Has Political Corectness Gone mad , gone mad?

alasdair_R

This looks like it happened in one school (link), and from what the article says, hardly anybody has a bad word to say about it.

Anyway, it was done for Health and Safety reasons (possibly mildly spurious Health and Safety reasons, but still), rather than in the name of 'political correctness'.

thats only one article though!

Reply 22

*Electronic Phoenix*

thats only one article though!

Doesn't change the fact that it's actually not a PC decision at all.

There're so many myths around PC - people who have heard stuff, papers that make stuff up/embellish the littlest of stories to portray councils as PC mad nutters out to destroy English society for the benefit of foaming at the mouth immigrants out to steal our jobs and welfare...

Reply 23

alasdair_R

Doesn't change the fact that it's actually not a PC decision at all.

There're so many myths around PC - people who have heard stuff, papers that make stuff up/embellish the littlest of stories to portray councils as PC mad nutters out to destroy English society for the benefit of foaming at the mouth immigrants out to steal our jobs and welfare...

it may not be a case of pc madness. but it's still a stupid decision!

Reply 24

*Electronic Phoenix*

it may not be a case of pc madness. but it's still a stupid decision!

Why? I don't see the downside, apart from the possible fact that they don't have enough glasses for them all to play at once.

Reply 25

alasdair_R

Why? I don't see the downside, apart from the possible fact that they don't have enough glasses for them all to play at once.

how often are you gonna get hit in the eye with a shard of soft conker????

Reply 26

*Electronic Phoenix*

how often are you gonna get hit in the eye with a shard of soft conker????

I thought the whole point was they weren't soft?

As you'll note earlier, I did say it was a spurious Health and Safety argument, but I still don't really see much of a downside.

Reply 27

alasdair_R

I thought the whole point was they weren't soft?

As you'll note earlier, I did say it was a spurious Health and Safety argument, but I still don't really see much of a downside.

the point i'm trying to make is that playing conkers has been deemed safe for years and year. why now have they decided, sorry we are wrong. its extramly dangerous, kids must wear goggles, gloves, industrial stregth blast screens and must be wrapped in bubble wrap before they embark on the most dangerous of dangerouse recreational activitys, the dreaded and deadly conker match... please! :rolleyes:

thats all i have to say on the matter. its a stupid idea. you cannot wrap a child in cotton wool. all aspects of life involve an element of risk. if we were to remove it live would be very boring indeed!

Reply 28

Fusion

20

Labour has pumped so much cash into the public sector since 97 that it has resulted in the rise of pointless and inefficient jobs. These posts are so useless that they have led people into drawing up all kinds of PC ideas to make out that they have an important purpose in their role.

Reply 29

*Electronic Phoenix*

the point i'm trying to make is that playing conkers has been deemed safe for years and year. why now have they decided, sorry we are wrong. its extramly dangerous, kids must wear goggles, gloves, industrial stregth blast screens and must be wrapped in bubble wrap before they embark on the most dangerous of dangerouse recreational activitys, the dreaded and deadly conker match... please! :rolleyes:

thats all i have to say on the matter. its a stupid idea. you cannot wrap a child in cotton wool. all aspects of life involve an element of risk. if we were to remove it live would be very boring indeed!

On this issue I don't really care what they do. I was just trying to illustrate how anti-PC types tend to make mountains out of molehills.

Anyway, I'm off to bed.

Reply 30

alasdair_R

On this issue I don't really care what they do. I was just trying to illustrate how anti-PC types tend to make mountains out of molehills.

Anyway, I'm off to bed.

and i never once said i was anti pc.

bye!

Reply 31

*Electronic Phoenix*

and i never once said i was anti pc.

bye!

Must...post...one...last...time...

I know you didn't. I was just using your post to make that point. I've just used you for debate. I hope you don't feel too dirty. :wink:

Reply 32

alasdair_R

Must...post...one...last...time...

I know you didn't. I was just using your post to make that point. I've just used you for debate. I hope you don't feel too dirty. :wink:

not at all i enjoy a good debate. a/s critical thinking has worked in the long run :wink:

Reply 33

Galatea

11

Playing conkers has absolutely nothing to do with pc - pc is about updating language to suit where society is at.

Reply 34

Galatea

Playing conkers has absolutely nothing to do with pc - pc is about updating language to suit where society is at.

I KNOW!

Reply 35

Greyhound02

7

Judging by the discussion in this thread, I think it's worth saying that what counts as 'political correctness' will vary among people, and there isn't necessarily one absolutely right definition (although a few dictionaries have probably tried). I, for example, WOULD include the conkers example, but it appears many of you wouldn't. I tend to have quite a broad definition of political correctness that doesn't simply include examples of alleged pandering to ethnic minorities (which, to me at least, seems like the narrowest definition).

For me, the increase in common-sense-defying 'health and safety' is part of a broad PC culture. I know some posters have said that "well nobody has objected" or "it doesn't do any harm" etc, but to me it's sheer presence indicates that the PC culture is there. I suppose what I'm getting at is that we can keep banging on about whether something is PC or not until the cows come home, and try to group a set of examples together to try and define what 'PC' is, but it seems quite clear to me at least, that there has been a general rise in incidents that could be defined as PC, and if they don't fit the term 'PC', then they're just downright barmy anyway, and calling them something else doesn't make them any more likeable.

Reply 36

Greyhound02

7

Galatea

Playing conkers has absolutely nothing to do with pc - pc is about updating language to suit where society is at.

I think the reason why PC gets on so many peoples nerves is that it "updates language" in a way that only suits the small minority of people in society who are doing the updating, and very few others.

Reply 37

Galatea

11

Language has changed to suit the fact that woman are now allowed to have prominent roles in society. For example, instead of saying 'chairman', 'policeman', 'headmaster', we now say 'chair', 'police officer', 'headteacher', etc. How hard is that? It doesn't get on my nerves.
And women aren't exactly a small minority group in society either.

Sexism is just one example of prejudice that pc tries to combat, there are of course others

Reply 38

Greyhound02

7

Galatea

Language has changed to suit the fact that woman are now allowed to have prominent roles in society. For example, instead of saying 'chairman', 'policeman', 'headmaster', we now say 'chair', 'police officer', 'headteacher', etc. How hard is that? It doesn't get on my nerves.
And women aren't exactly a small minority group in society either.

Sexism is just one example of prejudice that pc tries to combat, there are of course others

Very well, but let's not chastise the large numbers of women who prefer to be called 'chairman' etc, because they have decided that the old-style phrases suit them more.

Reply 39