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.

Rouge thank you thank you thank you.

And old boss years ago took me aside and asked me to stop saying the word cretin. His daughter was born with hypothyroidism, which years ago was called cretinism. I had no idea it was a disablist insult, I just thought it was a Blackadder type insult.

Oeuf exactly the same thing happened to me on these boards, same word even. And I agree with your reaction three million percent! (not four million that would be stupid)

I'd like to point out that sending people on a lifting safely course based on the weight of their handbags is in NO way related to real H&S - just someone who thinks that it should be. In other words, utter nonsense, probably by a senior management idiot who wouldn't know H&S if a copy of the Health & Safety at Work Act hit him/her in the face.

Lol at 4 million percent being stupid

No OP, not really. If I did say something that caused offence, I would apologise.

For example, I didn't realise the word "retard" was disablist until somebody used on a thread here. To my mind it was a childish insult popular with kids in the US as an alternative to "idiot" or "stupid", and far removed from its original use.

It was pointed out that it was considered offensive, the person who used it apologised, everyone moved on.

On reflection, I was shocked to see the term "mental retardation" in a US psyche textbook just a few years ago. So really, had I given it any more thought, I might have put two and two together. But I didn't, it took somebody pointing it out.

Political correctness "gone mad" might apply if you're being flamed to the 7th circle of hell for making a mistake. Making an effort not to use insulting and offensive terms is simply good manners.

Years ago one of my teachers told us the term politically correct was invented by The Sun newspaper. His argument was that it was a made up thing, and by that logic, itself un pc. The language we use changes as we develop as a society, and if something is found to be offensive to a group or individual, why on earth would you carry on using the word?.

I've heard the stuff you're saying peddled by bigots and racists op. YABU

don't want to cause some big debate er how about not posting massive verbal bollocks on a high traffic site......

I've got me flameproof drawers on today, so I will say something...

I do get where the op is coming from on this - I was told off by my boss (in a previous job) once for giving a member of staff a talking to about continued coffee break chatting -

the 10 min break was spreading to 40/50/60 min and bog all was getting done - he was the instigator - the one who kept the chat going even after everyone else had gone back to their desks - he'd follow on and chat chat chat....

he complained..... and my boss used the "do you have a problem with him because he is disabled" line - NO I have a problem with him because he is a lazy, disruptive influence....

PC invades ALL aspects of life - not just the sniggering (oh - can I use that word here - some forums star it out because of the offensive nature of the word in the middle of the word!!) about "black"boards or language used to describe disability (probably not PC to say that either - where is there a list of words we CAN use to describe anything!).

I'm starting to miss being able to debate and talk freely...

Recently we had an influx of people from "somewhere else" - crime figures quadrupled - but it would apparently be "stereotyping" to say WHY we think crime quadrupled - PC gone mad.... sometimes ...yes...

On MN sometimes it would be nice to debate some educational stuff without everybody backing down the minute someone with SN came into the discussion, or transport in general without working out how to fit 3 wheelchairs and a buggy - or toilets - OMG the furore about bloomin toilets and who can use which ones in which particular circumstances... and I dye my hair sometimes because I want to - not because I'm living in a patriarchal society that demands I conform - feminist opinion is becoming another battlefield of PCdom (on MN at least)...

I hold no strong views on immigration/disability/colour/creed/sexual orientation/gender etc etc, but yet I'm getting fed up of it all..

What is it you want to say in an educational context that gets stifled by someone with SN coming into the discussion ByTheWay.
Just a 'for instance' would be helpful.

crime figures quadrupled? Really? Where?

"he complained..... and my boss used the "do you have a problem with him because he is disabled" line - NO I have a problem with him because he is a lazy, disruptive influence...."

And presumably because you could back this up your boss said "OK fine" and applied appropriate sanctions?

"I'm starting to miss being able to debate and talk freely..."

What do you want to say that you can't? How about some examples?

