To be proud to be PC?

[Shakirasma]

Newspaper columns and facebook are awash with people who use politically correct as a derogatory term and proudly announce that they make no apologies for being un-pc. Usually before saying something insensitive or even downright offensive.

The Collins English dictionary definition of politically correct is:

adjective

demonstrating progressive ideals, esp by avoiding vocabulary that is considered offensive, discriminatory, or judgmental, esp concerning race and gender PC

AIBU to try to be like that? Or is PC really the world gone mad and responsible for all societies ills?

Yes to the last sentence.

If you're not PC I think that makes you ignorant or rude. I do t think everything done in the name of PC is appropriate or necessary. I feel much the same about human rights which are often demonised.

I only see the term used by lazy racists, homophobes or bigots who think it's their right to be as offensive as fuck if they feel like it.
That goes for the term "professionally offended" as well.

I think some people go OTT and see offence where it doesn't really exist, focussing on trivial things instead of things that matter.
PC in its proper sense is a good thing, though.

I'm pretty proud to be pc. Best compliment I ever got was from an uncle "you're the most un-sexist, un-racist, un-homophobic person I ever met". Still makes me smile thinking about it even though he meant it as an insult.

I'm finding it hard to put in my words what I think of most people who resort to knee-jerk 'PC gorn mad' jibes to excuse their language without myself being judgemental or possibly offensive.

Of course it does depend exactly what phrase is under consideration - at 5"1' I find 'vertically challenged' ridiculous because the only time when my height is a problem is trying to get ginger beer off the top shelf in Sainsbury's and it's a positive advantage when it comes to being comfortable on planes.

PC is good I think. Obviously your last sentence.

But there was a poster who was offended by my use of the term The Child when speaking about my son.

Now there was no isms and no way it was any ists but she took it upon herself to be offended on the behalf of my child who wasn't reading the forum.

Now that is PO and PO can be used in such instances

Amongst all the trite, hackneyed, bloody annoying phrases I constantly read ,PC Gone Mad and The PC Brigade make me bristle.

Screamingly unfairly in perhaps one or two cases at most I always assume the author of either phrase is a thick UKipper.

I wouldn't describe myself as being 'politically correct' but I think my views tend to fall in line with being what is commonly viewed as pc.

If someone proudly blusters about 'not being pc, me' then I probably wouldn't enjoy their company.

But Errol, 'vertically challenged' was never a real PC term, it was made up to take the piss out of PC terms like 'differently able(d)' (used in the 80s and 90s, I think).

Anyway, surely you would only be 'vertically challenged' if you couldn't stand up straight? It has nothing to do with height.

Erm, if being pc means trying not to offend people, then count me in.

I agree with you 99 percent of the time. I think, although it has it's problems, being PCs came about to redress some of the great I'm imbalances in our society. As a member of a minority myself I very much appreciate the difference it has made to our lives.

I'm proud to be PC. It is there to protect and serve and that's what it does in the majority of cases. Anyone who goes on about the pc brigade, or the professionally offended is only using it to defend their right to be offensive.

Manhattan agreed.

I'd rather be seen as PC than as rude and insensitive.

PC/Professionally Offended/PC Brigade/Liberal (as in 'liberal lefty loony' from another thread) = not an arsehole

YANBU

Thank you for the replies, and for reassuring me I'm not alone in my outlook.

You are definitely not alone. I try very hard not to offend people, and I don't give a shit if someone (usually a rude bigot) thinks that's 'PC gone mad'.

I dunno, op.

I work in an environment where "political correctness" has now mutated into something often rather extreme and surreal, and it has been used to silence or intimate people -- at best, put them on the back foot.

One example comes to mind: we had a missive a few years ago that raised a query over the term "mature student". It was suggested that the term could be seen as being potentially offensive. Now I don't know about you, but I have never known one person be offended by being called a mature student. Ever.

There is a lot of this sort of thing in my field and also my DH's industry. It is also accompanied by a constant drilling down into racial, ethnic, religious and gender classifications that I personally believe becomes starts to become quite dangerous.

I had a massive issue with the Equalities Act for similar reasons. The EA meant that large employers were required to make provisions for those employees with protected characteristics, which meant those employers had to know how many employees they had with protected characteristics.

Even though such surveys were "anonymous"; in reality, there were ways of tracking the source of individual returns if they were submitted electronically and it meant that large employers held information that detailed the sexual orientation and religion of their employees.

Lists like that make me nervous.

I had this exact conversation with my colleague before when the Jeremy Clarkson defenders were on a radio phone in. It was like 'PC' was a dirty word.

If being PC equates to treating people with respect and not hurting theirs/a group of peoples' feelings on purpose, then I AM PC AND PROUD!!!!!!

So if you are 'un-pc', you should just be able to go around saying whatever the hell you like and anyone who gets offended by your nastiness is a nampy-pamby lefty. Ridiculous!

I only see the term used by lazy racists, homophobes or bigots who think it's their right to be as offensive as fuck if they feel like it.

Quite!

yanbu. I am pc too!

Great quote from SimpsonSo:

Lisa: they called me a pc thug.
Homer: I've been called a greasy thug before and it never stops hurting.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/11/mainstream-left-silencing-sympathetic-voices

PC can go a bit far sometimes. But would I rather go a bit far towards trying not to offend people or go too far towards being a racist, sexist bigot? The former.

I think whether being PC is something to be proud of depends on the circumstances. There are an awful lot of people eager to join any passing mob that might be on it's way to burn a witch racist. Even when the racist hasn't actually offended against the race in question. I don't think anyone who joins mobs is nice.

A lot of posts in AIBU are started by people who appear to want a pat on the back. Basking in the warm glow of their own political correctness is how some people prop up their self-esteem.