To find it quite refreshing when someone is politically incorrect?

[pollypopsocks]

I do find it refreshing, I don't mean when they are a complete arsehole, just when they don't tread on eggshells, aibu?

with comedians, I don't think Al Murray, the pub landlord is racist at all - I've seen his act and he's usually educating his audience. Never seen anything dodgy. If he did talk about racism, I assume he'd be holding it up to ridicule.

Jimmy Carr is more variable. I've been VERY offended by some of his stuff, but he's also done other stuff challenging stereotypes. Saw him on a panel game once where he told someone else off for sexism. Sometimes says something shocking then tells his audience off for laughing which is an interesting approach. On the other hand I've seen him go on about gypsies and travellers in a very nasty way - I wish I'd walked out of the works do when he was the speaker and had a go at 'pikies'.

ooh pious, my Dad is Welsh so of course I know pimp = five.

My daughter was taught the Chinese Japanese thing by a Japanese friend, in a majority Japanese environment. I had to "reeducate" her not to do it in the UK. Strange world.

Kittytickle... I think that some older people feel that they're making the statement about themselves, rather than being disparaging to another person, perhaps they feel that there isn't the same impact when talking about a race of people as it's not personal to one person?

I don't know, but when I was in hospital I was in a bed next to an elderly lady who was really lovely, very funny and cheerful. We met our surgeon who happened to be black and she was enthralled with him, he was flirting with her and she was having a whale of a time. She said that she was "so pleased that a Darkie had made good". Obviously an appalling thing to say but she meant it kindly, she really like the surgeon. I don't think the surgeon took offence, he was very kind to her and knew that she hadn't meant to offend him even though what she said was offensive.

As far as the inappropriate tv programmes and shows are concerned, most of us watch them at some point. I just think that there should be a distinction between what is 'meant to be offensive' and what could be termed as being broadly offensive. I think the PC aspect has gone so far that it's lost the point somewhere along the line.

a tinker was a tinsmith, or someone who sold pans
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What I guess the the crux is I would never upset an elderly person by calling them a racist fucker to their faces and I make sure I give them a very professional and empathetic experience when they talk to me. I know they are not all going and using the "N" word directly to ethnic minorities.

The joke is on me really. "Very much so" when "white" comes up is just a bit mad , but I do suck it up, despite always challenging explicit racism in my personal life.

As for the humour thing: it would be a real damp squib, if it came with a label describing how you were meant to feel about it and exactly what aspects of it you were supposed to find funny. Yes, I do laugh in lots of the wrong places.

Me too, Kittytickle, I think most people do. I dislike the 'PC' revolution because it has caused conversation to be stifled with abitrary judgements about what is and isn't acceptable. It's unnecessary, in my view. A bit of commonsense in not trying to offend people would go a very long way.

I think anything that considers it unacceptable to call people like my kids 'retards', 'window lickers', 'riders of the short bus' and various other charming terms isn't a bad thing.

It can also be pretty subjective, I prefer to use the term additional needs rather than special needs, but I have no issue with either term. I do have objections to people referring to them as "a bit special", but only if a certain intonation is used. Hopefully you can get my drift.

If there is no intention to offend then no offence should be taken. Ignorance isn't so bad when there is no malice behind it.

"Me too, Kittytickle, I think most people do. I dislike the 'PC' revolution because it has caused conversation to be stifled with abitrary judgements about what is and isn't acceptable. It's unnecessary, in my view. A bit of commonsense in not trying to offend people would go a very long way."

So what would you like to be able to say that the PC revolution stop you from saying?

Those phrases are horrible, glitter, and 'riders of the short bus' doesn't even make any sense in this country - it's American, isn't it?

I think there's some confusion with the PC thing.

for example - if you get telephoned from a call centre based in India, it is not un-PC or racist to say that you'd prefer to speak to someone from the UK.

