Political Correctness
- Thread starter Neil
- Start date
I think it's okay to use ethnic references in posts but when you do so, you take on added responsibility. You have to be conscious of how the ethnic reference might be perceived, regardless of how it was intended. In other words, when making reference to an ethnicity, do you paint them in a neutral light, positive or negative? If it's negative, does your story lose meaning by leaving out the subject's ethnicity? All of these things need to be weighed out before you hit the submit button. Sometimes, it's not about BEING racist or not but how you're perceived which can be most important.
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No, I was not offended.
just thought it was a heck of a post for someone to feel the need to add that the person who was stealing happened to also be Latino. I mean, you would have to have crawled out from under a rock not to see what was being implied. Just pointing out the obvious. Maybe I even helped him in the long run with his new posting endeavors.
just thought it was a heck of a post for someone to feel the need to add that the person who was stealing happened to also be Latino. I mean, you would have to have crawled out from under a rock not to see what was being implied. Just pointing out the obvious. Maybe I even helped him in the long run with his new posting endeavors.
If someone hears "Latino," and instantly thinks it's used in the negative way, they are the ones assigning the negative connotation, not the one using the term. Unless, it isn't associated with an unwanted act. What if I said "All black cues are terrible playing cues." If I have played with ten black cues, and they all didn't play well, I am merely going on my experience. Prejudice is a PRECONCEIVED notion about a race or a group. If you are only subjecting yourself to your own experiences, it can't be rascist. We should be able to describe people and things without having to stop and worry. The worrying about being politically correct is, more than not, brought on by guilt we already have within ourselves. Speak and enjoy all people. Negative connotations given to race are only in each of our own minds. If you remove them, we don't have to worry about offending.
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Pc
True story: I was watching a boxing match on TV a few years back. The announcer was saying how hard it was to tell which was which boxer with them both wearing black trunks. One was a very pale white person, the other was a very dark black. That might have given us a clue but of course he dared not hint at either one's race!
Hu
True story: I was watching a boxing match on TV a few years back. The announcer was saying how hard it was to tell which was which boxer with them both wearing black trunks. One was a very pale white person, the other was a very dark black. That might have given us a clue but of course he dared not hint at either one's race!
Hu
Neil said:
great post neil and i agree completely.
with the emergence of political correctness nowadays we're making too much a of a big deal of race instead of just not thinking about it like the non-issue it is. which is ironic of course.
we're just going in the other direction now. when i was at college i made a comment which was overheard which sparked an argument/debate in class - i said something along the lines of "what the hell is the point in this black history month celebration? why only celebrate great people's achievements because they're black"
and you're right neil when you say race is a defining term and not nessecarilly a derogatory. it just shows the situation we've arrived to when you have to make this point but oh well. plus it's a natural descriptive term as well. if i have to point somebody out accross the street and he is really dark black african looking, then i'll describe him as a black man. because it's natural. To me that's his most defining feature looking at him. not the colour of his shoes of his hair style. because i am white, most people around me are too in this situation, so therefore the fact that he's black makes him stand out, to me. same as if i went to jamaica i wouldnt feel offended if i was described as the white man over the road. anyway i've rambled on lol
with the emergence of political correctness nowadays we're making too much a of a big deal of race instead of just not thinking about it like the non-issue it is. which is ironic of course.
we're just going in the other direction now. when i was at college i made a comment which was overheard which sparked an argument/debate in class - i said something along the lines of "what the hell is the point in this black history month celebration? why only celebrate great people's achievements because they're black"
and you're right neil when you say race is a defining term and not nessecarilly a derogatory. it just shows the situation we've arrived to when you have to make this point but oh well. plus it's a natural descriptive term as well. if i have to point somebody out accross the street and he is really dark black african looking, then i'll describe him as a black man. because it's natural. To me that's his most defining feature looking at him. not the colour of his shoes of his hair style. because i am white, most people around me are too in this situation, so therefore the fact that he's black makes him stand out, to me. same as if i went to jamaica i wouldnt feel offended if i was described as the white man over the road. anyway i've rambled on lol
People that lie, steal, cheat, look at me wrong, like the Yankees, are vegetarians, are Democrats, drive bad, get my order wrong, are telemarketers, don't like sports, get in the way of my good time, or have cooties are all the same. I hate them all. It doesn't matter if they are white, black, asian, latino, european, cavemen, cartoons, or animals.
