What is PC ?

[Jemisa]

"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical
minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which
holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece
of sh!t by the clean end. "

[boxtops]

It's a poorer world where kids can't play conkers, and we can't tell funny jokes (with no malice intented) about racial stereotypes which we all know about. You know the "man walks into a pub" jokes - tut, in some quarters.
(So we turn to alternatives - horse walks into a pub, barman says "hey horse, why the long face?" - is that horseist?)

[mike11111]

Or Police Constable!

[boxtops]

..or Personal Computer!

[Answerprancer]

..or angel dust !

[mike11111]

Or Privy Councillor.

[Answerprancer]

oops sorry - that's PCP

[123everton]

Ludwig, if it wasn't for P.C we'd still have "n i g n o g" in common usage and "f a g g o t" all on T.V, we'd still see black people in loin cloths, rubbing their tummies looking a big pot with bones through their noses.
It's easy when you're white walking down the road minding your own business without idiots voicing (mild?) obscenities, I've got lots of Chinese friends (dated several Chinese women) you've no idea what they put up with and shrug off, I've got some Greek friends who are treated similarly on a regular basis.

[society]

Private Council

[askyourgran]

Presbyterian Church.

[boxtops]

I agree everton, I have friends from Pakistan who have run the gamut of abuse over the years. I've experienced it myself as an English person living in Scotland in the 1970s, the guy sitting behind me at work had a passionate hate of the English (probably still does).

[jake-the-peg]

The thing about "PC" is that despite what gran thinks it is not twaddle

It is an intermediate stage.

Does gran use the word "n1gger"? What about the word "cripple"? to people in wheelchairs?

No?

How very PC!

PC describes changes that we make in our use of language so as not to offend certain groups but it's only PC when not everybody has made the change.

Some changes don't gain acceptance - does anybody actually use "differently abled".

Others like those mentioned above do and nobody even thinks about them .

PC is just a term of abuse used by stick-in-the-muds who see change in language use but don't want to change themselves

[DrFilth]

i have got a pc world near me and it is full of computers and other techno gear but i like to go to asda as it is cheaper :)

[boxtops]

"PC is just a term of abuse used by stick-in-the-muds who see change in language use but don't want to change themselves"

That's rubbish, jtp - I'm happy affording people respect by using appropriate language (I find the youngsters' current use of "mong" meaning idiot, inappropriate, for instance), but not to have to nancy around trying to find terms that won't cause perceived distress to the whole population, or for the PC brigade to pick up on behalf of people who might not be distressed by it in the first place. It's often context which causes offence - some black people still call each other by the N word as a joke, according to an article I read recently. I'm short-sighted, not "visually challenged".

[jake-the-peg]

That's right boxtops - the visually impaired one is an excellent example of another term which isn't making the cut into everyday use.

As for black people calling each other n1ggers - that's a really complex one to do with people turning a term of abuse into a badge of pride.

You're exactly illustrating my point in that you're happy not to use words that are offensive - trouble is not all words are offensive to all people

Some are marginal

Would you refer to someone as "handicapped" for example?

Is avoiding that word "stupid PC" or avoiding giving offence?

How about eskimo?

[DrFilth]

vibrasphere there must be more to it than that as some on here are short in the manners department

[boxtops]

Mulling over, jtp - interesting that if we say in conversation "that's a handicap to ~~~" we mean that it's something which is holding us back in achieving whatever it is, we wouldn't say "that's disabling" because that doesn't make sense. However, we do say the opposite "enabling" when supporting people in all fields of life.

[dzug2]

<<Haven't noticed the Daily Mail, Daily Express or Sun rabidly promoting political correctness recently, >>

Well I have - they do it all the time, just in a different way and from a different viewpoint of what is politically correct.

PC can always be turned round on the accuser.

[askyourgran]

jth I am not in the habit of calling anyone handicapped or coloured gay or straight in a derogatory way, my view of Political correctness still stands. I object strongly to being told what to think say or do by some do-gooding quango who thinks we all operate on half a brain. There is and I suspect always will be a minority (black and white) who will still behave unacceptably. Your beef is that Politcal correctness is about people being offensive to black people handicapped, gay etc. All well and good, but this is where the PC Brigade started to shoot itself in the foot, not happy with just defending these people they had to start telling people what not to say. No Baa Baa Black Sheep, no Gollywogs, No Christmas, no Manhole Covers, these are now called Personal access units, the list is endless. From then on it has become a joke. What started out as being commendable has now become something confusing and quite frankly barmy. And the thrust of all this is that black people couldn't give a damn while we are pussyfooting around afraid of upsetting them. If no-one cares for my beautiful country its history and tradition jth I, and a lot more people will tell them where to go. If they are so ultra-sensitive they shouldn't be here.

[askyourgran]

^sorry this was meant for jake the peg, not jth.