For being a bit bored and slightly irritated by people constantly being offended by a word!!

[xlr8]

Why is it that a word used by someone from a different..part of the country, upbringing , culture , education or decade offends so many people? Why do we all make such a big deal about not liking a word that someone has used to describe something?
What ever happened to sticks and stones????????

[posieparker]

I think people should be forgiven for being ignorant if they alter their thinking when offence has been highlighted. To use words like Epi, spazz, mong when you are aware of origins and the offence it causes and how it reduces you to a person of judgemental and offensive language, then you are stupid and offensive.
I have never used the word 'mong' but had never thought about it before seeing a debate on MN and I'm really pleased that I won't ever accept it in my house. We are a white house of no disabilities and so have never found ourselves in a minority group and so need all the help we can get to make sure we don't offend people who are as it makes us better and kinder people.

[Zickensprechenunsinn]

xlr8, I also have a disability. My friends and I refer to ourselves as XXXX. We do it in a joking way and I am not bothered by other people saying it. It's part of whom I am and if people don't like it, they can fuck off. I'd rather people be honest and be open with me than talk about me behind my back or walk on eggshells because they don't want to "offend" me.

This is my opinion and if you don't like it, turn off your computers.

Political correctness is a bunch of bull.

[2shoes]

bully for you.
picture a 13yr old beautiful girl in a wheelchair. not a mean bone in her body being called a retard and a spazz.
if that was your child. would you say that was ok?

[posieparker]

Zicken, political correctness or unoffensive language, as I like to call it, is there to give us a guide as to what is acceptable for everyone, not just you. It's a bit like every word that can be deemed as prejudiced the minority group it is aimed at causing offence to can use it, it is their perogative and they have rights to that word above and beyond people outside that group but they shouldn't assume it wouldn't offend everyone within that group. For example my friend who is black may use a whole heap of words that I, as a white person, cannot use but she would not use those words in front of her mother or nephews who would be really offended.