Absurd!
The whole thing is absurd to say the least. If you describe someone as TALL, SKINNY, A BIG NOSE, an ESKIMO or someone with a LIMP, and you are concieved to be a racist or have racist speech is a little bit of a stretch. Get a sense of reality or maybe just a sense of humor. Political Correctness is nothing more than trying to control our communication. Censorship!! Say what you like, but accept responsibility for what you say. I say, "I hate people who look like marshmellows!!!"
Neil said:
The whole thing is absurd to say the least. If you describe someone as TALL, SKINNY, A BIG NOSE, an ESKIMO or someone with a LIMP, and you are concieved to be a racist or have racist speech is a little bit of a stretch. Get a sense of reality or maybe just a sense of humor. Political Correctness is nothing more than trying to control our communication. Censorship!! Say what you like, but accept responsibility for what you say. I say, "I hate people who look like marshmellows!!!"
The race card gets played WAY too much, and it's just for effect. While in college, I worked as an auditor (third shift) in a hotel balancing each days revenues (including restaurants, bars, banquets, etc.... read: nice; pricy hotel). There are 4 AM bars in this town, and every weekend we'd get drunks coming in asking for rooms. When we didn't have any available, I would explain so, and ask if I could call around and check availability at other hotels for them, and call them a cab, or get a shuttle......completely in a polite way. I'd say 25-30% of the time that I'd tell a black man or woman that there were no rooms available...they'd go straight to the race card. That's a pretty high number considering that I didn't have that played on me by any other race. One lady argued with me for quite awhile, calling me every name in the book. She asked me straight up, "why don't you like black people?" I told her that I don't like MOST people regardless of race, and am irritated by drunken ones even more. She said, "you didn't answer my question." I said, I did answer it, and BTW, I happen to be dating a black girl. She called me a liar, and a racist, and blah blah blah.....I told her to have a chat with the bartender downstairs before she leaves (the girl I was talking about).....anyway, it drives me nuts when the race card gets used in this way.
For the most part, I try to be politically correct (although I don't really like that term -- can we make a PC term for "PC"? LMAO 
) because I don't like stepping on anyone's toes and understand that some are sensitive. I understand that some sensitivity is justified due to being a victim racism in the past, having to struggle to overcome disadvantages that come with being a minority, etc.
Other times people are just looking too hard for racism where it doesn't exist and cry foul when there was no foul. It kind of creates a "boy who cried wolf" scenario, which doesn't help anyone. (I was going to post a link to what I thought was an example, but didn't want to hijack the thread, which would be very AzBilliardly Incorrect.)
So I say, let the sender try to be a little more sensitive, and let the recipient try to be a little more thick-skinned. -> JMHO <- a politically correct 4-letter word.
) because I don't like stepping on anyone's toes and understand that some are sensitive. I understand that some sensitivity is justified due to being a victim racism in the past, having to struggle to overcome disadvantages that come with being a minority, etc.Other times people are just looking too hard for racism where it doesn't exist and cry foul when there was no foul. It kind of creates a "boy who cried wolf" scenario, which doesn't help anyone. (I was going to post a link to what I thought was an example, but didn't want to hijack the thread, which would be very AzBilliardly Incorrect.)
So I say, let the sender try to be a little more sensitive, and let the recipient try to be a little more thick-skinned. -> JMHO <- a politically correct 4-letter word.
GeeknLingerie
Registered
The Race Card
is quite often used when the other party hasn't an issue point to make. Overused and misinterpreted by many.
is quite often used when the other party hasn't an issue point to make. Overused and misinterpreted by many.