"probably not PC to say that either - where is there a list of words we CAN use to describe anything!)."

Here's a novel thought- how about asking?

"and I dye my hair sometimes because I want to - not because I'm living in a patriarchal society that demands I conform"

Has anyone actually ever said that to you?

I wish we could have a good debate on these things where people who do think very much like bytheway1 could express themselves without being called names - I really think there is a lot to be said about education when it comes to predudice it is usually media filled misunderstanding.

for instance I would say to bytheway1 - where did you get the crime figures
where did you get the figures regarding immigration

what is the evidence to link one to the other? do the police capture this data and make it available? it seems like something which would be easily quantifiable.

Brilliant- others got in with the two I accidentally missed out! Teamwork, Sam!

I dont call people like bytheway1 names.

But if I ever object to anything they say about SN it is because I find it offensive. .not because I am being "politically correct".

nowhere in the uk has any sort of crime 'quadrupled' in a short space of time, with the possible exception of 'new' ways to commit old offences such as those involving social network sites

Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out.

blackboard and black coffee - seem so ludicrous that I think most people shout 'urban myth stupid' far too easily. but there are types of people who believe this nonsense and perpetuate it believing it to be true.

I remember a HUGE furore about 'winterfest' at some council or other in the 90's. When it wasn't 'the eastern Europeans comin 'ere stealing our cars/jobs/daughters/babies' it was the Asians comin' 'ere takin' our jobs, women... CHRISTMAS!' A leading muslim community figure said something along the lines of " we didn't ask for this to be done, some white person did it on our behalf thinking they were doing the right thing'

PC invades all aspects of life

Look, I'm sorry but you're wrong.

People cannot help if they have been brought up with bigoted belief systems, they can however help what they do with those beliefs when they are reasonably challenged. Why is that so tedious?

Your boss is asking if it's because disabled is akin to the old Ali G joke, which highlighted the fact that anyone can be a racist or bigoted... 'is it because I is black'

because the colleague was disabled, sorry typo

Wow, OP lit the touch paper and fairly fucked off, eh?!

Custardo. Yes it is good to educate, but there is ignorance and there is willful ignorance.

Sometime people don't want the facts to get in the way of their racist/disablist rant.

On MN sometimes it would be nice to debate some educational stuff without everybody backing down the minute someone with SN came into the discussion, or transport in general without working out how to fit 3 wheelchairs and a buggy - or toilets - OMG the furore about bloomin toilets and who can use which ones in which particular circumstances

You need to understand that most reasonable people, once they are aware of disabilities, will see that their energy would be better spent thinking about what small steps they could take to make life easier for those that need a little consideration/support. Rather than ranting how 'its not fair' blah blah blah and moaning about how much it impacts their life.

what educational stuff can't be discussed on MN because of 'political correctness'. Name one thing. Go on, I dare you

seeker - yep - boss said "ok fine" - but did not apply appropriate sanctions because he was afraid of his management thinking of him the way he had thought of me.....

Who exactly do I ask about words - I've tried on threads before - but then it degenerates into
"my cousin is black and prefers that to coloured, but his wife says she's coloured 'cos black has negative connotations"
"so and so's aunty's boyfriend's brother uses "queer" not "gay" "

And yes - on the feminist board I have actually been "told" that I conform to the patriarchal view that women must dye their hair and shave their legs - that I might THINK it is my want/opinion, but it has been ingrained into me from birth etc.... it is scary over there.... but not in RL

joiem..... - I live in a predominantly white, middle class, area surrounded by married couples(male/female) on the edge of the Cotswolds, good schools, low crime, "naice" area....

and as for an instance on the SN at school - there was a debate going about kids at school bullying/messing around in class, a debate gets started on what can be done, some good ideas etc, then - "but MY child messes around because of SN, what do you expect ME to do" - the thread stops...... it has happened more than once so I stay away from those topics now.... it has become almost as if EVERY misbehaving/aggressive child has either SN or not-yet-diagnosed SN.