It's a perfectly rational reasoning - I prefer to speak to someone in the UK because I know they will understand my idioms, and I know that I will be able to understand theirs. I also know that I will be able to understand their sentence structure, pronunciation and emphasis.
That's not racist - i have no problems with speaking to people with foreign accents in person, or people I meet, or on a non-business basis. (plus, it's a lot easier to talk to people who have different accents face-to-face because you've got that extra layer of communication)

When I want to talk banking, or electricity, or contracts, or money etc over the phone , I want to speak to someone who can understand and answer my questions, and understand the words I am giving them.
Most Foreign call centres work from a script, so there is less chance that they will be able to understand an unusual question put to them.
Plus, when I give them my name, and address, I want to be able to spell it to them and them know basically what word I'm using.
(eg, if I say my surname is Don like the River, in UK call-centres, they understand the sentence, even if they still don't know the spelling. To Indian call-centres, I often have to say "no, I don't mean my surname is Don-River or something like that.)

this is also different from speaking to British people with foreign tones (for example, British Asians who have affected accents from their families), because even if their accent isn't the same, and obviously has foreign tones in it, I know we'll still understand each other because they've lived in Britain for a long period of time, and therefore understand idioms and the english language properly.

I can't get over how many people apologise for saying they don't like talking to out-sourced call centres because they think they sounds racist if they say it.
It's not racist.

I think that's where some of this confusion comes from. It's not PC, it's trying to explain that something that isn't racist isn't meant in a racist fashion.

edam - yes, they're all american - the Riders of the Short bus comes from, I belive, that the children who go to Special Needs Schools have smaller buses because there are fewer of them.

Aawww, those poor people in the call centre in India! They are more intelligent than our call centre staff in the uk (ahem). They are generally graduates who have "made it" against the odds in a poor country.

A bit slower and with a bit more patience and you would get a good experience. I like asking foreign call centre staff where they are in the and what time of day it is.

I would not accuse you of being racist Nicklebabe on this one, but it is a pity you don't like talking to them. Oooh, I said "them" to describe foreigners. I must be a right racist fucker

edam , americanisms they may be, but they have all been used either about or directly at my children. All by adults, all parents themselves.

Good grief, Glitter. Shame there are so many wankers around. But using Americanisms just reveals how daft they are - they don't even realise what they are saying doesn't make any sense at all.

(I've just remembered I have heard Jimmy Carr using the 'r' word. Which is Not On At All. Sad that someone who is so talented and quick-witted is lazy enough to resort to stereotypes.)

Aawww, those poor people in the call centre in India!

"They are more intelligent than our call centre staff in the uk (ahem)"

This is racism.

"They are generally graduates who have "made it" against the odds in a poor country."

This is not true.

Anyway about the OP: it's difficult because we have had to change the language we use, had to, because you just can't go on being offensive and insulting and saying "well we've always said it this way and we don't mean anything by it, get used to it". Because it's a two way street - it's not just that language is informed by our thinking and opinions - our thinking is informed and affected by the language we use.

On the other hand, some people are over sensitive and take it too far, which is a bad thing. It's not healthy to think one can't sing a nursery rhyme about pigs because Asian people who might be Muslims might overhear. It's a strange and convoluted train of thought that takes us down that path.

The PC thing is easy: it's about being polite. If you've got a problem with PC language, it's because you're having a hard time keeping your homophobic, misogynist, racist, ignorant shite to yourself. I implore you to try harder.

BUT I'm in total shock about eenie meenie minie mo. Total shock. Though I had often wondered about tiger toes...

I'm not sure political correctness is polite - sometimes it seems to be the very antithesis of good manners. Shall never the forget the GP I saw after a miscarriage "did you want it" - she only had to look at the notes - married for 12 months and last visit was to discuss starting a family!! I saw her in Sainsburys a few months ago (left the practice years ago) and I actually contemplated telling her she was such a cow I sat on a wall half way home burst into tears and rang the DH to come and collect me. It was nearly 20 years ago!!

Your GP was crass but in what way is that anything to do with political correctness?

Because it links in with the refusal to address patients courteously, ie, as Mr or Mrs or Miss or Ms for fear of causing offence and with the assumption that it's safer to assume patients are more likely to want an abortion than a baby.

Sorry, but you aren't making much sense. Doctors don't assume people are more likely to want an abortion than a baby, FGS. And even if one did, what on earth would that have to do with political correctness?

Forms of address used by doctors are equally nothing to do with being PC, far more to do with not bothering to glance at the sodding notes. 'Mum' is a particular dislike of mine, as in 'what does Mum think about that?'.

Shall never the forget the GP I saw after a miscarriage "did you want it" - she only had to look at the notes - married for 12 months and last visit was to discuss starting a family!!

At my GP surgery none of the doctors read my notes.