Sick of having to be Politically Correct over nearly everything

[SickofThisCountry]

Dont want to cause some big debate but is anyone else on here getting sick to the back teeth of having to watch their p's and q's through fear of offending every tom, dick and harry.

I think you are worrying too much! If supporting same sex marriages offends people who already have the right to marry the person they love it's not something I would lose sleep over. It doesn't stop them abiding by the precepts of their own faith. Tolerance trumps that every time?

I know what you mean about immigration though, most people know it is a good thing but its difficulties are difficult to discuss without racist inferences being drawn.

I've just moved to Australia and have some beautiful black boy trees in our back garden. Except I've been told off for calling them that (which they've been called forever).

If the trunk was white and I called it a white boy trees would there still be the same outrage?

I love my black boy trees.

YAdefininitely notbeingunreasonable OP.

This is an interesting starting point for debate:
blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/9595417/is_britain_the_worlds_first_politically_correct_totalitarian_state/

But it's the feeling - the feeling that political correctness will mark you out - no one has strong views because of the PC culture - no one will come out against anything that is the BIG thing (unless they hold completely opposite views) - like gay marriage at the moment - no one will say what they feel if it is opposite to the current climate.

I was using un-PC as in the current definition ":the term politically incorrect connotes language, ideas, and behavior unconstrained by a perceived orthodoxy or by concerns about offending or expressing bias regarding various groups of people."

So being PC is about not offending groups of people, it IS about that viewpoint being different from the orthodox..... sorry must be working from a different definition..

that was for frogman

There are plenty of people all over facebook who are quite happy to spout bigoted nonsense and vile comments all over the place so I dont know what world you live in BytheWay1? I had to come off it the shite I was reading on other people's posts. I remember during the football all sorts of groups popping up about not being allowed to fly your st Georges flag or some such bollocks and the posts on there were disguting. Again that was all touted as 'political correnctness gawn maaad'...nobody was stopping the stupid idiots flying their flags. I think there are plenty of people who are happy to spout hateful intolerant views and you only have to watch question time to see that.

Not forever, frogman. Before that they were called "bukkup" or "kawee". And given Australia's record on its treatment of black boys, girls, men and women who lived there before Cook, I don't think it's anything gone mad to accept another name. Really, would that be so hard if the plants are still as beautiful? A rose by any other name, etc.

And here is a perfect example of what I was alluding to earlier:

"I must start this post by saying that I do think language choice can make a difference to perceptions and understandings of autism; that negative language can be detrimental and foster incorrect views about autism, and that positive (or neutral) language can encourage acceptance and better understanding. However, I?ve often seen these ?language corrections? been used to shut down discussion, and to exclude people from taking part in discussions. Such language corrections also often come hand-in-hand with condescending and judgmental attitudes, that also serve to make the person being corrected feel belittled and shamed, regardless of the message or experience they were attempting to share."

From here:
autismandoughtisms.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/concern-over-politically-correct-autism-rhetoric/

joins you in giving frogman a

seeminglyso - I don't do facebook - waste enough anonymous time with strangers on MN.... my social networking is face to face....

But but but why would anyone want to use language steeped in a history of oppression, ignorance and injustice? Why?

Also, bytheway, plenty of people are happy to "come out" against gay marriage. Never mind that they are by definition not affected (unless they are closeted and jealous, which is sad and i wish they did't feel they had to be). i do love this www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/are-you-being-persecuted-2013033064361

crossparsley that link was excellent thanks!

For goodness sake if you are black you are black. If you are white you are white. If you are sunburnt you are sunburnt.

Seems like some people just to find something to be offended by.

Next you'll be telling me I can't say blackbird. I really don't understand this outrage but have spoken with friends about it who say that people who are outraged just think it's the way they should act (outraged).

Different words have different meanings in other English speaking countries- the word 'wog' refers to people of Greek descent in Australia I believe (perhaps Frogman can confirm?), and does not seem to be as offensive as it is here.

That doesn't mean it changes its meaning or is any less offensive in the UK.

Yes, that's just it Frogman

Please tell me how you would describe a black man wearing a black suit and a white shirt. He has short brown hair and is 6 ft tall. No other distinguishing marks.

Please tell me how yhou would describe a white man wearing a black suit and a white shirt. He has short brown hair and is 6 ft tall. No other distinguishing marks.

Please tell me how you would describe an Irish man wearing a black suit and a white shirt. He has short brown hair and is 6 ft tall. No other distinguishing marks.

Please tell me how you would describe a Chinese man wearing a black suit and a white shirt. He has short brown hair and is 6 ft tall. No other distinguishing marks.

You get the picture?

Of course you can describe someone as black- who said you couldn't?

Of course, if you describe someone as a black, the meaning changes and it becomes highly offensive.

Language is subtle.

How silly of some of us to imagine post-colonial insensitivity where there has always been complete equality and social and economic and cultural parity between all people everywhere on our lovely planet of tolerance and compassion for all.

If the man in a suit is in a room full of men of different ethnicities also wearing suits, then it is wise to describe his ethnicity.

If he's in a room full of blokes in uniform, he's the guy in a suit.

Where's the confusion?

kungfupanda. So do you not think that illegal immigrants should be dealt with by law of the land, same as anyone else? Don't quite understand what you are trying to say.

I think some people look for things to get huffy about and blame PC gorn mad - and it's always 'you can't say X,Y Z' anymore ...says who?

But I can't call the well known (until OTT political correctness got in the way) Black boy trees by their name? They don't look like white boy trees or pink boy trees or yellow boy trees.................because they are black. Hence the name.

Me being Welsh and all that would be quite proud at having a Welsh boy(o) tree named after me.

I don't know, Frogman- I'm not Australian. What that phrase signifies is specific to each country. You tell us if it's offensive.

In the UK, it would be offensive to describe a tree as a black boy tree, not least because of the historical significance of calling black men 'boys'.