mykevermin
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I'm familiar with the phrase, I use it often, I hear it often - but to be honest, after hearing a radio bit on NPR, I'm now uncertain about the definition of "political correctness."
I've always thought of it in terms of understanding phrases and actions that are offensive, and not using them.
So I say "African American" and not "negro" or "$$$$er."
So I call women "women" and not "bitches" or "cunts."
I use words like "gay" and "lesbian" and not "$$$" or "dyke."
You get the idea.
The concept is troublesome when they feel it's "forced" on them - that they can freely use a word like "$$$$er" (coupled with the pitiful counterargument that "blacks call each other that all the time!"). They are, I remind them, free to use any word they want, even $$$$er. They are, however, responsible for every word they say. Like yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theater, or "
JESUS! SATAN LIVES!" in a church on Sunday morning. You're going to have consequences for what you say. That's political correctness.
But this idea isn't the entirety of what people consider "political correctness." There's also this (and here's where I start to disagree by the extension of the word's meaning) idea that any attempt to stifle good performance and also uplift the undeserving is "politically correct." Like in the case of 9-year old fastball phenom Jericho Scott, other players and parents in the league didn't want him pitching because his fastball was *too* fast. So he and his team are punished - so this is "politically correct" by virtue of not wanting to offend/harm the majority of people at the expense of the person/people who *excel* at this very thing. Punishing success to make others feel better.
I think this is something other than political correctness. These moments get into an idea of community groupthink and, really, power of the majority (or vocal minorty) to get their way. I see where people would call this "PC" by account of working at the expense of the excellent to assist the incapable - but I also don't see it.
Maybe it's because moments like these I see as guided by idiot parents' selfishly thinking of their little shits and their little shits alone. Like how in Knothole (my father-in-law coaches), they no longer allow "smacktalk" of ANY SORT by the team. No " you, pitcher," no "your mother's a whore," but also not even a single "HEEEEEEEYYBATTABATTABATTABATTA." Really.
I don't really see anything that is comparable to language uses of PC early in this post. Not because one involves race/gender/sexual relations and one involves baseball. But because, I suppose, our society encourages differentiation and competition, and that's being stifled by throwing out that which makes us different, or makes us realize we're better or worse than others at some things. Which doesn't happen, I feel, in a hierarchical way among the first order of groups (straight is not measurably better than gay, for example) but does exist in the latter (competition shows that I am better than you by virtue of runs, and both you and I should be able to voice our pleasure/disgust with that fact).
I've always thought of it in terms of understanding phrases and actions that are offensive, and not using them.
So I say "African American" and not "negro" or "$$$$er."
So I call women "women" and not "bitches" or "cunts."
I use words like "gay" and "lesbian" and not "$$$" or "dyke."
You get the idea.
The concept is troublesome when they feel it's "forced" on them - that they can freely use a word like "$$$$er" (coupled with the pitiful counterargument that "blacks call each other that all the time!"). They are, I remind them, free to use any word they want, even $$$$er. They are, however, responsible for every word they say. Like yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theater, or "
JESUS! SATAN LIVES!" in a church on Sunday morning. You're going to have consequences for what you say. That's political correctness.But this idea isn't the entirety of what people consider "political correctness." There's also this (and here's where I start to disagree by the extension of the word's meaning) idea that any attempt to stifle good performance and also uplift the undeserving is "politically correct." Like in the case of 9-year old fastball phenom Jericho Scott, other players and parents in the league didn't want him pitching because his fastball was *too* fast. So he and his team are punished - so this is "politically correct" by virtue of not wanting to offend/harm the majority of people at the expense of the person/people who *excel* at this very thing. Punishing success to make others feel better.
I think this is something other than political correctness. These moments get into an idea of community groupthink and, really, power of the majority (or vocal minorty) to get their way. I see where people would call this "PC" by account of working at the expense of the excellent to assist the incapable - but I also don't see it.
Maybe it's because moments like these I see as guided by idiot parents' selfishly thinking of their little shits and their little shits alone. Like how in Knothole (my father-in-law coaches), they no longer allow "smacktalk" of ANY SORT by the team. No "
you, pitcher," no "your mother's a whore," but also not even a single "HEEEEEEEYYBATTABATTABATTABATTA." Really.I don't really see anything that is comparable to language uses of PC early in this post. Not because one involves race/gender/sexual relations and one involves baseball. But because, I suppose, our society encourages differentiation and competition, and that's being stifled by throwing out that which makes us different, or makes us realize we're better or worse than others at some things. Which doesn't happen, I feel, in a hierarchical way among the first order of groups (straight is not measurably better than gay, for example) but does exist in the latter (competition shows that I am better than you by virtue of runs, and both you and I should be able to voice our pleasure/disgust with that fact).
Reminds of the time I was having a conversation with the Lead Anchor man at my job (spanish language tv station), he was pulling everybody aside individually and saying, "You ain't voting for that f*cking n*gger Obama, are you? McCain's my man, he's the best choice for this country, baby!"
