //As a nation no but there is a minority who are obsessed with what they see as PC.//

You’re missing the point he’s making. There is a minority obsessed with PC, but the point is the rest of us are expected to go along with it even though it goes against our principles - and we do - because anything less provokes a negative reaction - and that’s putting it mildly.
"the sensibilities of the most easily upset people" refers to some TROB "woke" pillock taking offence on behalf of a group.
Question Author
OG, the point he's making is that the rest of us are allowing it to continue by indulging it.
So those who indulge it are a bit like feeders...?
Question Author
Enablers, pasta. Time to say 'no'.
Firstly, I have to agree with Mr Cleese - the notion of appeasing people who take being offended to professional levels is not the way for a society either to exist, or especially to advance.

I don't believe we are more neurotic as a society.

I believe that the more neurotic people are today, the more they indulge in the public platforms of social media to indulge themselves and tell everyone about it.

I think the vast majority of people have neither the time or the inclination to get involved in such attention-seeking flummery, they are too busy living normal lives and simply getting on with life and being perfectly happy doing so.

The increasingly high profile of neurotics - the notion has become self-devouring as they all clamour for attention - implies that there are more of them than there are, and they are more worthy of attention than they are, but I believe this is a false image.

let's face it, if the entire ethos of the terminally upset is to make sure everyone in the world knows how upset they are, their profile is automatically going to be higher than anyone with an ounce of common sense, who always has better things to do with their time than become a mind-bogglingly tedious keyboard numpty.
pastafreak
//Please don't use 'injun'...sounds disrespectful to me.//
naomi - I am curious as to why you awarded BA to pastafreak for the first post on the thread.

It may well be the best, but with nothing to compare it to, you couldn't know that.
Keyboard numpty I like that :0) the adults x box then?

1 to 20 of 41rss feed

1 2 3 Next Last

Do you know the answer?

Are We Becoming A Nation Of Neurotics?

Answer Question >>

Related Questions

Sorry, we can't find any related questions. Try using the search bar at the top of the page to search for some keywords, or choose a topic and submit your own question.