Neil said:
Jude Rosenstock said:
Solid post by Neil, but Jude's exceptional post should be studied by everyone here on AZB, as it advances the highest ideals of online communication. I'll even go a step further than Jude ----- you have to be conscious of how anything you post on AZB might be perceived, regardless of how it is intended. If we follow this guideline, we'll post with diplomacy, mutual respect and sensitivity.
sjm said:
the very definition of "political correctness".
I want to know why in the original post it was white guys, black guys, mexican guys.....and Asian poolplayers. Sounds like some stereotyping to me, and I don't like it
Jude Rosenstock said:
I think maybe this is the most to the point. There are uninsured drivers of every race, creed, and ethnicity. Would the story have been any different had the jerk been of another tribe? If not, why make a point of it?
Some have said that nobody would take offense if they had said a white uninsured driver, but then, who would go out of their way to identify the driver as white?
A relative of mine was recently side swiped by a drunk driver. He didn't say I got side swiped by some white devil drunk driver, some ghetto drunk driver, some "fill in the blank" slur drunk driver. He got side swiped by a drunk driver. No one thought to ask what tribe.
sjm said:
Diplomacy, mutual respect, and sensitivity are words that sound good but very difficult to put in practice. There are those who bring up the Right of Free Speech and the US Constitution in defense of what is considered racist. As was done to me when I corrected George Fels' terminology of refering to the Japanese in a post as "Japs". It was offensive and hurtful. Mostly because it was by someone I respected. But there were many who defended him who even now that post on this board of his right of "Free Speech".
Personally as a person of color. I dont care really what anyone says. I will try to inform them of my point of view. But there are more important things than trying to eradicate people's prejudice's. I know the "Race Card" accusation will often be used even if people dont know what it means to be the target of racist ideology. Blatant or subtle. Just as long as you dont prevent me in participating in activities that should be enjoyed by all. You know walking down the street at night without getting jacked up, or driving my 2007 new car without the police stopping me and thinking its stolen, or shopping without being followed all around the store because you think my people steal, or shooting me because I have a wallet in my hand, or people think I am a foreigner and dont have insurance because of my color even if my family has been here longer than yours as Americans. I could go on and on. But whatever people will and wont cop to is up to them. Sometimes I will hear people say "I'm not being racist" I think no they're just being stupid and ignorant.
THis is being said with no "rage" at all but in just stating MHO.
Jude Rosenstock said:
That statement is the ESSENCE of " political correctness." The fear of having something that you have uttered being PERCEIVED as racist , even though it may be positive or neutral. ie "The white boxer- the black boxer. The only ethical responsibility you have is not to demean. And that responsibility is primarily to oneself.
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Neil said:
Neil -- I applaud your efforts to get this itchy subject out in the open, even though you knew some would probably snap on it.
I want to share a story about one of my sons, who played little league flag football, when he was 5 years old. He had a new friend on the new team. He was trying to tell me about his friend. Being a small child, not having a CLUE about "political correctness" or about different races, he wanted to point his friend out to his parents. So, he pointed toward his friend, who was playing on the ball field. When we didn't seem to catch on and the kids didn't stand still long enough to read the numbers on their jerseys, our son spoke up and told us his friend was "the brown boy, running that way!" (Of course, everyone heard him, as there happened to be a lull in the noise, right at that moment.) Being only one of two "brown" boys on the team, it was easy to know which one he was talking about, since the other one was the coach's son and we knew his name.
We should be able to use the innocent child as a guide. The only way that boy could describe his friend in a flurry of moving football jerseys was to offer a color, or a disability, or anything that made him different than the rest of the team. He wasn't saying anything bad about the kid. He was simply pointing out the difference.
Two black families live on our end of the street. One helps with crime prevention. The others have teen boys who can sometimes be a challenge. We have Mexicans living next door, who have been a bit loud, sometimes. There is a missionary family who has had some health issues over the past couple of years, so they stay to themselves. The young Asian couple was walking down the street the other day. Did I just say anything racist? No. I helped identify my neighbors by their distinguishing features that a stranger could identify them by.
Part of the great thing about living in the USA has been having the freedom of speech. When they take that away... when we are punished for what we say or think... what are we?
NOT a free country!