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.

[MadBraLady]

I'm 90% sure "police officer" has always been a term in use, by the way. Perhaps somebody from an older generation will know? It's just that policeman/policewoman used to be used as well. "Police officer" is hardly a clumsy construction.

And I've never heard anyone say "chairperson" either, everybody says "chair" - again I suspect this is a term that goes way back.

In fact I start to suspect that these "political correctness gone mad" types never actually engage in civic life, go into workplaces or attend meetings, hence their fevered imaginings about what goes on there.

[ImTooHecsyForYourParty]

What does colour have to do with it?

If you are talking about an elderly person who fell over then that is relevant information. The fact that they are elderly and fell over means that, perhaps, they could have been hurt more than a younger person - when we hear about elderly people falling, we hear about broken hips etc, in a way that we just don't about younger people. So, depending on the circumstances, it may have been relevant to mention that the person who fell was elderly.

However, there is no relevant reason to mention the colour of someone who fell. A person's colour, unlike age, does not have the potential to make a fall more serious, or mean they need more help to get up, for example.

It isn't about mentioning or not mentioning age, colour, disability... it's really simple - is the insertion of that information relevant or even could someone reasonably think it was relevant.

I was talking to a woman on the bus, she was saying isn't it weird that we've had so much snow recently! - fine. Reasonable.

I was talking to a black woman on the bus, she was saying isn't it weird that we've had so much snow recently! - insertion of colour totally irrelevant and therefore meaningless.

I was talking to a black woman on the bus, she was saying isn't it weird that we've had so much snow recently and she was saying she's from Kenya and when she first came here, she couldn't believe how cold it could get. - I would argue that the colour of her skin is still unnecessary because it's her nationality that she is mentioning, but I can see how some people would think it was relevant.

and I know, I have used the word relevant so many times it's lost all meaning but that is the top and bottom of it. - What is the reason a description of the person has been included - is it integral to the story.

More often than not - it isn't.

And more importantly, you never get I was talking to a white woman, I was talking to an able bodied man...

[GummyAdams]

Are you getting political correctness mixed up with politeness?

Or what Stephen Fry said in his America programme-
"Sometimes political correctness exists more in the furious minds of its enemies than in reality, which gets on with compromise and common sense without too much hysteria."

[hazeyjane]

Thinking before opening your mouth to say stuff, shouldn't be too big a deal.

[EyePad]

So is the word blackboard offensive? I still don't get whether it can be used or not?

[MadBraLady]

Who "outlawed" the use of the word "blackboard", Eyepad?

If it's something that happened directly to you in a education setting, well, I wouldn't agree with the person who decided it, but if it's their school/college/whatever then they make the rules - and it's up to the staff/students/whoever to protest that it's silly. No "outlawing" involved.

If it's something you read about in the papers it's probably bollocks. Just like all those "council bans use of Christmas" stories they run every December.

[tethersend]

It's not Political Correctness gone mad.

It's Political Correctness experiencing mental illness.

Do try to keep up.

[CreatureRetorts]

Political correctness gone mad is what racists/bigots/etc use as a defense for their claptrap.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

They have replaced all the blackboards in schools with whiteboards now, you know. Political correctness gone mad.

[CreatureRetorts]

Blackboard isn't banned

I don't remember that particular law I'm not a lawyer

[CreatureRetorts]

have reported them to the Police

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

Ha! I was going to say that TheOringinal!

[Trills]

Lots of schools have smartboards now - does that mean that black and white boards were all stupid?

[Wheresmycaffeinedrip]

If u want to be able to use derogatory terms you know are gurtful then YABU. If however (like me) u are just unaware of the fact some terms are no longer considered ok to use and u just can't keep up, as u never meant to offend anyone just everyone's jumped on this one thing u had no idea about then YANBu. For instance I had no idea "having a paddy" was an offensive phrase and I have used it many s time with no offense intended.

[FreudiansSlipper]

oh dear op most on here think you are talking bollocks. because you are
Nigel Farage will agree with you and Nick Griffin

[RubyGates]

While I don't think the use of polite, thoughtful language is wrong or onerous; I have seen several intersting threads completely derailed because a subsequent poster has come along and picked the choice of OP's language to pieces. Usually when the OP has a good point that the more "politically engaged" don't want to engage with for whatever reason.

I think there are increasing instances of "the language correctness police" berating the OP and thus losing the original point of the often interesting debate.

I'm sure there are ways of letting the OP know that terminology has moved on and that it is now thought better to say rather than without shutting-down the whole flow of debate.

[Dawndonna]

'Blackboard' 'Black Cab' myths. Are we going to get 'black coffee' soon?

Listen OP we're aware it's still the school holidays, now off you trot and finish your homework.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Only whiteboards can be smart boards though. I don't know. I don't get it. Safest just to refer to them as 'coloured' I think, like what my nanna does, and she hasn't got a racist bone in her body.

[kungfupannda]

Isn't it amazing how someone takes a bashing for being "un-pc" on one thread and then someone else happens to start a thread on the same topic.

All this stuff about black cabs and blackboards is bollocks. There have been some changes in terminology because we are striving towards being a more equal society and language is a big part of it. Societies evolve constantly and expect their members to be able to make some sort of effort to evolve their own understanding and behaviour.

Some people simply don't seem able to do so and cover up their own inadequacy by being agressive and whingy about "political corectness gone mad". All it means is that they don't like being the anachronism and having people give them that look - you know, the one that says "I can't believe you just said that. I'm not going to say anything because I don't want to cause a massive scene but I'm just going to edge away from you slowly."

A lot of this change is far from a new thing. I've been a criminal lawyer for 12 years so I've probably had more reason to refer to members of the police force than most people. I say "police officer" or just "officer". It would feel a bit odd to say "policewoman" or "policeman" - odd and a bit childish. It's always been like that - it's not something I've ever consciously done - it's just common parlance now.

People need to get over themselves. If they are causing offence then chances are they are being offensive and need to have a look at whether society has moved on and left them behind.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

... And she only votes UKIP because of their taxation policies.

[Chipstick10]

Why do the mumsnetters on here automatically think political correctness means not being able to racially abuse people? Totally confused by the reaction. Over reaction in the extreme. Could the op just mean in general like referring to xmas as winterville . Or chairperson rather than chairman. Or not saying baldy but follically challenged. chill out Also I am not au fait with the politics on here, why has the op name changed?

[EyePad]

well i suppose i used the wrong word in outlawed. '"not to be used' the.

FWIW I have no idea where I heard it should not be used, but all of a sudden it couldn't be mentioned without someone saying it was wrong.

Anyway I am happy to stsnd corrected, and that the blackboard still exists and is not offensive.

[Simontowers1]

YABU. However ... I do think that the original, laudable intentions of political correctness have, to a certain extent, been interpreted over-zealously by some liberals and also been misused/abused by people in some circumstances, especially in the work place.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

But nobody has ever had to refer to Christmas as winterval. And I have certainly never heard of anyone saying'follically challanged' except as a rather lame joke. Both of those things are examples of defensive fear of what is perceived to be political correctness, rather than of political correctness itself.

[MadBraLady]

Chipstick The Winterval stories always turn out to be bollocks. I remember one year it was Birmingham City Council got it in the neck for calling their December/January events programme "Winter Wonderland" or something like that - despite the fact that among the events listed in the programme were "Switching on of the CHRISTMAS lights", "CHRISTMAS carol service" etc.

And I'm sorry but has anyone ever heard anybody seriously say "follically challenged"? The Daily Hate Mail and others just make this shit up, I'm afraid.